"It turned out that the bridge had an original design flaw, causing the puzzle of technicians as to its ability to stand," admitted Gianni Mion, heard as a witness during the trial on this drama that takes place at the court of Genoa, in northern Italy.
"I asked if there was anyone to certify safety and I was told +we will certify it ourselves+," Mion said, referring to a meeting of executives of the company Autostrade per l'Italia (Aspi), then owned by Benetton.
"However, no one thought the bridge was going to collapse and we were reassured. I didn't say anything, but I was worried. I did nothing and this is my great regret," Mion was quoted as saying by Italian agencies.
On 14 August 2018, in pouring rain, the Morandi motorway bridge, a vital axis for local journeys and traffic between Italy and France, collapsed, plunging dozens of vehicles and their passengers into the void and killing 43 people.
Mr. Mion's testimony sparked outrage from Egle Possetti, the president of the Committee of Relatives of Victims. "A person with his role could not be silent, it is unacceptable," she commented.
"We only hope that someone will pay and set an example so that there are no more situations like this in Italy," she added.
"The risk coefficients attributed to some structures were significantly lower than the actual state of the infrastructure itself," said another witness, Roberto Tomasi, managing director of Autostrade since 2019 and an executive of the company since 2015.
Referring to the role of the engineering company Spea, in charge of maintenance, he assured that "the behavior of some of its employees was unacceptable. We didn't consider it reliable," he said.
While many former leaders find themselves in the dock, the companies Autostrade and Spea escaped trial thanks to an amicable agreement reached with the prosecutor's office, providing for the payment of 29 million euros to the State.
© 2023 AFP