A Brazilian court has suspended a criminal investigation involving Vale, Samarco and BHP Billiton executives over the Mariana disaster, which killed 19 people and halted operations at the pellet producer. Samarco is a 50/50 joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton.
The homicide investigation was opened in 2016. As a result of the court decision, the executives involved in the case will no longer face criminal charges, only environmental charges.
A media report by Estadao said the Brazilian court ruled favorably for BHP Billiton executives Sérgio Consoli and Guilherme Ferreira, who will no longer face criminal charges.
The court said the same decision used for the BHP executives also applies to the executives of the other two companies, Samarco and Vale. The court ruling also said public prosecutors did not provide enough evidence for a homicide case.