A judicial source and his lawyer confirmed on Thursday that the captain and owner, who was responsible for a boat which sank into a northern Italian lake last year, killing four people - including two Italian secret service agents and an ex-Mossad officer – had settled on a sentence of four years in prison.

Claudio Carminati (60) accepted a plea deal on charges of manslaughter, and shipwreck.

Marco Vittorio, an attorney for Reuters, said: "Unfortunately, he's still very distraught. He doesn't make any comments."

In Italy, for sentences up to four-years, it is possible to request probation from the social services.

Claudio Alonzi and Tiziana Barobi, both Italian intelligence officials, were also killed in the shipwreck that occurred on Italy's Lake Maggiore.

Erez Shimoni was the fourth victim, an Israeli Mossad retired agent, Erez Shimoni is 54 years old.

A 16-m boat (52.5-feet-long) was sinking near Lisanza at the southern end the lake after a violent storm hit it on May 29, 2023.

The majority of passengers and crew were able to escape. They either swam to shore or were towed to safety by another boat.

According to the investigation conducted by the local prosecutor Massimo de Fillippo, the cause of the accident was the installation of superstructures that compromised the stability of the boat, the presence of passengers in excess of the allowed number, the lack of enough life jackets and the underestimation by the weather of the conditions.

It was widely reported that several passengers on board the boat were members of both the Italian and Israeli secret service, which led to speculation as to the cause of the meeting and shipwreck.

ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported that eight Italians and thirteen Israelis were aboard the boat at the time to celebrate an Italian birthday. Il Messaggero, however, reported that both groups were on work trips, but gave no other information.

Italy and Israel never commented on this gathering.

No one has accused anyone of foul play.

Witnesses said that the storm struck suddenly, with powerful winds and dumped a large quantity of rain onto the lake.