First hearing this morning in the Court of Appeal in Bari for the second degree trial for the train massacre, which occurred on 12 July 2016 in the countryside between Andria and Corato. 23 dead and over 50 injured: a tragedy that Andria does not forget.
This first hearing saw the verification of the regular constitution of the parties and the intervention of the Public Prosecutor, who promoted the appeal of the first degree judgment, and that of the party’s defenses.
The first degree trial ended with the conviction by the Court of Trani of the station master of Andria Vito Piccarreta (6 years and 6 months) and the engineer of the train which left Andria and headed for Corato, Nicola Lorizzo (7 years). The other 14 defendants were acquitted and the civil liability of Ferrotramviaria, accused of administrative offence, was excluded.
This morning the Public Prosecutor (Deputy Deputy Prosecutor Giannicola Sinisi and Marcello Catalano of the Trani Prosecutor’s Office) presented a request for the renewal of investigative measures which were opposed by the party’s defences. The Municipality of Andria was present at the hearing, with the director of the organisation’s legal department, the lawyer. Beppe De Candia, and the councilor for Security and Mobility Pasquale Colasuonno replacing the Mayor Giovanna Bruno, occupied with other previous institutional commitments. The Municipality, already a civil party in the first instance, has renewed its status as a civil party to request compensation for the damage in court. «Anyone who remembers that date and everything that happened feels great pain. Precisely for this reason the Municipality of Andria is a civil party in the process – commented the mayor Giovanna Bruno after this morning’s hearing – Among other things, the Council is on the eve of approving a resolution which establishes 12 July as of collective memory. We felt we had to make this type of choice and evaluation because we don’t want a page that has to tell us a lot to be consigned to oblivion over time, especially in terms of solidarity in the community. So, beyond the procedural aspects which obviously obey earthly justice, we must understand what the meaning of life is with respect to such a trauma. Many suffered and continue to suffer for that July 12th. We must never forget, we cannot!”.
Next hearing on 12 September, during which the Court will dissolve the reservation on investigative measures.
