Nearly eight years after the collapse of the Morandi Bridge , the Genoa Court has issued the first-instance verdict in one of the most complex and significant legal proceedings to be held in Italy in recent decades. The former CEO of Autostrade per l'Italia and Atlantia, Giovanni Castellucci , was sentenced to 12 years in prison . The Prosecutor's Office had requested a sentence of 18 years and six months.
The verdict was read on the afternoon of Thursday, July 16, 2026, by the presiding judge, Paolo Lepri. The trial concerns responsibility for the collapse of the viaduct over the Polcevera River, which occurred at 11:36 a.m. on August 14, 2018 , when a section of the infrastructure collapsed, killing 43 people and shocking the city of Genoa and the entire country.
Thirty-two convictions and twenty-five acquittals and statutes of limitations
The First Criminal Section of the Genoa Court handed down a total of 32 convictions , for a total sentence approaching 180 years of imprisonment. Twenty-five cases were resolved with acquittals or statutes of limitations.
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The 57 defendants included former executives, managers, and technicians from Autostrade per l'Italia, the engineering firm Spea, responsible for infrastructure monitoring, and officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The charges, filed under various titles, included, among other crimes, multiple vehicular homicide and negligent collapse.
The ruling is a first-instance decision and can therefore be appealed before the Court of Appeal. Liability will become final only after all possible levels of litigation have been concluded.
The highest sentence imposed on Giovanni Castellucci
The highest sentence was handed down to Giovanni Castellucci , who for years was at the top of the group that controlled Autostrade per l'Italia. Prosecutors Walter Cotugno and Marco Airoldi had requested 18 years and six months in prison, while the court imposed a sentence of 12 years.
Castellucci is already being held in the Opera prison, Milano, where he is serving a final sentence related to the Acqualonga viaduct tragedy in the province of Avellino. On July 28, 2013, a bus fell from the A16 motorway viaduct, killing 40 people.
During the Morandi Bridge trial, the former CEO rejected the accusations, claiming he felt responsible for his role, but not guilty of the collapse. The defense has already announced it will appeal after reviewing the verdict.
Eleven years for Michele Donferri Mitelli
One of the harshest sentences was handed down to Michele Donferri Mitelli , formerly responsible for maintenance and considered one of the key executives of Autostrade per l'Italia. The court sentenced him to 11 years in prison , compared to the 15 years and six months requested by the prosecution.
Donferri Mitelli and Castellucci received the two highest sentences in the trial. According to the prosecution's argument, responsibility for the disaster could not be traced to a single episode, but rather had to be assessed within the infrastructure's management, maintenance, control, and surveillance system.
The process analyzed years of company documents, internal communications, technical reports, and monitoring activities related to the viaduct, reconstructing the decisions made at various levels of the companies involved.
The sentences of the other former Autostrade executives
The court sentenced Riccardo Mollo, former general manager of Autostrade per l'Italia, to eight years and six months . Mauro Malgarini, former director of the structural maintenance office, was given a seven-year prison sentence.
Gabriele Camomilla, former central director of maintenance at Autostrade, was sentenced to six years , while Paolo Berti, former director of central operations and considered one of the company's key executives, received a sentence of five years and six months.
The prosecutor's requests were higher: 14 years for Camomilla, 13 years and six months for Malgarini, 12 years and eight months for Mollo, and 12 years and six months for Berti. The differences between the prosecution's requests and the sentences imposed can only be fully assessed once the reasons for the case are filed.
Five years and six months for the former CEO of Spea
Among those convicted is Antonino Galatà , former CEO of Spea, the company entrusted by Autostrade per l'Italia with infrastructure surveillance, planning, and monitoring. The court sentenced Galatà to five years and six months , while the prosecutor had requested seven years.
Spea's position was a central theme of the entire trial. The trial examined the methods used to conduct checks on the bridge's condition, the quality of the inspections performed, and the circulation of technical information between the engineering firm and Autostrade per l'Italia.
The ruling also identified responsibility in the sector responsible for technical control activities, at least partially confirming the position supported by the prosecution and the civil parties.
