ROME: An Italian court has acquitted former crew members of the migrant rescue vessel Aquarius eight years after they were accused by prosecutors in Sicily of illicit waste trafficking, the charity SOS Mediterranee said on Friday.
The ship was seized in 2018 after a year-long investigation into the disposal of waste generated during rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.
Prosecutors in Catania argued that items including clothing belonging to rescued migrants, food waste and medical refuse should have been classified as infectious sanitary waste, requiring special handling.
They accused crew members and aid workers of illegally disposing of such waste in order to reduce costs, allegedly creating a public health risk in Italy between 2017 and 2018.
Around 24 people were placed under investigation when the case was opened.
