The chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia, Arrigo Giana, has issued a public apology on the eve of the first-instance verdict in the trial over the 2018 collapse of Genoa's Morandi bridge, which killed 43 people. Giana's open letter was published in the Corriere della Sera and Secolo XIX just hours before the court is expected to deliver its ruling.
The trial involves 57 defendants, including former executives and technicians from Autostrade per l'Italia and its maintenance subsidiary SPEA, following 284 hearings over four years. Giovanni Castellucci, the former head of the toll-road operator, is the lead defendant. Genoa prosecutors have sought a combined 400 years of prison sentences.
Both Autostrade per l'Italia and SPEA were excluded from the criminal proceedings in 2022 after reaching a settlement requiring payment of roughly 30 million euros in damages.