TRIESTE – A defamation conviction has been handed down in the case involving Cantiere Navale Vittoria in Adria, following the public accusations made by the former owners against the previous management.The Rovigo court issued a criminal decree – as also reported by the Veneto edition of Corriere della Sera and by some local newspapers – against Paolo Duò and his son Filippo Duò, who were held responsible for defaming several company executives. The penalty amounts to €1,800 each. The order was challenged only by the son, while for Paolo Duò the decision has become final.
The case stems from statements circulated in spring 2024, also through online platforms, in which the managers were accused of bearing direct responsibility for the shipyard’s financial collapse. According to the judge, those claims were unfounded and damaged the reputation of the executives involved.
The background is the crisis that has hit the shipyard in recent years. The company, historically active in the construction of civilian and military vessels, had entered a debt restructuring procedure launched in 2023, following the deterioration of its financial situation.
The decisive step came with the auction sale in 2024, when a new ownership structure linked to entrepreneur Roberto Cavezzi took over. The transaction marked a change in management and the start of a new phase of industrial recovery.
During the crisis, strong tensions had emerged between the Duò family and management, with differing views on the causes of the collapse. The public accusations were part of that clash, which was also tied to the industrial and financial choices made in previous years.
At the same time, the shipyard had also become the focus of other judicial and media scrutiny, including investigations into operational and financial matters predating the sale. However, the defamation proceedings concern exclusively the statements made by the former owners.
In the meantime, the new management has launched an industrial plan aimed at restoring production continuity and reviving operations, also through investment in facilities and staff. After an initial phase marked by the use of social safety nets, the goal is the gradual return of operations to full capacity.
Among those who said they had been defamed was also Gabriele Busetto, a former executive at Cantiere Navale Vittoria in Adria from 2007 to October 2022. Commenting on Duò’s version, Busetto had stated that «he confuses the economic aspect (financial statements) with the financial one (cash flow), the latter of which, after my dismissal, overwhelmed the shipyard and which, I repeat, was in perfect order when I left», while reserving the right to clarify everything in court with appropriate documentation.
