Brazilian police are seeking a court order to arrest six executives from pellet producer Samarco, a 50/50 JV between Brazil’s Vale and BHP Billiton, following a deadly iron ore waste dam burst in November.
Among the executives charged by the Brazilian police are Ricardo Vescovi, CEO of Samarco, as well as an engineer who had certified the stability of the fatal structure, police said. A seventh suspect is also said to be involved in the case.
Samarco said the police claims are misguided and will wait for a court’s decision before taking any action.
“These are serious allegations that need to be fully considered,” Vale and BHP said in a joint statement. “We will study the statement of the Civil Police closely.”
In addition to the police’s claims, media reports said a judge in the neighboring state of Espirito Santo demanded Samarco to pay BRL 2 billion to cover the damages it caused in the Mariana disaster.