Brazil: State judge accepts homicide charges against Vale and TÜV SÜD employees, including former Vale CEO, over Brumadinho dam collapse
"Brazil court accepts homicide charges over dam disaster", 15 february 2020.
A Brazilian state judge has accepted charges and allowed a case to move forward against employees from mining company Vale and German auditor TÜV SÜD for their role in a deadly dam collapse last year.
Some 270 people lost their lives when the Brumadinho tailings dam burst on January 25, 2019, releasing tons of toxic sludge that swallowed homes and roads downstream...The prosecutors have alleged that Vale and TÜV SÜD intentionally covered up problems with the dam's structural integrity over a number of years. Shortly before the disaster, the Brazilian subsidiary of TÜV SÜD had inspected the dam's retention basins and concluded that they were safe...
Lawyers representing Schvartsman said in a statement they expected to prove his innocence in court.
TÜV SÜD said Saturday that it did not consider itself to be "legally responsible" and would "vigorously defend itself against claims for damages."
German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Munich's public prosecutor was also investigating TÜV SÜD over its role in the dam collapse. According to the report, a German engineer is under investigation for several offenses, including negligent homicide and bribery.