Spain sues Boliden for 90 mln euros in toxic spill
Date: 22-Nov-02
Country: SPAIN
Andalusia's regional government is seeking reimbursement for damages and cleanup costs after nearly seven million cubic metres of poisonous sludge and contaminated water burst from a mine waste reservoir into a river near the Donana National Park, one of Europe's largest nature reserves.
The civil suit, filed on Saturday, comes after a criminal court ruled that 25 people in the case were not criminally responsible for one of Spain's worst environmental disasters.
A spokesman for Boliden, which told investors in September a regional government suit could be expected, said the firm had been cleared of responsibility.
"This is a political game. Boliden has been freed for good from responsibility in this case and it will not suffer from any financial damage due to this," spokesman Ulf Soderstrom said from Sweden.
The Andalusian government said on its website the suit affected the Boliden Apirsa unit based in Spain, parent firm Boliden AB and Boliden BV, based in the Netherlands.
Spain's central government announced a 45 million euro fine for Boliden in August, which local media reported the firm would appeal against.
This September Boliden said it was taking Spanish construction group Dragados to court for 107 million euros for its alleged role in the disaster.
Boliden Apirsa applied for temporary receivership in October 2000.
(Additional reporting from Anna Peltola in Stockholm).