Cruise captain's oysters with dancer
THE captain of the Costa Concordia reportedly shared oysters and crab with a Moldovan dancer in a restaurant in the south of France a month before the cruise ship rammed into rocks off the Italian coast.
In photos to be published today, Captain Francesco Schettino is seen with Domnica Cemortan (25) enjoying a seafood meal in Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Cote d'Azur. The couple were photographed in the restaurant on December 13, according to 'Chi', an Italian weekly magazine.
Ms Cemortan reportedly told investigators last week she was "in love" with Mr Schettino, as newspapers said divers had found her lingerie, clothing and make-up bag in his cabin.
She denied both claims in an interview with another magazine, 'Oggi'.
"They are all lies. I wasn't born yesterday. The information was put out to put pressure on the captain. They want to isolate him, even from his family," she said.
Cabin
"I never said to magistrates 'I love Schettino'. They say they've found my bikini in his cabin. What have they found on this bikini that connects it to me? Was my name written on it, was there my photograph, or my DNA?"
Ms Cemortan was interviewed for nearly six hours last week by prosecutors in Grosseto, Tuscany, the base of the investigation into the January 13 sinking off the island of Giglio in which 32 people are believed to have died.
Investigators wanted to know whether she was on the bridge at the time the Concordia hit the rocks.
A court in Florence yesterday decided that Mr Schettino (52) should remain under house arrest, after his lawyer requested his freedom be restored. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
- Nick Squires in Rome
Irish Independent
