Mauro Moretti moves to house arrest in Rome to serve Viareggio sentence

House arrest in Rome

Mauro Moretti, the former chief executive of Ferrovie dello Stato, has left prison and will serve the rest of his five-year sentence at his home in Rome under house arrest. Italian media reported the move on Wednesday, 11 November. He left the prison in Orvieto on 3 November after about four months behind bars. The supervisory judge granted the measure in the days before the report. Moretti turned 73 on 29 October.

The Viareggio disaster and conviction

On 29 June 2009, a freight car carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed at Viareggio station, and the fire that followed killed 32 people and injured more than 100. Moretti was convicted of causing a railway disaster through negligence in connection with the tragedy. Il Messaggero reports that the fire and multiple manslaughter charges were declared time-barred, leaving the railway disaster conviction in place. According to the same paper, the Court of Cassation stressed the causal contribution of several defendants and the extreme gravity of the consequences of their conduct. Moretti has always maintained his innocence while saying he would respect the final sentence.

Health and legal grounds

Moretti's legal team asked for house arrest from the start, citing his age, the nature of the offence and the absence of any risk that he might flee or reoffend. His lawyer, Ambra Giovene, said the decision took his health into account.

“The ruling granting house arrest to engineer Mauro Moretti acknowledges the need to protect his health: he has lost 15 kilos and is in a very frail state.”

Giovene also pointed to Moretti's behaviour behind bars, which she presented as a reason for the decision.

“The engineer was granted house arrest on the basis of his impeccable conduct while in prison.”

The lawyer added that the legal system gives due consideration to people over 70 when no legal impediments exist.

Key dates and silence

The timeline below runs from the 2009 derailment to Moretti's move home. The derailment at Viareggio happened on 29 June 2009. Moretti surrendered at Orvieto on 26 June 2026, after the final ruling by the Court of Cassation. He left the prison on 3 November 2026 to serve the rest of his sentence at home. Il Messaggero reports that his family and defence lawyers have since avoided public comment.