Minas Gerais, Brazil—Six Samarco Mineraçao SA executives and an engineer have been accused of homicide by Minas Gerais state police in relation to the collapse of the Fundão tailings dam last November, in which 17 people are confirmed dead and two are still missing (GM Nov. 20, 2015; GM Jan. 29, p.17). Samarco CEO Ricardo Vescovi, who temporarily stepped down in January, is among the accused. Also accused is an employee of engineering consultancy firm VogBr, who allegedly signed off on a stability study on Fundão last year. The executives are reportedly also facing accusations of polluting drinking water and unintentional flooding. In Brazil, only prosecutors can legally bring criminal charges, but it is understood that police accusations often precede formal charges. Samarco has said it considered the charges “erroneous” and would wait for a decision from the courts before taking further measures. Co-owners Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd. did not comment on the charges, stating that independent investigations were still underway to determine the causes of the accident. Various media reported this week that a Brazilian judge has blocked R$500 million-worth (US$126 million) of the iron ore miner’s assets to guarantee the clean-up and repair following the tailings dam collapse. The move is understood to have been made by Minas Gerais state prosecutors. Vale said on Feb. 23 it had been summoned in the public civil action filed by authorities in Espírito Santo state against Samarco and its shareholders, claiming, among others, an injunction for the attachment of assets of the respondents in relation to costs and damages relating to the dam failure.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain