Rome - The convicted captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, Francesco Schettino, denied on Friday that he had tried to cash in on large amounts of money by appearing on an Italian reality television show.
Last week Le Iene, a satirical-investigative TV programme, aired secret footage showing a man negotiating on behalf of Schettino for his appearance on Italy's version of “I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here,” which is filmed in exotic locations.
Speaking to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Schettino said the son of one of his lawyers told him that a TV production company was ready to pay him 2 million euros (2.2 million dollars) to go on the programme.
“ 1/8I said to him 3/8 that it was an immoral thing. And that I found it strange that he was worrying about such things as the verdict was approching,” Schettino told the daily, explaining his rejection of the offer.
On February 11, Schettino was handed a suspended 16-year prison sentence for his role in the January 13, 2012 shipwreck of the Costa Concordia, in which 32 of the 4,229 people who were on board died.
The revelations from Le Iene have led prosecutors to file a new request for Schettino's arrest. The court that delivered the verdict against the captain rejected a first one, finding that there was not a “concrete risk” of him fleeing abroad.
Schettino - who has fired the lawyer whose son tried to secure the TV deal - will appeal against his conviction. He insists that he has been made a scapegoat, while the responsibilities of other crew members and of the ship's owners, Costa Crociere, were overlooked.
“I did not hide. For three years. And I will be the only one to pay. But nobody gives me credit for that,” he said, stressing that he felt “indelible sorrow” for the victims.
He confirmed that his memoirs will “sooner or later come out,” and defended another controversial move - his lecture on panic management at Rome's La Sapienza University.
“I know that there will never be a pardon for me. But believe me, I am not even looking for one,” Schettino said.
The 54-year-old has earned the infamous nickname of Captain Coward for abandoning ship before the evacuation of all the passengers.
He was also tried for negligence, mishandling emergency procedures and lying to authorities about the seriousness of the accident.
Sapa-dpa