The international case against Mariana will come up for hearing in a week – Jerois

The demands of the 200,000 riverine residents, quilompolas, tribes, municipalities, churches, businesses and affected Brazilians who lost their lives and property when the Fundo Dam in Mariana broke 6 years ago are being reconsidered. Justice United Kingdom’s appeal against the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP Billiton will begin next Monday (04/04) within a week, demanding 5 5 billion (R $ 31.5 billion) in damages.

BHP Billiton is headquartered in the UK because it controls a mining company called Samarco in association with Vale. Samarco operated the Fundo Dam, which failed in Mariana in 2015, killing 19 people and scattering tails at sea in the Espirido Santo on the Rio Dos Basin. Victims and their attorneys, belonging to the PGMBM office, believe that the Brazilian justice system did not bring adequate fair compensation or opportunities for compensation. The BHP is defending itself, claiming that due to individual and collective action in Brazil, the process is likely to be replicated, and that it will fund Fundão Renova, which will be created and maintained by three mining companies to repair the disaster. Actions.

The ruling is an appeal to the High Court in London to determine the jurisdiction, whether Mariana’s separation case will be heard in a UK court. On March 23, 2021, the same appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. However, in a new judgment issued in July 2021, the Court of Appeal allowed victims to appeal against a judgment denying them jurisdiction under a rare law exploited by the PGMBM.

The first hearing took place between 22 and 31 July 2020 at the Center for Civil Justice in Manchester, England, where Judge Sir Mark Turner ruled on 9 November 2020 that the claim for damages was invalid.

The Court of Appeal’s judgment on the appeal is expected to be heard between April 4 and 8 and a verdict is expected a few weeks later. In court, the case was tried differently than in Brazil. There are two types of lawyers in BHP Billiton and PGMBM, the victims’ office. Advocates who help with the details of the case and the laws and procedures and who make oral arguments before the judge.

In the first trials, due to the infection of the new corona virus (Sars-CoV-2), the courts had strict control over the public, which at this time was very flexible with the vaccination and control of COVID-19. Access to the UK was restricted and foreigners had to be isolated for up to 15 days. With this, the presence of the victims and the greater public outcry among the British is expected to occur.

PGMBM’s largest customer is the municipality of Mariana, with a population of 61,830. By 2020, the municipal administration estimates that PRL will cost more than $ 1.2 billion to compensate for the disaster caused by the collapse of the Fundo Dam. These include compensation for losses incurred in collections, delays caused by emptying boxes and additional costs that are a tragedy that encompasses everything from the enrichment of the health system to emergency assistance and the opening of blocked roads.

Other municipalities are also seeking compensation for expenses and expenses incurred by 2,630 citizens, such as Rio Dose, represented by PGMBM. Among the losses, in particular, was the shutdown of the Risoleta Neves hydropower plant, which did not generate electricity as it reached the Condonga Dam, which directly affects 22% of the municipality’s revenue.

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