Convictions relate to groundwater contamination around Miteni fluorochemicals plant
An Italian court has jailed 11 executives over charges relating to groundwater pollution with per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) from Miteni’s fluorochemicals plant in Trissino, Italy, since its construction in the 1960s.
Miteni was previously operated independently, then as a subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsubishi. The plant was sold to Luxembourg-based International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) in 2009, and closed after going bankrupt in 2018. The trial stemmed from an investigation by Veneto regional authorities in 2013, which identified the Miteni plant as the source of PFAS pollutants in groundwater and soil across the surrounding area, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
Government prosecutors accused Miteni of failing to properly treat PFAS-containing wastewater discharged into the environment, and attempting to conceal the problem after it was discovered. They were joined in the lawsuit by environmental groups including Greenpeace, and local organisations representing affected citizens.
Executives from Miteni and both parent organisations were among those convicted and sentenced to prison terms between two years, eight months and 17 years, six months. The court ordered Mitsubishi, ICIG and the convicted defendants to pay a total of around €57 million (£49 million) in damages, according to media reports.
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