A Turkish citizen accused of being one of the four human traffickers on the dinghy that sank in Cutro last February off the coast of Calabria was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The horrific case of the dinghy that sank early in the morning on February 26, 2023, causing the death of 94 migrants off the coast of Italy, reached a judicial outcome on Wednesday (February 7).
A 29-year-old Turkish man, one of the four alleged traffickers aboard the vessel, was found guilty of aiding and abetting illegal migration, culpable shipwreck and death as a consequence of another crime.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and will be required to pay a €3 million fine.
Read more: Cutro shipwreck: Italy government fails commitments, says mobilization initiative
Defendant claims he was only the mechanic
The judge for the pre-trial hearing agreed to the request of prosecutor Pasquale Festa, who in his indictment underscored the convergence of witness accounts -- 18 witnesses on board said the man had steered the boat, he said.
According to the prosecutor's office in Crotone, the man "participated fully in the organization of the journey, to the point that he was on a boat that was set to leave after to substitute the damaged one," said the prosecution.
The defendant tried to mitigate the accusation during questioning.
He said he was only a political refugee who had agreed to be the mechanic on board as he did not have the money to pay for his journey to Italy: "I never steered the boat. I am very sorry for the sorrow caused to the families of the victims."
He said had been arrested in Turkey in 2019 under accusations he had been part of the movement responsible for the 2016 attempted coup, and because "for those allegedly involved to the coup, life it is not easy in Turkey."
His story, however, failed to convince the judge, who sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
The judge also sentenced him to a fine for those who pressed charges, the families of the victims, the Ministry of Interior and the region of Calabria.
Read more: Migrants-as-smugglers: Europe's criminalization of people on the move
Defense lawyer: 'He is a scapegoat'
The judge, though, refused the Italian government's request of an extra €1 million for damaging its name.
According to the defendant's lawyer, Salvatore Falcone, his client "is a scapegoat for those who should have intervened".
"I believe the death of those people was not caused by a wrong steering maneuver, the same is true for the shipwreck, had there been a rescue unit on site, there would not have been all these deaths," noted the attorney.
"The civil party suit on behalf of the government is out of place because I believe that those who should have intervened out of moral obligation should have avoided demanding a retribution for reputational damages that they themselves are responsible for," he added.