More than 4 thousand people have already been indemnified for this new flow in the State;
The indemnifications through the Simplified Indemnity System to categories with difficulty in proving damages caused by the Fundão dam failure (MG) reached, in March this year, 11,800 payments, reaching more than R$ 1.07 billion in Doce River basin. Of this amount, approximately R$ 400 million was allocated to residents of Minas Gerais.
To date, more than 4 thousand people have been indemnified by the system in the municipalities of Naque, Aimorés, Itueta, Periquito, Rio Doce, and indistricts of Revés do Belém (Bom Jesus do Galho), Cachoeira Escura (Belo Oriente), Baguari (Governador Valadares) and Ipaba do Paraíso (Santana do Paraíso).
The system was implemented in August 2020 by the Renova Foundation, following the decision of the 12th Federal Court in lawsuits presented by Commissions for Affected People in the impacted locations.
Naque was the first municipality in the state to enter the new system, in September 2020. In six months, more than R$ 85 million were addressed to city residents. This amount is more than triple the approximately R$ 25,5 million of total revenue collected from the Municipal Administration in 2020, considering its own revenue, credit operations and transfers from the Federal and the State Administrations. In addition, approximately 1,150 people in the city received indemnification, which corresponds to more than 17% of the residents of the city, which has about 7 thousand inhabitants, according to an IBGE (initials in Portuguese for Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) estimate.
In Revés do Belém, district of Bom Jesus do Galho, approximately R$ 46 million was paid in indemnification to residents in six months.The amount exceeds by R$ 11 million the total amount collected by the municipality for the entire 2020, which was R$ 35 million.
In Cachoeira Escura, district of Belo Oriente, approximately R$ 86 million was paid in six months. This amount is equivalent to 72% of the city’s revenue in 2020, which, according to the TCE (initials in Portuguese for State Accounting Court), was R$ 119 million.
In Pedra Corrida, district of Periquito, R$ 32 million was paid in indemnification, almost R$ 8 million more than the municipal revenue in 2020, which reached R$ 23.9 million.
In total, 22 locations in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo have access to the Simplified Indemnity System. The indemnification amounts are defined by the Court, with a single and definitive settlement and vary from R$ 17 thousand to R$ 567 thousand, according to the category of damage. Click here and see the values for each category and location.
Access
Access to the Simplified Indemnity System is done through the online platform called Portal do Advogado, available on the Renova Foundation website (www.fundacaorenova.org). Adherence is optional and, to join, people must be represented by an attorney or public defender, according to a judicial decision. In addition, it is required the confirmation of being over 16 years old on the date of the dam failure and the registration or registration request at the Renova Foundation until April 30, 2020.
The acceptance form gives final settlement to individual damages. Payment takes place within 10 working days after the ratification of the term of acceptance by the Court.
Renova Foundation has dedicated teams to deal with any problems in the use of the platform and is in permanent contact with the applicants’ attorneys by SMS, e-mail, or WhatsApp. Attorneys can answer your questions by calling 0800 031 2303.
Renova Foundation informs that, up to February 2021, R$ 12.2 billion had been disbursed in the actions for damages and compensation and paid, in total, R$ 3.46 billion in indemnifications and financial aid for approximately 320 thousand people.
*Sources: IBGE, Accounting Court of the State of Espirito Santo (TCESinitials in Portuguese) andTax Office of the State of Espirito Santo (Sefaz, initials in Portuguese).
About the Fundação Renova
Renova Foundation is a private, non-profit entity, created with the sole purpose of managing and executing programs and actions for reparation and compensation for the damages caused by the Fundão dam failure.
The Foundation was established through a Transaction and Conduct Adjustment Term (TTAC), signed between Samarco, its shareholders Vale and BHP, the Federal and State Governments of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, in addition to a series of agencies, foundations and institutes (such asIbama, Chico Mendes Institute, National Water Agency, State Forestry Institute, Funai (initials in Portuguese for National Indian Foundation), Department of Environment, among others), in March 2016.