Peruvian Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez on Friday welcomed the
decision of the Judiciary to issue an 18-month ban from leaving the country on four Repsol senior executives —as part of the investigation into the oil spill in Lima's Ventanilla sea area.
In remarks to the press, the Cabinet member mentioned that the restrictive measure on said company representatives had been suggested by the
Environment Ministry prosecutor.
"Given the dimension of this damage, we must have guarantees that these executives will be present during the investigation process (...) waiting for a sanction over this environmental crime," he expressed.
The government official reiterated that Repsol did not have an adequate emergency plan in the face of the spill of crude oil barrels into the sea.
"They have been given the tasks to perform, but they have failed to do so," he said.
Moreover, when asked about the private meeting that Presidential Office Secretary General Carlos Jaico would have held with Repsol company representatives, the minister said that he will wait for explanations from that official.
Remarks were made after supervising the cleanup and remediation efforts at Pocitos Beach in Lima's Ancon district.
Oil spill
Repsol on Friday reported that 10,396 barrels of oil were spilled into the sea.
The oil slick has spread along the coast of Ventanilla, reaching Ancon and Chancay, where a negative impact on marine flora and fauna is registered.
(END) RMCH/MVB
Publicado: 28/1/2022