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TechnoratiDeadly toxic waste trial begins
A trial of a Swiss-based company and five of its employees accused of dumping toxic waste that killed 17 people in the Côte D’Ivoire began in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Trafigura allegedly dumped caustic soda and petroleum residues from the Probo Koala ship.
They are accused of redirecting the ship from the Port of Amsterdam to Abidjan, where it dumped the toxic matter on municipal waste tips in July 2006. The waste was pumped back onto the Probo Koala after the Amsterdam Port Services demanded a higher price for it because it was more toxic than previously thought.
Probo Koala’s captain, Sergiy Chertov, and one of the other defendants, Naeem Ahmed, were not present at the hearing.
If convicted, they could face 21 years in jail and fines of up to 134,000 euros. Chertov is accused of falsifying documents and lying to Dutch port authorities. Ahmed is charged with co-ordinating the plan from London.
Trafigura, which could be fined 1.34 million euros, denies that the waste caused any illnesses or deaths.
The former manager of Amsterdam Port Services, Evert Uittenbosch, was also charged and risks six years in prison. The trial is expected to last until 2 July.
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