The Taranto Prosecutor's Office will challenge the legality of the permission of the ILVA to the ILVA to continue to pollute the environment

On January 14, 2013, the Court of Appeal of the Italian Port City of Taranto satisfied the request of the local prosecutor’s office to consider on the merits the constitutionality of the government decree, according to which the ILVA metallurgical plant was allowed to continue the production of steel without waiting for the reconstruction.

The prosecutor’s protest for the legality of the decree will be transferred to the Constitutional Court of Italy. According to the Taranto Prosecutor's Office, the government appropriated the powers of the judicial and legislative power to issue the above decree.

The Taranto court extended the arrest period for the products of the ILVA metallurgical plant until the decision was made by the Constitutional Court. As of today, under arrest there is 1 million 800 thousand tons of metal rolling stored in the ports of Italy worth more than one billion euros.

ILVA metallurgical plant is located at the center of political and legal battle between the prosecutor’s office, judges and government officials since July 2012. Moreover, the seven senior managers of the metallurgical plant were arrested on November 7, 2012, the framework of the corruption investigation.