An Espirito Santo state court has suspended the decision of a judge to withhold the passports of all Samarco’s directors. The court also suspended a combined fine of BRL 10 million for Samarco’s alleged “attempts” against the “dignity of the jurisdiction,” and for “bad faith litigation.”
Earlier this week, a judge gave Samarco’s directors 10 days to relinquish their passports and driver’s licenses under the threat of a BRL 10,000 daily fine if they didn’t comply to the court ruling. At the time, the judge argued Samarco built a “precarious” dam in “48 hours” when a court demanded it to build a “definite dam project with flood-gates.”
The BRL 10 million in fines at the time include Samarco’s inability to comply with the court order to build a definite dam project.