Shipyard magnate Raffaele Palumbo has been cleared of charges linked to the illegal dumping of waste in 2011 because the case is now time-barred, Italian media has reported.

Palumbo faced criminal charges alongside his father, Antonio, and the shipyard firm Palumbo S.p.a.

Aside from its operations in Italy, Palumbo also runs a shipyard in Malta.

Antonio Palumbo was cleared of all charges related to the 2011 incident in 2021, when a court of appeal overturned the original conviction.

Last week, a court in Sicily also dismissed charges of criminal association against his son, ruling that the statute of limitations has lapsed, according to Messina Today.

The news outlet reported that the court however confirmed a civil court ruling in a case filed against Palumbo by WWF and ordered the shipping magnate to pay legal fees in that case.

The court also annulled a conviction of Palumbo S.p.a. but ordered another Messina court to issue a new judgment for the company concerning two administrative offences.

Palumbo ended up in legal trouble in February 2011, when Italian officials discovered large quantities of toxic sandblasting grit dumped around Messina. An investigation concluded that the material came from Palumbo-owned shipyards, and criminal charges followed.

In a statement, Palumbo Spa director Alessandra Latino said the company was satisfied by the court sentence, “which has finally re-established the truth about a bitter affair which unjustly involved entire families and businesses."