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From heroes to culprits. It's the story of two members of the Guardia Di Finanza who ended up in the dock for saving lives.
From Cutro to the Ramy case, passing through the tragedy at sea of August 30, 2020, there is a thread that ties these stories together: civil servants who ended up on trial for carrying out their duty.
On August 30, 2020, a sailing ship, Heaven, carrying migrants arriving on the Calabrian coast, caught fire off the coast of Crotone. Four people died, five others suffered serious injuries in the flames.
Two members of the GdF dived into the sea and rescued whoever they could. But two of them, Captain Vincenzo Barbangelo and Marshal Andrea Novelli, were sentenced in the first instance to two years for negligent shipwreck and multiple murder.
Suspended sentence, but severe. And above all a bill of 850 thousand euros. "Calabria has become a grave not only for immigrants, but also for GdF", comments the Italian Union of Financiers (USIF), which adds that we do not want to influence in any way the work of the judiciary, but there is something that is not working.
"And we say this with respect, with sadness and with the responsibility of those who live every day, dressed in uniform, the thin line between life and death. Today, in Calabria, the same border risks becoming a grave not only for migrants in search of hope, but also for the men of the State who try to defend that hope with concrete actions and often with silent courage," the statement continues.
On the night of 29-30 August 2020, around 80 migrants landed in Calabria. Twenty-three were on board the Heaven, a wooden boat stopped at dawn by the Coast Guard. At 7:50 am, the Guardia di Finanza patrol boat arrived on the scene. At 8:50 am, soldiers Giunta and Frisella boarded the boat to tow it towards Crotone. Shortly afterwards, a fire broke out in the engine compartment. Some migrants jumped into the water. Four drowned. Others were rescued. Two members of the GdF were injured during the rescue operations.
The trial began on October 17, 2023. Four military personnel are brought to trial: Barbangelo, Novelli, Giunta and Frisella. The first two are convicted. The others are acquitted. The crimes they are accused of: carrying out a rescue operation without taking the necessary precautions, boarding the ship despite being physically unfit for use and without transferring the migrants to safer ships. Also aggravating issues were the presence of fuel tanks on board (which, according to the Financial Police, were ignored by the prosecution) and the lack of life jackets.
All elements that, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office, made the disaster "foreseeable". But no expert report was presented to clarify how the explosion was caused. The two defendants, accused of negligent action, had in fact dived into the sea to save lives. They were obeying operational orders. They were acting in an emergency. The route to Catanzaro had been ruled out for logistical reasons. Crotone was the only safe place to anchor. Despite this, they were held responsible not for inaction, but for action.
The first instance decision completely ignored the operational complexity of the intervention and left the two Financial Police officers with the burden of legal costs. In addition to the criminal penalty, therefore, almost a million euros to pay. "They were found guilty of not foreseeing the unforeseeable. For acting, according to the prosecution, despite having foreseen the event," emphasizes Usif, adding "but which event?"
The mysterious explosion of a ship called Paradise, a name that today sounds like a joke, filled with meanings that have nothing to do with the facts. Meanwhile, the State did not protect them. It did not accompany them. It left them alone to face a judicial ordeal that destroyed them economically and humanly."
The appeal hearing will be held on October 1, 2025 in Catanzaro. The lawyers of the Financial Police will focus on three points: the lack of certain evidence of the explosion, the need to act in an emergency and the general conduct, which aimed at rescue and not negligence. And Usif is not making any concessions on this issue: "it is not the first time this has happened in Calabria. / Adapted Pamphlet from Il Tempo /
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