“Two years after Brumadinho, still no convictions”, 25 January 2021

...Federal Police in Minas Gerais, Brazil, expect to receive the forensic report by the end of March on the cause of the tailings liquefaction that led to the dam collapse at Vale’s (NYSE: VALE) Córrego do Feijão mining complex in Brazil, which killed 270 people two years ago. The report...should have been delivered last year, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The forensic report is the most important piece that remains to be produced for the end of the investigation,” Luiz Augusto Pessoa Nogueira, head of investigations, Federal Police, told MINING.COM. “Only after that can we say if it was a crime of intentional homicide or omission, malpractice or imprudence,” he said...Vale has not reached an agreement with the State on a settlement for damages regarding the deadly disaster and negotiations are currently on hold. In November, the head of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais rejected the miner’s proposed settlement of around 21 billion reais ($3.97bn). Minas Gerais is requesting 54.6 billion reals ($10.3bn) in compensation, a figure that includes relocation and the psychological damage suffered by survivors and the victims’ families...If nothing changes by next Friday (29), the negotiation will be closed and the case will return to the first instance of the Brazilian Justice… Despite the Brumadinho disaster and the Fundão dam tragedy in 2015, Vale has not complied with a number of commitments signed with authorities to prevent a new disaster...Charges are pending, but two years later, there have been no convictions...