NASSIR Posted July 24, 2010 Trafigura fined €1m for exporting toxic waste to Africa By Rob Evans guardian.co.uk News Fri 23 Jul 2010 20 Dutch court convicts oil trader of illegally exporting waste to Ivory Coast and concealing its hazardous nature in Amsterdam. The oil trader Trafigura has been fined ¤1m (£840,000) for illegally exporting tonnes of hazardous waste to west Africa. It is the first time the London-based firm has been convicted of criminal charges over the environmental scandal, in which 30,000 Africans were made ill when the toxic waste was dumped in Ivory Coast. A court in the Netherlands also ruled today that the firm had concealed the dangerous nature of the waste when it was initially unloaded from a ship in Amsterdam. Eliance Kouassi, president of the victims' group in Ivory Coast, said: "Finally Trafigura has been called out in a court of law. It's a real victory for us." The fine is, however, only half the amount sought by the Dutch prosecutors. Amsterdam district court judge Frans Bauduin also convicted a Trafigura employee and the Ukranian captain of the ship that carried the waste for their roles in the 2006 scandal. The seven-week trial centred on Trafigura's initial attempt to get rid of the waste cheaply in Holland. Look Bougert, prosecuting, told the court that Trafigura had put "self-interest above people's health and the environment". The prosecutor said Trafigura initially tried to conceal how dangerous the waste was, adding that the firm wrongly described it as routine slops from ordinary tank-cleaning. Residents complained about the foul smell. The company hired to dispose of the waste in Holland wanted more money for the job. Trafigura then pumped the toxic waste back on to its tanker. The vessel, the Probo Koala, was sent to Ivory Coast, where the cost of getting rid of the waste was much lower. Instead of disposing of it properly, Trafigura "dumped it over the fence" in Abidjan, Bougert said. "Cheap, but with consequences," he added. Last year, amid an international furore, Trafigura was forced to pay compensation totalling £30m to the thousands of Africans who needed medical treatment. The payments settled out of court a civil legal action brought by London lawyers Leigh Day. Three years ago, in another settlement, Trafigura paid £100m to the Ivorian government to help clean up the waste. Read More Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
