No plea bargain for Costa Concordia captain

May 15, 2013 02:56

Italian prosecutors have rejected a plea bargain bid by the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off Italy last year, killing 32 people, defense lawyers said.

Captain Francesco Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew were evacuated.

Defence lawyer Francesco Pepe said Schettino had wanted to defend himself at a trial but when the five other defendants in the shipwreck off the Tuscan coast all sought plea bargains during a closed-door hearing Tuesday, his defense team decided to change strategy.

"We weren't planning on requesting a plea bargain. But when we saw the development in the hearing, we were practically obliged to do so," Pepe said.

Prosecutors agreed to plea bargains for the other five defendants but not for Schettino, lawyers said -- meaning Schettino might be the only defendant if a trial is ordered.

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