In a significant legal development, a Brazilian federal court has ordered the reinstatement of former Vale CEO Fábio Schvartsman as a defendant in the criminal proceedings stemming from the catastrophic 2019 Brumadinho dam collapse. The decision, issued by a federal judge in Belo Horizonte, follows a ruling from the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) that reversed a previous decision which had removed Schvartsman from the case.
The court's order not only brings Schvartsman back into the legal battle but also mandates the separation of his legal proceedings from those of the other defendants. This procedural move creates two distinct cases for the former executive: one focusing on homicide charges related to the deaths caused by the dam's failure, and another addressing the environmental crimes alleged in the disaster's aftermath.
The judge's rationale for this separation is rooted in procedural efficiency. The cases involving the other defendants have already progressed to a more advanced stage, with evidence gathering and witness testimonies well underway. Schvartsman, having been previously removed from the case, has not yet had the opportunity to present his formal defense. Separating his case is intended to prevent his situation from causing delays in the ongoing trials of the other accused parties.
This legal maneuver grants Schvartsman's defense team a 100-day period to prepare and submit a formal written response to the charges. This timeline provides a structured path forward for his individual case, which will now proceed on its own track separate from the main proceedings.
The move to reinstate Schvartsman was actively sought by the Association of Victims and Affected Families of the Brumadinho Tragedy (Avabrum). The victims' group had formally petitioned the court for the executive's return to the process and for the subsequent separation of the trials, a request the judge has now granted.
The Brumadinho dam disaster, which occurred in January 2019, resulted in the deaths of 270 people and caused widespread environmental devastation. The legal proceedings seek to establish criminal responsibility for the tragedy, which is considered one of Brazil's worst industrial and environmental disasters.
With this ruling, the legal path for Fábio Schvartsman is now clearly defined. He will face two separate criminal trials, allowing the broader case against other defendants to continue without interruption while his own defense is mounted. Based on reporting from g1.