BHP employees face criminal charges over Brazil mine collapse

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining major BHP Billiton has said it will defend charges against the company, after Brazilian federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against the company and some of its current and former employees.

Brazil charged 22 people, 21 of whom are charged with qualified homicide and environmental crimes, including former iron-ore chief Jimmy Wilson, for the failing of a tailings dam at the Samarco project in November last year.

The dam bust killed 19 people and resulted in Brazil’s worst-ever environmental disaster.

BHP said in a statement on Friday that while the company was yet to receive formal notification of the proceedings, it outright rejected the charges both against the company and the affected individuals.

“We will defend the charges against the company, and fully support each of the affected individuals in their defence of the charges against them,” the miner said in a statement.

Since the dam failure last year, BHP and its joint venture partner Vale have established 41 programmes to compensate the affected communities and restore the environment affected by the dam failure.

BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie told the company’s annual general meeting, in London, on Thursday, that the restart of the operation was important to the local community, as the project employed several thousand people. However, he noted that a restart would have to make economic sense and have a practical set of approvals and processes in place from authorities.

“The sooner the better as far as we, and the local people, are concerned. But to be absolutely clear, none of this detracts from our commitment to do the right thing for the people and the environment affected by this terrible disaster. There our commitment is unwavering,” Mackenzie said.