CARLO D'ATTANASIO FREE AFTER 5 YEARS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRISON: "I'M REBORN THANKS TO YOU"

After a nearly five-year legal ordeal, Italian sailor Carlo D'Attanasio has been acquitted and released from Papua New Guinea. Efforts are now underway to repatriate him to Italy, given his serious health condition.

After almost five years of imprisonment in Papua New Guinea, Pescara sailor Carlo D'Attanasio is finally free. Initially sentenced to nineteen years for money laundering, the Papuan Court of Appeal yesterday acquitted him, ordering his immediate release.

"I am truly happy; thank you so much for trusting me. I will never stop thanking you for believing in me and my innocence," D'Attanasio stated.

Urgent Repatriation Due to Serious Health Conditions

Attention is now focused on his return to Italy. D'Attanasio's health is very serious due to a stage four oncological condition, which developed during his incarceration and has been confirmed by a medical consultant.

The ordeal began in 2019 when the skipper was on a round-the-world sailing trip. Problems arose in 2020 following the crash of a small plane in Papua New Guinea and the discovery of over 600 kilograms of cocaine. D'Attanasio was deemed responsible for bringing the narcotics to the island and was arrested on August 3rd. The initial charge of international drug trafficking transformed into international money laundering, leading to a 19-year sentence at the end of 2023. His lawyers consistently disputed the charges, repeatedly stating that the trial was based on circumstantial evidence and flawed by irregularities. The appeal finally led to a full acquittal.

The announcement of his release was made by Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani. "I was informed last night by Undersecretary Giorgio Silli, who is on a mission in the region, and by Ambassador Paolo Crudele," Tajani declared, "that the Court of Appeal of Papua New Guinea has acquitted our compatriot Carlo D'Attanasio, ordering his liberation."

The Farnesina (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the ministry added, had "followed the case of our compatriot with close attention."

A "Miracle" and a Call for Diplomatic Intervention

"Carlo D'Attanasio has come back to life because the news of a full acquittal, under these circumstances, is almost a miracle," affirmed his lawyer, Mario Antinucci. "We are confident in diplomatic intervention to find the best way to bring Carlo back to Italy. We have made ourselves available for this to happen as quickly as possible; we are ready to do so and will if no one else takes the initiative to help him. He is a person whose health conditions are very serious. D'Attanasio cannot return to Italy by simply buying a normal plane ticket. It's an 18-hour flight, and he – the lawyer noted – needs a nurse and medical support."

The skipper, currently hospitalized in a public hospital in the capital, Port Moresby, has been suffering from the aforementioned oncological condition for some time.

For this reason, appeals for his repatriation have been ongoing in recent years. Among these was one from his friend Carola Profeta, a politician from Pescara, who involved the political world and, in addition to contacts with the Farnesina, recalled how "a turning point occurred when Pope Francis went to Papua New Guinea and had a conversation with another Italian, who told the Pontiff Carlo's story."

Given the severity of his health condition, what additional measures could be put in place to ensure a safe and swift repatriation for Carlo D'Attanasio?