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img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AFR/ivorycoast-waste-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/An Ivorian court decision to transfer $45 million intended for the victims of the Trafigura toxic waste disaster to a group falsely claiming to represent them is a travesty of justice, Amnesty International said today.br /
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The organization called for an immediate stay on the courtrsquo;s decision so that the money is not transferred before the victims have a chance to appeal. br /
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In late 2009, a group known as the National Coordination of Toxic Waste Victims of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire (CNVDT-CI) claimed that it represented some 30,000 victims who had brought a court case against Trafigura in the UK. The claimants and Trafigura had reached an out-of-court settlement for $45 million in September 2009. br /
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All of the claimants in the case were actually represented by UK lawyer Martyn Day of Leigh Day amp; Co. Amnesty International has seen no credible evidence to support CNVDT-CIrsquo;s claim and considers it a blatant attempt to perpetrate fraud.br /
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An appeal court today ruled that the $45 million, paid by Trafigura and intended for the victims, should be transferred to CNVDT-CIrsquo;s bank account.br /
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quot;Today’s verdict is a devastating blow for the victims of this toxic waste disaster,quot; said Widney Brown, Senior Director, International Law and Policy at Amnesty International. quot;We call for an immediate stay on the court’s decision so that this money does not disappear before the victims are able to appeal to the Supreme Court.quot; br /
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Martyn Day expressed his profound shock at the court ruling and said that documents provided by CNVDT had been shown to be false: quot;In 30 years of practice I cannot remember a more depressing Court decision. 30,000 Ivorians have been looking to get the compensation due to them. Now there is a very real chance they will not see a penny.quot; br /
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In August 2006, toxic waste was brought to Abidjan on board the ship Probo Koala, which had been chartered by oil-trading company, Trafigura. This waste was then dumped in various locations around the city, causing a human rights tragedy. br /
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More than 100,000 people sought medical attention for a range of health problems and there were 15 reported deaths.br /
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On 23 September 2009, the High Court of England and Wales approved a $45 million settlement between nearly 30,000 victims of the toxic waste dumping and Trafigura. The compensation had been subject to a freezing order pending today’s decision by the Ivorian court.

An attempt to defraud victims of the Trafigura toxic waste dump disaster out of $45 million must be stopped, Amnesty International said on Friday in an open letter. br /
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An organization known as the National Coordination of Toxic Waste Victims of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire (CNVDT-CI) is falsely claiming to represent some 30,000 victims who brought a court case against Trafigura in the UK. The organization has applied for the $45 million compensation owed to the victims to be transferred to its bank account.br /
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CNVDT-CI will today appeal a decision in the Ivorian courts that blocked it from receiving the compensation awarded in the UK settlement. nbsp;br /
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In an open letter to Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoirersquo;s Minister of Justice, Mamadou Koneacute;, Amnesty International said that there is no evidence that CNVDT-CI represents the 30,000 victims and described it as a ldquo;blatant attempt to perpetrate fraudrdquo;. nbsp;br /
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ldquo;This is a barefaced attempt to steal from the victims of this toxic waste scandal,rdquo; said Widney Brown, Senior Director, International Law and Policy at Amnesty International. ldquo;These people have suffered enough and the Cote drsquo;Ivoire authorities must ensure that justice is done so that the claimants receive the money that is owed to them.rdquo;br /
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The $45 million is currently subject to a freezing order and the victims have yet to receive their money.br /
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strongBackground/strongbr /
In August 2006, toxic waste was brought to Abidjan on board the ship Probo Koala, which had been chartered by oil-trading company, Trafigura. br /
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This waste was then dumped in various locations around the city, causing a human rights tragedy. More than 100,000 people sought medical attention for a range of health problems and there were 15 reported deaths. br /
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On 23 September 2009, the High Court of England and Wales approved a $45 million settlement between nearly 30,000 victims of the toxic waste dumping and Trafigura.nbsp; nbsp;br /

