Europe's largest steel plant,
ILVA, has sought the industry ministry's permission to
plea-bargain in a trial for environmental disaster in the
southern port city of Taranto.
A court in January declared ILVA insolvent, with debt
totaling nearly 3 billion euros. This came one week after the
industry ministry named former power and environmental
executives Piero Gnudi, Enrico Laghi and Corrado Carrubba as
extraordinary commissioners.
The Taranto trial sees 52 defendants - three companies and
49 people, including elected officials, former executives, and
the ex-secretary to an archbishop - on charges of corruption,
making false statements, abuse of office, forgery, malicious
disaster, and releasing toxic waste into the water table.
ILVA has employed some 20,000 people and been blamed for
decades of environmental degradation and high levels of cancer
in the area.
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