The former lover of Francesco Schettino said Wednesday that she was told that a helicopter swooped down near the Costa Concordia cruise ship as it was sinking and flew off with "an object" on the night of the January 2012 disaster.
"I didn't see it personally, but I was told about it by the person who had direct contact with the helicopter," Domnica Cemortan told Mediaset television during an interview. Cemortan, a Moldovan dancer, said a Costa Cruises company officer told her that the helicopter took a large object when it landed at Giglio Island and that her information came from a Costa Cruises officer.
Her comments were quickly dismissed by Italian Coast Guard Commander Gregorio De Falco, who called them "a hypothesis not worth considering".
De Falco had been called a "hero" for ordering Schettino to return to the sinking Costa Concordia to help his 3,000 passengers, after the captain - now on trial for manslaughter and dereliction of duty - left amidst the disaster.
Cemortan's televised statements came two days after her ultimatum demanding Schettino tell the truth about the crucial period as the giant Costa Concordia cruise ship went down, killing 32 and injuring hundreds in Italy's worst postwar maritime disaster.
Cermortan, who said she was in the ship's command centre shortly before it crashed into Giglio Island and partially capsized, gave Schettino an ultimatum to tell the whole truth about that night - or else, Oggi.it website reported Monday.
"Francesco Schettino - I give you six days to tell the truth about what happened immediately after you gave the command to abandon ship. Just six days!" Cemortan, who admitted to investigators that she was having an affair with Schettino at the time, wrote on her Facebook page.
She threatened to "tell all" unless Schettino "came clean".
First officer Ciro Ambrosio, who plea-bargained a sentence of one year and 11 months for multiple manslaughter, testified late last year that Schettino was "distracted" by a telephone call and by a woman in the moments leading up to the crash.
The captain is on trial for multiple manslaughter and dereliction of duty, and could face up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty.
Dubbed "Captain Coward" by the media for allegedly abandoning ship without overseeing the evacuation, Schettino claims his image and actions have been distorted by investigators.
He also said his actions helped to save lives.
During her TV interview, Cermortan said she was called in by the Costa Cruises line company and questioned by company officials and lawyers about what happened the night of the disaster.
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