Amnesty condemns Ivorian decision to divert $ 45m
Ouagadougou, 23 Jan-(ANA)-
The organization called for an immediate stay on the court’s decision so that the money is not transferred before the victims have a chance to appeal.
In late 2009, a group known as the National Coordination of Toxic Waste Victims of Côte d’Ivoire (CNVDT-CI) claimed that it represented some 30,000 victims who had brought a court case against Trafigura in the UK.
The claimants and Trafigura had reached an out-of-court settlement for $45 million in September 2009.
All of the claimants in the case were actually represented by UK lawyer Martyn Day of Leigh Day & Co. Amnesty International has seen no credible evidence to support CNVDT-CI’s claim and considers it a blatant attempt to perpetrate fraud.
An appeal court today ruled that the $45 million, paid by Trafigura and intended for the victims, should be transferred to CNVDT-CI’s bank account. (ANA)
FA/ANA/23 January 2010-----
An Ivorian court decision to transfer $ 45 million intended for the victims of the Trafigura toxic waste disaster to a group falsely claiming to represent them is a travesty of justice, Amnesty International has said.