The shipowner was declared bankrupt in 2012 owing more than EUR 800m ($1.1bn).

But the seven were cleared of a fraudulent bankruptcy filing and diverting EUR 650m from bondholders.

Rome court of first instance judge Laura Di Girolamo sentenced brothers Angelo Della Gatta and Pasquale Della Gatta to 17 years and two months in jail, while their sister Micaela Della Gatta got nine years and 10 months.

Their