Court of the Italian city of Palermo on 19 October was found not guilty of drug smuggling nine citizens of Ukraine - crew members of the vessel Munzur. It is reported by the Department of consular service of the foreign Ministry.
They are appointed punishment in the form of conditional imprisonment and the award of a penalty.
As noted by Maritime portal Seafarers Journal, seafarers released immediately in the courtroom. On this edition said the relatives of the sailors.
Department of the foreign Ministry reports that the Navy had provided temporary accommodation and the issue of their return to Ukraine.
“Consular officials of the Embassy of Ukraine in Italy together with representatives of the Ukrainian community assisted in the temporary placement of the released sailors and their further sending to the Motherland”, - stated in the message.
But, according to the information portal SeafarersJournal, the Consul, who was present at the hearing, “hastily left the city and refused to deal with the subsequent paperwork and escort the sailors to the airport. To help the Ukrainian crew members of the controversial ship came only representatives of the Ukrainian Diaspora in Italy. They were able to arrange them for the night after his release from prison, and also provided their telephone connection. At the moment the sailors are literally on the street and don’t know what to do next”, - writes the edition.
According to the information portal, now relatives raise funds for the return of seamen to Ukraine.
The publication also writes that the Italian Prosecutor is inclined to the version that the sailors didn’t know about drug smuggling, organized by captain.
We will remind, this month in Spain have arrested Ukrainian sailors for drug smuggling. Eleven Ukrainian sailors, members of the team, the cargo ship Marti N., who went under the flag of Panama, are under investigation in a Spanish prison. They are suspected of supplying weapons and narcotics to terrorists in Iraq and Libya.
