It was postponed before even starting the trial on the alleged delays in the rescue of the gulet Summer Love, whose shipwreck, which occurred on 26 February 2023 in Steccato di Cutro, caused the death of 94 people, including 35 minors, some just a few months old, as well as an unknown number of missing people.
The decision was communicated this morning at the opening of what should have been the first hearing before the Court of Crotone. The proceeding was initially assigned to a section already involved every Wednesday in a maxi trial against the ‘Ndrangheta with 101 defendants. Hence the need to assign the trial to a new judging panel.
New college and stop to TV filming
The trial will start on January 30th before the panel made up of judges Alfonso Scibona (president), Giuseppe Collazzo and Glauco Panattoni (aside). With an order, the Court of Crotone also ordered a ban on television filming, deeming it “essential to guarantee the peaceful and regular conduct of the preliminary investigation”.
The procedural activities will be documented exclusively through official sound and video recording performed by the technical staff of the Court. For judges, the right to report will still be guaranteed by journalists’ access to the courtroom.
The defendants and the civil parties
There are six defendants: four belonging to the Financial Police and two from the Coast Guard. This is Giuseppe Grillo (57 years old), shift manager of the operations room of the air and naval operations department of the Guardia di Finanza of Vibo Valentia; Alberto Lippolis (51), commander of the Roan of Vibo Valentia; Antonino Lopresti (52), tactical commanding officer of the Guardia di Finanza; Nicolino Vardaro (53), commander of the Air-Naval Finance Group of Taranto; Francesca Perfido (41), coast guard officer serving at the IMRCC in Rome; Nicola Nania (52), serving at the V Mrsc of the Port Authority of Reggio Calabria. At today’s hearing only Vardaro and Perfido were present in the courtroom.
There are 86 civil parties admitted, including survivors, families of the victims and non-governmental organizations. A remote controversy also arose regarding the presence of the NGOs, after the USIF union of the Financial Police had expressed the fear of possible pressure on the judges.
The controversies and the voice of the NGOs
The lawyer Lidia Vicchio, lawyer for some civil parties, replied, underlining that “in a rule of law it is the right of all civil parties to attend the hearings”. The NGOs Emergency, Louise Michel, Mediterranea Saving Huma.