Former Director of Supervision at the Ministry Sentenced
The verdict also affected several officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Mauro Coletta , former director of highway concession supervision, was sentenced to five years in prison . The prosecutor's office had requested a ten-year sentence for him.
Carmine Testa, former director of the Ministry's inspection office in Genoa, was sentenced to four years and two months . Giovanni Proietti, former director of the ministry's oversight of motorway concessions, and Bruno Santoro, former director of the technical division, were acquitted, partly due to the statute of limitations on some charges.
The decisions concerning public officials are particularly significant because the proceedings not only concerned the private management of the motorway, but also the control functions exercised by the State over the concessionaire.
The lowest sentences are less than two years
The least severe sentences were handed down to Mario Bergamo, Salvatore Bonaccorso, Matteo De Santis, Giorgio Fabriano and Michele Francese, sentenced to one year, eleven months and five days.
The panel of judges distinguished between the individual positions, handing down different sentences based on the roles held and the alleged conduct. The high number of acquittals and statutes of limitations demonstrates that the decision was not uniform for all defendants, but required an individual assessment of their respective responsibilities.
To understand the judges' reasoning in detail, it will be necessary to await the reasons for the ruling, which will explain the criteria used to recognize or exclude the criminal liability of individual defendants.
A trial that lasted four years and 284 hearings
The first-instance hearing began on July 7, 2022 , and consisted of 284 hearings . The trial involved dozens of lawyers, consultants, experts, and plaintiffs, as well as hundreds of witnesses called to reconstruct the history of the bridge and the maintenance and surveillance activities carried out over the years.
The investigation and trial produced a huge amount of material. Paper documents, computer media, photographs, videos, technical reports, messages, and company communications were acquired. The file included thousands of pages of minutes and transcripts.
The aim of the process was to establish whether the collapse was unforeseeable or whether the conditions of the infrastructure and signs of deterioration should have led to more incisive interventions, restrictions on traffic or the closure of the viaduct.
The charges and the exclusion of the employment-related aggravating circumstance
The defendants were tried on a complex set of charges. The principal crimes included negligent collapse and multiple vehicular homicide, in addition to other charges related to the various alleged conduct.
The Court ruled out the aggravating circumstance related to violation of workplace safety regulations. According to reports after the ruling, the vehicular homicide approach prevailed, a factor also considered important for statute of limitations.
Attorney Raffaele Caruso, representing the Morandi Bridge Victims' Remembrance Committee, emphasized that the judges had conducted an individual assessment of each case, as evidenced by both the convictions and acquittals handed down.
Castellucci's defense announces appeal
Giovanni Castellucci's lawyers have expressed strong criticism of the ruling, while declaring their respect for the court's decision. According to the defense team, the verdict does not do justice to the reconstruction of events that emerged during the trial.
Lawyer Giovanni Paolo Accinni argued that the collapse was caused by a construction defect that had remained hidden and undetected for the previous fifty years, despite the numerous public and private entities that had worked on the infrastructure.
"His only crime is his innocence," the lawyer stated, referring to Castellucci. The defense announced it will continue to argue its case in the appeal, challenging the attribution of criminal liability to the former CEO.
Attorney Guido Carlo Alleva also stated that he disagreed with the conviction and believed Castellucci should not be held responsible for the crimes charged. However, the defense attorney specified that any thorough assessment could only be made after reading the reasons for the conviction.
The Victims' Committee: "Significant responsibilities identified"
The president of the Morandi Bridge Victims Remembrance Committee, Egle Possetti , welcomed the identification of responsibilities in the various sectors involved, but clarified that there can be no resignation in the face of a tragedy that cost the lives of 43 people.
Possetti emphasized that the convictions involved representatives of Autostrade per l'Italia, Spea, and the Ministry of Infrastructure. According to the family's spokesperson, it would have been unacceptable for a proceeding supported by such a substantial amount of evidence to conclude without accountability and significant penalties.
The president also emphasized the importance of recognizing vehicular homicide, which could impact the statute of limitations during subsequent levels of proceedings.
