Two jailed in asbestos trial

A Swiss billionaire and a Belgian baron were found guilty on Monday in a groundbreaking trial into 3,000 alleged asbestos-related deaths. They were each sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Stephan Schmidheiny, the former owner of a company making Eternit fibre cement, and Jean-Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier de Marchienne, a major shareholder, were sentenced in absentia after being found guilty of causing an environmental disaster and failing to comply with safety regulations. The pair were also ordered to pay damanges to civil parties in a payout to the tune of millions of euros.

"It's a fair verdict which acknowledges their responsibility... the problem now is to see if the condemned men will face up to their obligations, because we're not sure," lawyer Sergio Bonetto said.

Relief for relatives of victims

Relatives of the victims of asbestos-related diseases welcomed the verdict, but the ruling does little to aid those who have died as a result of criminal actions.

"This trial will go down in history... but it will not bring my dad back," said Piero Ferraris, whose father Evasio died in 1988 of lung cancer after working in a local Eternit factory from 1946 to 1979.

Even before the ruling, figures involved with the trial acknowledged the importance of the case. "However it goes today, this is the end of a historic trial," said prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello as he entered the court. "It has been the biggest trial in the world on safety in the workplace."

From wonder material to killer

Asbestos was once considered a miracle material, because of its resistance to heat, fire and chemical attacks. It was used for decades for insulation in buildings, as well as in numerous products such as fire blankets, brake linings, gaskets and water supply lines.

Asbestos was banned in Europe in 2005, but it is still widely used in the developing world.

Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause lung inflammation and cancer, and symptoms can take up to 20 years to manifest after exposure.

Cases likely to arise elsewhere

The trial, which began in 2009 after a five-year investigation, was the biggest of its kind against a multinational for asbestos-related deaths.

There are hopes this conviction will lead to more international cases on workplace health and safety related to asbestos.

Complaints have been lodged elsewhere, and activists in countries including France have been anxious for the ruling.

"We will ask French judicial authorities, why a trial like this is possible in Italy and not in France," French lawyer Jean-Paul Teissonniere said.

tm/dfm (Reuters, AFP, dpa)