The Preliminary Hearing Judge of the Court of Catanzaro, Dr Gilda Danila Romano, today ordered the committal for trial of 10 defendants involved in the investigation into the serious irregularities and alleged offences that took place in the animal facilities of Magna Graecia University.
The individuals involved and the charges
The decree targets the senior academic and veterinary figures responsible for the management of the laboratory animals. Those committed for trial include the Rector in office at the time of the events, identified as the head of the criminal association, the President of the Animal Welfare Body (O.P.B.A.) and a well-known cardiologist and scientific director. Alongside them are research lecturers and veterinarians of the Catanzaro provincial health authority (ASP) who were tasked with carrying out inspections.
The charges are extremely serious: criminal association aimed at corruption and forgery, through to the offences of animal mistreatment and the unnecessary killing of animals. According to the prosecution, a system existed to conceal the serious hygiene and structural deficiencies of the animal facilities at Roccelletta di Borgia and Germaneto, allowing in vivo research to be carried out in breach of animal health regulations.
Disturbing details from the investigation
The court documents describe a chilling scenario of systematic suffering, which allegedly went on undisturbed for years: animals housed in rooms with abnormal temperatures and malfunctioning equipment, a total failure to carry out microbiological testing even in the face of unusual die-offs, and brutal practices such as the decapitation of mice and rats without prior anaesthesia. The records also reveal that the number of animals put down far exceeded the figure authorised by the Ministry of Health.
The picture is completed by an alleged corrupt exchange: the ASP veterinarians’ failure to carry out inspections was allegedly “repaid” with teaching appointments, co-authorship of scientific publications and even the unlawful admission of family members to the University’s postgraduate specialisation schools.
The next stages
Animal Law Italia, represented by lawyer Francesca Romana Dresda, has been admitted as a civil party. Together with the organisation Oltre la Sperimentazione Animale, we obtained the summoning of the civilly liable parties: Magna Graecia University, the ASP of Catanzaro and the Ministries of Health and of Universities and Research will therefore be called to answer for the damage in civil proceedings.
The trial will begin on 12 May 2026, while a hearing to discuss the requests for the abbreviated procedure (rito abbreviato) is scheduled for 16 March.
This trial represents a fundamental step towards establishing not only individual criminal responsibility, but also the failures in the oversight and safeguard systems that should have protected the animals’ welfare.