The captain of Costa Concordia, the cruise ship which ran aground with the loss of 32 lives in January last year, is finally to face trial.
A judge has decided there is enough evidence to try Captain Francesco Schettino on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew had been evacuated.
The trial will begin on July 9 in Grosseto, the Tuscan city close to the site of the wreck. Schettino faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to his lawyer, Francesco Pepe. Schettino denies the charges, and claims that he saved many lives with his skill in steering the ship into shore when it was close to capsize.
His defence team attempted to convince Judge Paolo Molino to drop the charge of abandonment of ship, one of the worst and most embarrassing offences for a captain.
But the judge ruled there was enough evidence to suggest the captain – who had claimed he accidentally fell into a lifeboat – had left the cruise liner voluntarily.
Costa Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, agreed in April to pay a €1m (£850,000) fine in April to settle possible criminal charges.
Most passengers have accepted compensation of about €11,000 (£9,300) each, but some are holding out for more.
Salvage work to bring Costa Concordia upright so it can be towed away from the island of Giglio is continuing.