In the Eternit trial in Italy, Stephan Schmidheiny got away with a reduced sentence. The Court of Appeal in Turin reduced the sentence to one year and eight months for the death of a worker in a factory. Schmidheiny’s defense plans to appeal.
In May 2019, the Swiss industrialist was found guilty of the negligent murder of two people in Turin and sentenced to four years in prison. According to the indictment, the two deaths are related to an asbestos-cement factory belonging to Eternit SpA in the town of Cavagnolo, which closed in 1982. Schmidheiny’s defense appealed.
In particular, the case of a deceased employee of the company Eternit Italia SpA and a local resident was heard. The man worked in a factory in Cavagnolo near Turin, the woman lived nearby. The man died of asbestosis, the black lung disease caused by asbestos. The woman died of lung cancer.
Schmidheiny’s spokeswoman considers the Turin court’s ruling a “decisive acquittal” of the charge of negligent murder against the residents of the Eternit factory in Cavagnolo. However, the defense will appeal against the conviction, the report said on Thursday. They will fight before the highest Italian court for the full acquittal of Stephan Schmidheiny.
Another trial, which lasted from 2009 to 2014, ended with Schmidheiny’s acquittal. And finally, in May 2018, Italy’s highest court, the Court of Cassation in Rome, rejected the charge of willful conduct as legally untenable. The Eternit SEG group led by Schmidheiny was a major shareholder of Eternit Italia from 1973 until its bankruptcy in 1986. (aeg/sda/adn)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
