Italian court sentences Swiss businessman in asbestos case
Several courts in Italy have dealt with cases against Schmidheiny over the past 20 years. The archive photo from 2015 shows relatives of victims with Italian flags calling for justice in the asbestos case.
Keystone/Alessandro Di Marco
A court in Italy has sentenced Swiss businessman Stephan Schmidheiny to 42 months in prison over the death of a former worker at an asbestos company.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/urs
Português
pt
Tribunal italiano condena empresário suíço em caso de amianto
The jury found Schmidheiny, a former majority shareholder in the company, guilty of involuntary manslaughter, according to the Italian ANSA news agency.
The factory worker had been exposed to asbestos, the jury found.
However, Schmidheiny was acquitted in seven other cases involving a company near Naples on Wednesday.
Schmidheiny’s lawyers told the Swiss Keystone-SDA news agency that they would appeal against the verdict, saying the ruling went against Italian law and basic legal principles.
Series of cases
The verdict is the latest in series of court cases in Italy against 74-year-old Schmidheiny who has denied any responsibility.
So far, he has always been cleared by higher courts.
In a high-profile case in 2014, Italy’s Supreme Court acquitted Schmidheiny of any responsibility for the deaths of almost 3,000 people. The judges ruled that the statute of limitations had passed in 1998.
The verdict had prompted an outcry from trade unions, environmental organisations and relatives of the victims.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
Meet the foreigners who make up a quarter of the Swiss population
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
SWISS and Lufthansa among Europe’s worst for punctuality
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines and its German parent company Lufthansa failed to shine this summer for punctuality and reliability.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Eternit asbestos billionaire sentenced to prison by Turin court
This content was published on
Stephan Schmidheiny, the former majority shareholder in Italian asbestos company Eternit Genova, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
This content was published on
Raffaele Guariniello on Monday lodged the request with the justice authorities in Turin, accusing Schmidheiny of premeditated murder in the case of 258 people, according to the Italian Ansa news agency. They lived in regions where the Eternit Genoa Group, with Schmidheiny as main shareholder until 1986, had asbestos factories. Guarinello’s move was expected as…
This content was published on
The appeals court in Turin convicted Schmidheiny, aged 65, to 18 years in prison. The court also dropped charges against his business partner Jean-Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier because the Belgian baron died May 21 at the age of 92. Schmidheiny was not present in the courtroom when Monday’s sentence was read, and his Zurich-based spokesperson said at a press…
This content was published on
Thomas Schmidheiny's decision to stand down from the board of Lafarge-Holcim marks the end of an era for the Swiss industrial dynasty.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.