The Swiss tycoon was accused of the death of two people, a worker at the Cavagnolo factory, near Turin, and a resident. In 2019, he was sentenced in Turin to four years in prison for manslaughter in one of the proceedings linked to the asbestos deaths in Italy. His lawyers then appealed.
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Entrepreneur Stephan Schmidheiny sentenced in asbestos lawsuit
In the verdict published Thursday, Stephan Schmidheiny is sentenced for aggravated manslaughter only for the death of the worker who died on December 7, 2008 of mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos. The woman living near the factory died of lung cancer. The four-year sentence pronounced at first instance is reduced to one year and eight months.
New Defense Appeal
In a statement, Stephan Schmidheiny’s spokesperson considers the decision a “decisive acquittal” of the charge of manslaughter of the resident. The defense will nevertheless appeal the conviction. She will fight before the highest Italian court to obtain the total acquittal of Stephan Schmidheiny.
The Eternit SEG group, led by the Swiss entrepreneur, had been, from 1973 to its bankruptcy in 1986, the largest shareholder and then the main shareholder of the transalpine company. The businessman’s lawyers have always maintained that their client had no direct responsibility in the management of the company.
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