Eternit bis, industrialist Schmidheiny sentenced to 12 years
Swiss industrialist Stephan Schmidheiny was sentenced to 12 years in prison for asbestos-related deaths, the crime being reduced from manslaughter with possible intent to manslaughter. This is the sentence in the Court of Assizes in Novara of the Eternit bis trial for the death of 392 people who were victims of exposure to the mineral in the Casale Monferrato area. Schmidheiny was also sentenced to pay 50 million euros in compensation to the Municipality of Casale, 30 million to the Italian state and hundreds of millions to the families of the victims.
The prosecutors Gianfranco Colace and Mariagiovanna Compare had asked for life imprisonment against the Swiss entrepreneur. The defense lawyers, Astolfo Di Amato and Guido Carlo Alleva, had asked for acquittal because the fact does not exist" for lack of proof of the causal link, and secondly "because the fact does not constitute a crime". The mayor of Casale Monferrato Federico Riboldi commented on the sentence: «We are partially satisfied. A clear point has been made. I don't know if the families of the victims will get the compensation. What is certain is that it was established that whoever could intervene knew and did not do it».
“Finally, the word guilty appeared next to Stephen Schmidheiny's name. He is therefore recognized today as a criminal guilty of aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to compensate the State, the city of Casale Monferrato, the trade unions, associations and families of the victims", added Riboldi: "Definitely the sentence to 12 years in prison does not fully satisfy the thirst for justice of a territory and a community that after years continues to suffer due to the consequences of those actions committed by those who also had the responsibility of fleeing Casale by abandoning a factory in the city area that was a real bomb harmful to health.
