Ivory Coast: Trafigura offers to settle with toxic waste victims

Date: 19 Sep 2009

Trafigura, the company at the centre of a toxic waste scandal in the Ivory Coast, has offered the 30,000 people affected by the dumping a payment of 1,000 UK pounds each as compensation.

The payout would see the end of ongoing legal action over the affair, and would take up approximate 10 percent of the company's pre–tax profits. Trafigura had previously paid over three times that amount to the government to pay for a clean–up of the site. The company has not admitted liability, but said that it had settled so everyone could "move on".

Campaign groups for the victims have criticised the deal, due to the flat rate payment that will be paid to all victims. They said that people suffering more severe injuries should receive higher rates of compensation. The company has not commented on the resolution.

Internal emails were publicised by newspapers and the BBC that showed that the company knew that its waste was highly toxic. Trafigura has attacked BBC coverage of the issue, stating that it had not been 'responsible journalism'. It said that the emails in questions had simply been "trader talk" and had been misinterpreted by the BBC.

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