The Municipal Court in the north-western town of Lukavac confirmed the indictment against Debasish Ganguly, the former CEO of the Global Ispat Coke Plant (GIKIL) and the company, for environmental pollution charges.
Ganguly, who is an Indian national, was dismissed from office and left the country right before the charges were confirmed.
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The Tuzla Canton Prosecution charged the GIKIL company with failing to implement the recommendation from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) entity Environment Ministry on the five-year period (2012-2017) to invest 111 million marks (some € 55 million) in environmental projects, leading to end of harmful emissions from the plant.
The company's failure to implement the recommendations led to spillage of tar, ammonia water and other harmful substances in the river Spreca and the Lukavac area in 2018, as well as emissions of hazardous and toxic pollutants, some of which are carcinogenic, that reached between 500 and 150,000 times higher levels than permissible.
In addition to the indictment, the Prosecution filed numerous evidence: expert witnesses, expert analyses, inspection reports and other pieces of evidence.
The Prosecution also asked that Ganguly is banned from performing managerial functions in public or private companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina for five years.
