Genoa bridge collapse: Aspi ex-CEO jailed for 12 years

An Italian court on Thursday sentenced Giovanni Castellucci, the former chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia (Aspi), to 12 years in prison for the 2018 collapse of Genoa's Morandi Bridge. Chief Judge Paolo Lepri convicted 32 of the 57 defendants, with sentences ranging from one year and 11 months to 12 years.

Aspi's former head of maintenance, Michele Donferri Mitelli, received 11 years, while Antonino Galatà, the former CEO of SPEA engineering company, was sentenced to five years and six months. Prosecutors had sought 18 years and six months for Castellucci, who is already serving a final six-year sentence for the Avellino coach crash.

For Europe's transport sector, the ruling highlights the extreme legal exposure executives face when infrastructure maintenance is subordinated to profit. Prosecutors convinced the court that Aspi's management deliberately cut maintenance costs to boost earnings, while the Transport Ministry failed to provide adequate oversight. The collapse of the 1967 viaduct during a storm killed 43 people and displaced 566 residents, severing a critical trade route between northern Italy and the French Riviera.

The defence argued the disaster was caused by an undetectable, hidden flaw in the bridge's stay cables that led to corrosion and the failure of pier 9. Castellucci's lawyer, Guido Carlo Alleva, called the verdict wrong and vowed to appeal. "They have sought a culprit rather than establishing responsibility. Castellucci has been convicted despite having done nothing wrong. His only 'fault' is that he is innocent," Alleva said.

Dozens of family members wept in the courtroom as the verdicts were read. Egle Possetti, who heads a committee for the victims, lost her sister, two children, her brother-in-law and their dog in the collapse. "I think it is important that responsibility extends beyond those at the top. Autostrade, SPEA and the Transport Ministry all had roles to play. I hope the state’s responsibility also emerges clearly," she told reporters.

The current Aspi leadership sought to draw a line under the era. Arrigo Giana, who took over as CEO last year, published an open letter of apology in major Italian dailies. "The actions and decisions of some people left indelible scars," Giana wrote. "Offering today the apology that was not made then is, for us, a moral imperative that goes beyond establishing legal responsibility and the course of justice toward the truth."