The finished and semi-finished products of Taranto-based Italian steelmaker Ilva which had been impounded by court order in late November last year are finally to be released for sale after investigating judge Patrizia Todisco gave her approval on Thursday, February 14, according to Italian judiciary sources. The judge made her decision in response to a request from Taranto-based prosecutors for the sale of the products before any deterioration of the materials would make them unsaleable.
The products in question totaling 1.7 million mt had been produced in the four months from the end of July last year and were seized by court order in late November on the grounds that they had been produced in contravention of an order for the closure of certain of Ilva's Taranto facilities due to the high levels of pollution they caused. The official administrators of Ilva's Taranto plant will perform the sale, while the expected revenues of around €800 million will be sequestered and will not go to Ilva itself.
Meanwhile, late on Wednesday, February 13, Italy's Constitutional Court ruled as inadmissable two petitions brought by Taranto prosecutors claiming the Italian government had overstepped its authority in attempting to support the troubled Ilva steelworks in Taranto. However, in the coming month of April the Constitutional Court is to decide on the constitutionality of the decree passed by the Italian government which allowed Ilva to maintain production while environmental upgrade measures are being carried out. A negative ruling could mean that Ilva will no longer be able to continue its production operations.
