Migrants killed in boat explosion, two financiers sentenced

CROTONE, 27 MAY – The magistrate of the Court of Crotone, Elvezia Cordasco, has condemned two soldiers of the financial police for the death of four migrants caused by the explosion of the boat on which they were on board. The incident occurred on 30 August 2020 in the stretch of sea between Praialonga and Simeri in Calabria. The two-year suspended sentences were inflicted on Captain Vincenzo Barbangelo, at the time commander of the Crotone naval operational section of the Guardia di Finanza and on Marshal Andrea Novelli, commander of the patrol boat involved in the rescue. The judge accepted the requests of the prosecutor, Pasquale Festa, for the crimes of shipwreck and multiple manslaughter. The preliminary hearing judge, however, ordered no further proceedings against two other financiers involved in the affair: Maurizio Giunta and Giovanni Frisella who boarded the migrants’ boat to steer it and bring it to port. The trial concerns the explosion of the Heaven boat which occurred while the financiers were taking it towards the port of Crotone. The boat, with 20 migrants on board (another 13 had disembarked with a tender in Sellia Marina), was intercepted at 7.34 am on 30 August 2020 by the Catanzaro Lido Coast Guard. The operation was taken over by the Financial Police and it was decided to take the boat towards the port of Crotone by having two financiers (Giunta and Frisella) come on board. During the navigation the explosion occurred which caused four people to die. The two financiers were also injured but despite this they saved several people who had fallen into the water, something that Commander Novelli also did who dived from the patrol boat to rescue the migrants. They were immediately given credit for the rescue but a few days later they were accused of a crime. The defendants are assisted by lawyers Filly Pollinzi, Emiliano D’Alessandro and Pasquale Carolei.