In brief
In July 2026 a Genoa court convicted former Autostrade per l’Italia CEO Giovanni Castellucci of manslaughter and negligence, giving him a 12‑year jail term. Other top motorway managers and engineers also faced prison. The verdict marks a first step toward accountability in the tragedy that brought cars and lorries to the ground on 14 August 2018, a disaster that shook Italy and spurred calls for stricter safety oversight. Family members of victims and the mayor of Genoa praised the decision as a moment of justice, although appeals are expected to continue.
Giovanni Castellucci, the former chief executive of the company that operated the motorway on which the Morandi bridge collapsed, was convicted of manslaughter and negligence. The court handed him a 12‑year prison term, the longest sentence handed out to any of the 57 defendants in the case.
Castellucci, who was already serving a six‑year sentence for a separate 2013 road incident, is joined by other senior managers from the Aspi motorway operator and the transport ministry. Another chief executive, Michele Donferri Mitelli, received an 11‑year term, while the former head of Aspi, Arrigo Giana, was the sole one not on trial but delivered the company’s apology.
The verdict was announced by Judge Paolo Lepri, with victims’ families and the mayor of Genoa expressing relief that an official responsibility had finally been established after the tragic collapse that claimed 43 lives. The families said the sentences were a “ray of light” and an acknowledgement of the state’s failure to protect the public.
The court’s decision followed almost a decade of investigations and 280 hearings that began in early 2018. Thirty‑two defendants were found guilty, with several others acquitted or cleared due to the statute of limitations. Prosecutors had originally sought a cumulative 400‑year jail sentence for all defendants on charges including failing to maintain the aging structure.
The bridge’s designers had blamed a design flaw involving an encased cable, while defence lawyers argued that maintenance delays contributed to the disaster. The new San Giorgio bridge, built two years later, features sail‑like pillars designed by Renzo Piano, symbolising Genoa’s maritime heritage.