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AFR/ivorycoast-waste-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Victims of the 2006 toxic waste dumping scandal in Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire told Amnesty International on Monday that a ruling protecting their compensation was a quot;small victoryquot;.br /
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There were celebrations in the capital Abidjan last week when a court ruled that the $45m settlement paid by oil-trading company Trafigura to people affected by the toxic waste dumping should not be transferred into the account of an organisation which is falsely claiming to represent all 30,000 of them.br /
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quot;What happened on Friday was a small victory but we still havenrsquo;t had what is due to us,quot; warned Genevieve Diallo, a victims’ representative from the dumpsite area in Akouedo, Abidjan.br /
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quot;Now the justice system needs to do its work so that each and every one of us receives our compensation money. People are waiting impatiently for their money.quot; br /
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A freezing order on the bank account holding the $45m compensation is still in place and the victims’ lawyers, Leigh Day amp; Co., must now appeal the courtrsquo;s decision to freeze the money. br /
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ldquo;The courtrsquo;s decision last Friday was a relief, but I was not totally satisfied with the outcome,quot; Karim Kourouma, another victimsrsquo; representative from the Abobo area told Amnesty International. nbsp;br /
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quot;Given that the court refused the application to transfer the money, the logical consequence should have been for the freezing order to be dropped immediately.quot; br /
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The compensation was frozen on 22 October after an organisation – the National Coordination of Toxic Waste Victims of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire (CNVDT-CI) – falsely claimed it represented all of the claimants and said the money should be transferred into its bank account instead. br /
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CNVDT-CI has now appealed the court’s decision not to transfer the funds to its account. The appeal hearing has been set for next Thursday 19 November, further delaying the compensation payout process. br /
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ldquo;People feel utter desolation and revulsion at the prospect of this money being stolen from them. They will all be there in front of the court next Thursday to express that,rdquo; said Karim Kourouma.br /
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In August 2006, toxic waste was brought to Abidjan on board the ship Probo Koala, which had been chartered by Trafigura. br /
br /
This waste was then dumped in various locations around the city, causing a human rights tragedy. More than 100,000 people sought medical attention for a range of health problems and there were 15 reported deaths. br /
br /
On 23 September 2009, the High Court of England and Wales approved a settlement agreement between nearly 30,000 victims of the toxic waste dumping, who had brought a case in the UK, and Trafigura.br /
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The $45m had been transferred to an account in Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire set up by the victimsrsquo; lawyers for distribution to the claimants. nbsp;br /
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ldquo;The priority should be for the payment process to resume so that each claimant receives the money that they are owed. We will be keeping a close eye on what happens next,quot; said Benedetta Lacey, a special advisor at Amnesty International who has visited Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire and met victims of the dumping.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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ldquo;30,000 people need to see that their struggle for compensation for the terrible events of 2006 has not been in vain.rdquo;br /

p
Amnesty International has welcomed the decision of a Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire court not to transfer $45 million in compensation owed to victims of the toxic waste dumping in Abidjan in 2006 to the account of an organization which was falsely claiming to represent all 30,000 of them. br /
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quot;To have fought for three years for some measure of compensation but then for it to disappear at the eleventh hour would have been heartbreaking for the victims,quot; said Benedetta Lacey, a special advisor at Amnesty International who has visited Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire and met victims of the dumping. br /
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Amnesty International had written to Mamadou Kone, the Ivorian minister of justice, urging him to take action to ensure the money was not misappropriated. br /
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The move comes as a huge relief for those affected who have waited a long time for some measure of compensation.
/p

