RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian prosecutors filed charges Tuesday against mining giant Vale, its German auditor Tuv Sud and 16 individuals alleging intentional homicide and environmental crimes in connection with a mine dam collapse that killed more than 250 people a year ago.
Among those charged were Fabio Schvartsman, former president of the Brazilian mining company who left his position after last January’s disaster.
Prosecutors in Minas Gerais state allege the company ignored warnings that indicated, at least since November 2017, that the B1 dam didn’t have adequate security standards to operate.
William Garcia Pinto Coelho, a prosecutor on the task force that carried out the investigation, told reporters that they “collected a substantial volume of proof that shows the knowledge of the risk by the president (Schvartsman) not just about the B1 dam, but rather also various dams with unacceptable security situations under Vale’s management. The proof is robust.”