Secret agent mystery on Lake Maggiore: Skipper sentenced to four years in prison
BOOTE
· 14.06.2024
The skipper of the boat that sank in Lake Maggiore on 29 May 2023, Claudio Carminati, has negotiated a sentence of four years in prison. This decision was reached following an agreement between the public prosecutor's office and the defence. This was reported by the Italian media ilmessaggero.it.
The accident claimed four lives: Anya Bozhkova (50) of Russian origin and wife of Claudio Carminati. The other victims are Claudio Alonzi (62), Tiziana Barnobi (53) and Shimoni Erez (54) from Israel. Alonzi and Barnobi belonged to the Italian secret service, while Erez was a member of the Mossad.
What happened on Lake Maggiore?
The sunken boat "Gooduria" had set sail from the boatbuilding company in Lisanza, a district of Sesto Calende, at around 5 pm on that fateful Sunday. Within a few moments, the boat was caught by the wind and rain and sank at a depth of 16 metres. There were 21 people on board - four lost their lives, while the others managed to swim to shore. The accident was attributed to a "downburst", a violent and unpredictable weather event that is particularly dangerous on the lake.
Statements from the skipper
Claudio Carminati stated in his testimony that he did not know that the passengers on board were Italian and Israeli secret service agents. For him, it was a normal trip on Lake Maggiore. Carminati expressed deep remorse: "I should have died in their place."
The sentence, which was reduced by a third as part of the settlement, represents the conclusion (from a legal perspective) of a tragedy that has had a profound impact on Carminati's life. After losing his home and job, the skipper was supported financially and logistically by friends and currently lives on a campsite on the River Ticino.
Why were there secret agents on board?
There is a bitter aftertaste in the official statements on the incident: while the Italian government expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased agents, there were no clear explanations for the unusually large number of people on board the boat that day.
The first official version of events was only recently published. This confirms that the agents were not travelling on the lake for pleasure, but as part of an operational mission they were carrying out with foreign intelligence services. However, the exact background and objectives of this mission remain unclear, and the question of the actual purpose of the mission remains unanswered.