The grief of the family members and the evaluations of the sentences
Not all relatives of the victims expressed complete satisfaction with the severity of the sentences. Michele Matti Altadonna, brother of Luigi Matti Altadonna, who died in the collapse at age 34, leaving behind four children, explained that during the reading of the verdict, he heard many acquittals and a lower number of convictions than he had expected.
The family member noted that the reduction from the requested 18 years and six months to a 12-year sentence for Castellucci represents a significant reduction. However, he clarified that he is not a lawyer and cannot immediately provide a full technical assessment.
The differing reactions testify to the emotional complexity of a day awaited for almost eight years by families, forced to live with a pain that no sentence can erase.
Silvia Salis: "A day of enormous historical and emotional significance."
Genoa's mayor, Silvia Salis , attended the reading of the ruling in court along with the city's lawyer, Alessandra Mereu. The city, the Liguria Region, and the Ministry of Infrastructure had joined the proceedings as civil parties.
Salis described July 16, 2026, as a day of enormous historical and emotional significance for Genoa. His thoughts, he explained, are first and foremost with the victims and their families, but also with the work done by the judiciary to determine who was responsible for the collapse.
According to the mayor, the tragedy must foster an awareness that the country's security cannot be addressed only after emergencies. Maintenance and safety of infrastructure must be considered essential investments, not costs to be reduced or postponed.
Salvini: "Whoever made a mistake must pay."
Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini declared that those found responsible by the courts must rightfully pay. The minister emphasized that the 43 victims deserve justice and that the grief of their families can never be fully consoled.
Salvini also called on Autostrade per l'Italia to respond not only with an apology, but above all with investment, routine and extraordinary maintenance, and new works. He was referring in particular to the Genoa and Liguria regions, which were severely affected by the collapse and its consequences for traffic.
According to the minister, infrastructure safety must translate into concrete and ongoing interventions, preventing maintenance from being undertaken only after accidents or emergencies.
Rixi: "The collapse was not an accident."
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Edoardo Rixi, called the ruling an important step in the quest for truth and justice. According to Rixi, the collapse of the Morandi Bridge was not a fatality, but the result of serious errors and omissions on the part of those responsible for ensuring safety.
The deputy minister, however, emphasized the length of the proceedings. Nearly eight years to reach a first-instance ruling is, in his view, an extremely long time, especially for the families who have awaited a judicial response while living with the consequences of the tragedy on a daily basis.
Rixi finally stressed the need to continue investing in security and controls, so that what happened on August 14, 2018, cannot happen again.
The Democratic Party: "Actions and omissions confirmed"
Democratic Party MPs Valentina Ghio, Alberto Pandolfo, Luca Pastorino, and Lorenzo Basso said the ruling would establish personal liability for actions and omissions related to maintenance obligations.
According to Democratic representatives, safety had been relegated to the background for years. The apology issued by Autostrade per l'Italia a few days before the ruling was described as belated.
The parliamentarians announced their intention to continue monitoring the work of the public and private entities responsible for ensuring the inspection, maintenance, and safety of the national infrastructure network.
Compensation will be settled in civil court
The Court also recognized the defendants' liability for the damages claimed by the civil parties. However, the quantification of the amounts due will be determined through a separate proceeding before the civil court.
The civil parties include the victims' families, local authorities, and other entities seeking compensation for the damages they suffered. Over the years, some positions had already been settled through compensation agreements, while others remained pending in the proceedings.
The compensation issue therefore remains open and will continue in parallel with any appeals brought by the defense or the Prosecutor's Office.
A ruling destined to shape the debate on security
The Genoa Court's decision represents only the first level of proceedings, but it already has significant judicial, institutional, and civil implications. The 32 convictions recognize responsibilities distributed across various levels of the concessionaire companies, technical bodies, and public oversight bodies.
The reasons must clarify how the judges reconstructed the relationship between the contested conduct and the collapse of the viaduct, distinguishing the individual responsibilities and evaluating the technical knowledge available at different times.
The trial will likely continue before the Court of Appeal. For Genoa and the families of the 43 victims, the July 16, 2026, ruling represents a crucial, but not yet definitive, step in a judicial process that began in the aftermath of the tragedy.
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