Brazil charges German companies and staff for environmental crimes in Hermes guaranteed project

(Urgewald, Berlin, 17 December 2010) The public attorney of Rio de Janeiro has brought charges against a subsidiary of German's ThyssenKrupp and leading managers on grounds of massive violation of environmental standards at a steelwork in Santo Cruz in the bay of Rio de Janeiro supported by Hermes guarantees of €200,000. People in the vicinity of the steelworks have complained about impacts on their health by the steelworks, which went into operation in 2010 and has been the biggest German investment in Brasil in the past years.