(ANSA) - Grosseto, January 26 - Former Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino may face 26 years in jail for abandoning ship in Italy's worst postwar disaster, but he says he's not running away from Italian justice. The man media have dubbed "captain coward" for allegedly contributing to the deaths of 32 was speaking after prosecutors asked for the longer-than-expected term for a raft of offences including alleged dereliction of duty and multiple manslaughter. Schettino, who has always protested his innocence, told court reporters that he was "definitely not" a flight risk as prosecutors claimed in trying to have him put into pre-sentence detention on the grounds he may fly the coop if he senses things are panning out against him. "I won't run away," the controversial sailor said. Schettino is on trial for steering the massive cruise liner too close to Tuscany's Giglio island. Earlier in the day, Prosecutor Maria Navarro requested that the Grosseto court order Schettino's arrest, saying he had flight options outside of Italy including a house in Switzerland and many contacts abroad. Schettino's lawyer denied the suggestion his client would flee the country. The prosecution request of 26 years in jail amounted to a life sentence, added defence lawyer Donato Laino. In closing arguments to the court, prosecutor Stefano Pizza described Schettino as an "incautious idiot" in his behavior that allegedly caused the cruise ship to crash off the Tuscan island of Giglio as well as in the chaotic aftermath. Schettino, dubbed Captain Coward by the media, took 4,200 passengers into danger by steering too close to the island rocks the massive liner struck in Italy's worst postwar maritime disaster. Pizza said Schettino combines two definitions found in legal doctrine: that of an "able idiot" or someone who "thinks he's capable but provokes a dangerous situation and causes damage;" and an "incautious optimist" as someone who "optimistically overestimates his abilities". Ultimately, the lengthy list of charges against Schettino showed his actions constituted "monstrously gross negligence," the prosecution said.
High on that list was the fact that Schettino abandoned the sinking ship before all passengers had left the vessel, a crime in both nautical tradition and law, Pizza said.
"The captain's duty to abandon ship last isn't just an obligation dictated by ancient maritime tradition, but is also a legal obligation designed to minimize injuries," Pizza said. During his trial last month, Schettino said that only God was above him when he was at the helm of a ship. "I, as the commander, am the first after God," Schettino said when asked about his actions after the cruise ship hit the rocks. Schettino added that he delayed ordering the Concordia to be evacuated because he was frightened people would "dive into the sea" in panic. Several experts have said lives would have been saved if the order to abandon ship had been given sooner. "I wanted to get the ship as close to the island as possible," Schettino told the Grosseto court in December.
Schettino is the only person on trial after Costa Cruises and a number of crew members and company staff reached plea bargains with prosecutors. During his December court testimony, he said that he steered the huge pleasure vessel close to Giglio Island to impress passengers for "business reasons". Schettino added he also wanted to give passengers a better view of the island and also salute his retired former commander Mario Palombo, who spends time on the island. Some suggest he did the so-called "fly-by" to impress a Moldovan lover who was with him at the helm of the cruise ship at the time of the crash. As commander, Schettino replied, he had the power to chart the ship's course, adding that with his flyby "I killed three pigeons with one stone...paying homage to the island and Palombo," while fulfilling what he called commercial demands. Schettino denied he had been distracted by the imminent impact but claimed he was deceived by the "general silence" of his officers on the bridge of the vessel. "One of the officers should have said to me 'Commander, we are on the rocks,' but instead there was a general silence," Schettino said.
The Concordia shipwreck injured hundreds and also claimed the life of a Spanish diver who died while on the salvage operation, taking the total death toll to 33. The incident also caused massive economic damage for Costa Cruises and residents of Giglio Island, a popular tourist destination.