ITALY: The captain of the Costa Concordia which ran aground off the Italian coast in January, killing up to 32 people, has sued for wrongful dismissal.
Italian Francesco Schettino was not only fired by Costa Cruises but is accused by prosecutors of causing the accident by sailing the luxury cruiser liner too close to shore.
He faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. Preliminary hearings will begin next week.
His lawyer Bruno Leporatti said: "It is the right of every worker to appeal against his dismissal.
"There is nothing to contest or be amazed about, unless we want to say that what the law allows for all citizens doesn't apply for Francesco Schettino."
Schettino was held up to ridicule in Italy and abroad following the January 13 disaster off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
His name became a symbol of incompetence and cowardice.
Investigators said Schettino brought the 950ft long vessel too close to shore, delayed evacuation and lost control of the operation during which he left the sinking ship while many of the 4200 passengers and crew were still on board.
The Naples-born captain has always acknowledged making mistakes, but has said he was not the only one who should be blamed for the tragedy.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article