Minister raises tone against Samarco and says: patience is over – 06/01/2023 – Panel

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, raised the tone in a meeting with the president of Samarco, Rodrigo Vilella. The meeting took place last Thursday (25) and was not on the official agenda.

According to reports, Silveira said he understood that Samarco was strictly responsible for the damage caused by the rupture of the Fundão dam, in Mariana (MG). The company is a joint venture between BHP Billiton and Vale.

He criticized the lack of transparency of the repair actions carried out by the Renova Foundation, created to carry out this work, and demanded accountability for the R$ 25 billion that would have already been invested in the reconstruction of the affected areas.

At one point, the minister said that “patience is over”, and asked for more proactivity to advance in the negotiations of the agreement under discussion under the coordination of the CNJ (National Council of Justice). Silveira argued that Samarco’s inertia, defined by him as irresponsibility, could further compromise the entire national sector.

Mariana’s agreement, considered the biggest in history, faces obstacles to be completed, despite pressure from victims and federated entities that must be compensated. By the end of 2022, the parties had already held more than 260 meetings, without reaching a consensus on reparation actions, amounts to be reimbursed and deadlines for payments.

When contacted, Samarco said it would not comment.

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.