Trafigura reaches

The firm was fined 1m euros (£836,894) for its ship, the Probo Koala, transiting Amsterdam with its cargo.

The ship then went on to unload its cargo in Ivory Coast.
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It is a good thing that they have been found guilty but it would be even better if they were sent to jail”

End Quote Guy Oulla Alleged waste victim

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Trafigura employee Naeem Ahmed, who was involved in the ship's operation in Amsterdam, was fined 25,000 euros and the captain of the Probo Koala, 46-year-old Sergiy Chertov, was sentenced to a five-year suspended jail term.

This is the first time Trafigura has faced criminal charges since the toxic waste scandal unfolded in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan, in 2006.

Trafigura, an oil trading company, initially tried to clean up low-grade oil by tipping caustic soda into the hold of the Probo Koala. The company tried to unload the waste in Amsterdam for treatment, declaring it as "harmless slops".

When the treatment company came back with a higher price for cleaning the waste, the cargo was shipped to Africa where it ended up in Abidjan to be handled at a much lower rate.

Presiding Judge Frans Bauduin said: "Trafigura - which by that time knew of the exact composition [of the waste] - should never have agreed to its processing at such a price."
Timeline
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Sept 2006 - Thousands in Ivory Coast report falling ill from waste in Abidjan

Oct 2006 - About 1,000 Ivorians sue Trafigura

Feb 2007 - Wholesale Replica Handbags Christian Louboutin Shoes Christian Louboutin Pumps replica bags Trafigura reaches $160m out-of-court settlement with government of Ivory Coast

Oct 2008 - Ivory Coast court finds two people, not employees of Trafigura, guilty of dumping toxic waste in Abidjan