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World
Morandi Bridge: Former Autostrade per l'Italia CEO Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
Herz — World Desk · · 30s summary · 4 min read
The essentials
On July 16, 2026, a Genoa court delivered its verdict in the Morandi Bridge case: 32 of 57 defendants were convicted. Giovanni Castellucci, former CEO of Autostrade per l'Italia — the Italian motorway operator managing 2,968 km of highways, privatized in 1999 and renationalized in 2021 — received the heaviest sentence: 12 years in prison for complicity in multiple involuntary homicides through negligence. The bridge's collapse in August 2018 claimed 43 lives. The defense announced an appeal.
- 32 people convicted out of 57 defendants tried in Genoa on July 16, 2026.
- Maximum 12-year sentence for ex-CEO Giovanni Castellucci (involuntary homicide through negligence).
- The August 2018 collapse killed 43 people in Genoa.
- Defense announces appeal, calling the verdict a defeat for truth.
- Prosecution and defense disagree on cause: chronic negligence vs. design defect.
What We Know
On July 16, 2026, the Genoa court convicted 32 of 57 defendants tried for the Morandi Bridge collapse, according to The Guardian. The remaining defendants were acquitted or their lesser charges expired under the statute of limitations.
Giovanni Castellucci, former chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia — an Italian motorway operator managing 2,968 km of highways, privatized in 1999 and renationalized in 2021 — received the heaviest sentence: 12 years in prison for complicity in multiple involuntary homicides through negligence. Sentences ranged from 1 year and 11 months to 12 years.
Castellucci's lawyers announced an appeal immediately after the verdict. They called the judgment a defeat for truth and emphasized that their client had relied on Italy's best engineers while serving as CEO.
defeat for truth
— Lawyers for Giovanni Castellucci, statement on the July 16, 2026 verdict
Egle Possetti, spokesperson for the victims' families, said she needed time to better understand the judgment given the large number of defendants. She herself lost her sister, brother-in-law, and her sister's two children in the disaster.
Convicted32
Acquitted or statute barred25
The Two Competing Theories
The prosecution argued that years of neglected maintenance, ignored warnings, and repeated delays in safety work caused the collapse. It noted that Autostrade per l'Italia continued to generate and distribute profits during this period.
The defense argued for a fatal design defect in the original bridge, centered on the rupture of stay cable No. 9. It contended that no maintenance program could have prevented the catastrophe.
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