Amnesty International on Thursday urged the authorities in Cocirc;te d’Ivoire to ensure that $45 million compensation paid by an oil trading company to victims of one of the worst toxic dumping scandals in recent years reaches the people to whom it is owed. br /
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The compensation was agreed in the context of a court action brought by some 30,000 people against the firm in the High Court of England and Wales. br /
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The organization has also written to UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw, urgently asking him to contact his counterpart in the Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire and press for swift action to prevent a potentially massive fraud being perpetrated. br /
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The call came as thousands of the victims of the illegal dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan, the capital of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire, wait anxiously to receive their money. br /
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ldquo;There is a real risk that the victims of this waste dumping will never see the compensation they have been waiting so long to receive,rdquo; said Widney Brown, Senior Director at Amnesty International. br /
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ldquo;The governments of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire and the UK must do everything in their power to ensure that this money is paid to the claimants listed in the court order ndash; and prevent its misappropriation by corrupt figures.rdquo; br /
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The $45 million compensation has been frozen in the bank account of the law firm representing the victims in the court case against the company accused of dumping the waste. br /
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The freezing order was made after a man claiming his organization ndash; the National Coordination of Toxic Waste Victims of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire (CNVDT-CI) ndash; represents the ldquo;real victimsrdquo; said the money should be transferred into that organizationrsquo;s bank account instead. This claim appears entirely false and has been refuted by the victimrsquo;s UK lawyers, as well as in a petition that is before the Ivorian courts by the other representatives of claimants in the UK court case.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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The CNVDT-CI appears nowhere in any court documents related to the case or the settlement. br /
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On 23 September, the High Court of England and Wales approved a settlement agreement between the victims of the toxic waste dumping, UK law firm Leigh Day amp; Co, and the firm. The agreement was that $45 million would be distributed by Leigh Day to the nearly 30,000 victims who had agreed to the deal, with each receiving about $1,600. The funds were transferred to an account in Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire set up by Leigh Day for distribution to the victims. br /
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On 22 October, Claude Gohourou, who claims his organization represents the victims, applied to a court in Abidjan to have the funds in the Leigh Day account frozen, which the court agreed to. Soon after, on 27 October, he applied for the money to be transferred to an account held by his own association. br /
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On Friday, the Abidjan court is due to rule on his application. br /
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ldquo;If the court in Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire transfers the money into Mr Gohouroursquo;s account, there is a very good chance that it will never be seen again,rdquo; said Widney Brown. br /
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ldquo;We need an urgent intervention to prevent the victims of this tragic case from a double disaster. To have fought for three years for some measure of compensation for the terrible events of 2006, and then to see it stolen would be a travesty.rdquo;

Amnesty International on Thursday urged the authorities in Cocirc;te d’Ivoire to ensure that $45 million compensation paid by an oil trading company to victims of one of the worst toxic dumping scandals in recent years reaches the people to whom it is owed. br /
br /
The compensation was agreed in the context of a court action brought by some 30,000 people against the firm in the High Court of England and Wales. br /
br /
The organization has also written to UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw, urgently asking him to contact his counterpart in the Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire and press for swift action to prevent a potentially massive fraud being perpetrated. br /
br /
The call came as thousands of the victims of the illegal dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan, the capital of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire, wait anxiously to receive their money. br /
br /
ldquo;There is a real risk that the victims of this waste dumping will never see the compensation they have been waiting so long to receive,rdquo; said Widney Brown, Senior Director at Amnesty International. br /
br /
ldquo;The governments of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire and the UK must do everything in their power to ensure that this money is paid to the claimants listed in the court order ndash; and prevent its misappropriation by corrupt figures.rdquo; br /
br /
The $45 million compensation has been frozen in the bank account of the law firm representing the victims in the court case against the company accused of dumping the waste. br /
br /
The freezing order was made after a man claiming his organization ndash; the National Coordination of Toxic Waste Victims of Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire (CNVDT-CI) ndash; represents the ldquo;real victimsrdquo; said the money should be transferred into that organizationrsquo;s bank account instead. This claim appears entirely false and has been refuted by the victimrsquo;s UK lawyers, as well as in a petition that is before the Ivorian courts by the other representatives of claimants in the UK court case.nbsp; nbsp;br /
br /
The CNVDT-CI appears nowhere in any court documents related to the case or the settlement. br /
br /
On 23 September, the High Court of England and Wales approved a settlement agreement between the victims of the toxic waste dumping, UK law firm Leigh Day amp; Co, and the firm. The agreement was that $45 million would be distributed by Leigh Day to the nearly 30,000 victims who had agreed to the deal, with each receiving about $1,600. The funds were transferred to an account in Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire set up by Leigh Day for distribution to the victims. br /
br /
On 22 October, Claude Gohourou, who claims his organization represents the victims, applied to a court in Abidjan to have the funds in the Leigh Day account frozen, which the court agreed to. Soon after, on 27 October, he applied for the money to be transferred to an account held by his own association. br /
br /
On Friday, the Abidjan court is due to rule on his application. br /
br /
ldquo;If the court in Cocirc;te drsquo;Ivoire transfers the money into Mr Gohouroursquo;s account, there is a very good chance that it will never be seen again,rdquo; said Widney Brown. br /
br /
ldquo;We need an urgent intervention to prevent the victims of this tragic case from a double disaster. To have fought for three years for some measure of compensation for the terrible events of 2006, and then to see it stolen would be a travesty.rdquo;