Fines and jail time in rail link waste dumping case

A judge in Florence, Italy has handed-out jail sentences to 25 people, including Impregilo, CEO Alberto Rubegni, for the illegal dumping of construction waste.

The case relates to the illegal dumping of construction waste generated in the building of the Bologna to Florence high-speed rail link. The work was undertaken by the Cavet consortium, which is 76% owned by Impregilo, and this joint venture has also been fined € 150 million in damages.

Mr Rubegni faces a five-year jail term, the strictest of the sentences handed out, which ranged from three months to five years. Impregilo chairman Massimo Ponzellini has said the company will appeal against both the fines and jail sentences.

Cavet began work on the 94 km link in 1996, which forms part of the Trans European Transport network (TEN-T) project. The contract was worth a total of € 6,1 billion due to the fact that the scheme included some 74 km of tunnels in, at times, difficult ground conditions. The trail into illegal waste dumping began in 2004, following the completion of the link.

Impregilo is Italy's largest general contractor. Last year it had sales of € 2,95 billion, a +10% increase on 2007. It was placed 35^th in last year's edition of the CE-100, Construction Europe's league table of the region's 100 largest construction companies.