Brazilian iron-ore miner Vale fired an inspection firm because the company refused to certify one of its dams as safe, months before the barrier collapsed and killed hundreds, prosecutors said in a document filed this week, as they explained why they wanted top Vale executives ousted.
After the thumbs down from inspection firm Tractebel, a subsidiary of France’s Engie , Vale said it would no longer ask the auditor to perform regular inspections of the dam. It cited "divergences in the criteria utilized to evaluate geotechnological safety," prosecutors said, citing unnamed witnesses’ testimony.