ROME — Italian prosecutors have asked for a 16-year jail sentence for Mauro Moretti, the head of Italy's Leonardo-Finmeccanica, following a deadly train crash during his time as head of Italy's railways.
On June 29, 2009, a cargo train carrying liquefied gas crashed and burst into flames in the Italian town of Viareggio, killing 32 and prompting a trial, which opened November 2013.
Wrapping up their case for the prosecution of senior managers of the rail system, ahead of a verdict expected this year, magistrates asked for 16 years for Moretti, who was the head of Italy's rail system from 2006 to 2014 before taking the reins at Leonardo-Finmeccanica.
Prosecutors said senior management should be held responsible for the chain of errors which had led to the crash and also blamed management for diverting investment in the network from cargo operations like the one at Viareggio to high-speed mainlines.
Under Italy's three-tier justice system, any sentence handed down at the end of the trial will likely undergo two appeals before the sentence becomes definitive and any jail time is served. The statute of limitations may take effect before that happens.
Moretti said Tuesday that he had expressed condolences to the families of the victims on numerous occasions, but did not comment on the trial.
Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.
