Trafigura Faces Criminal Charges Over Toxic Waste Dumping

Oil company Trafigura were today facing up to the prospect of having to face criminal charges for the the dumping of toxic waste in areas of Africa, specifically Abidjan near the Ivory Coast, causing a large amount of people to become sick. The company has already had to pay out for mass compensation claims by the people effected, but now face the criminal charges in the Netherlands after it was alleged that they had initially tried to dump the waste there.

Prosecutor in the case, Look Bougert, states that Trafigura had "put self-interest above people's health and the environment" when they attempted to dump the waste in the Netherlands, after attempting to conceal how dangerous the waste was and then leaving hundreds of tonnes of oil residue when they pumped it back onto their ships.

Trafigura dispute this, claiming that "Trafigura is a company that takes responsible entrepreneurship very seriously". If the complaint is upheld, it could lead to widescale corporate fines for the company, as well as prison sentences for the captain of the tanker that the oil was transported on and another junior Trafigura employee.