ROME: Almost a year after a boat accident in the Mediterranean in which 94 migrants died, an Italian court has sentenced a people-smuggler to 20 years in prison, reported German news agency (dpa).
The court in the Calabrian city of Crotone also imposed a fine of €3 million (US$3.2 million) on the 29-year-old Turkish national, the ANSA news agency reported on Wednesday.
The man is said to be one of four smugglers who steered the wooden boat with migrants on board to southern Italy last year.
The public prosecutor’s office accused him and three other men of steering the boat with more than 150 people on board from the Turkish coast across the Mediterranean to Calabria. In the early morning of Feb 26, the men capsised the boat just off the coast of southern Italy during an abrupt turning manoeuvre, survivors later reported.
Ninety-four people lost their lives, including 35 minors. People who are presumed to have drowned are still missing.
The 29-year-old was the only one of the four defendants to opt for a so-called shortened trial. In this case, a judge decides solely on the basis of the public prosecutor’s files and dispenses with a main trial.
In return, the accused makes a detailed statement. According to media reports, the man denied having driven the boat. He said he was only the mechanic on board.
Following the capsising, Italy’s right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni drastically toughened the penalties for smugglers and their backers.
If such irregular crossings result in accidents with fatalities, those responsible can face up to 30 years in prison.–Bernama-dpa
