Archived press release

Environment agency moves to delay sea empress prosecution by foe

15 April 1997

The Environment Agency, the Government's official green watchdog, has written to lawyers acting for Friends of the Earth setting out a clear timetable regarding prosecution of those responsible for the Sea Empress oil spill disaster. The letter was received as Friends of the Earth's two-month ultimatum for the Agency to take action expired and as the pressure group was poised to initiate its own prosecution. Although Friends of the Earth's investigations have placed the group in a position to prosecute, it has decided, following a request from the Agency, to give the official body a further opportunity to properly discharge its enforcement role.

The new June deadline is based on a planned May 13th decision by the Agency's Board on whether or not to proceed and the Agency's commitment to "ensure that the Agency is in a position to make a final decision on the detail of the prosecution by the end of June".

The threat of private legal proceedings by Friends of the Earth was made in February, one year after the massive tanker spilled over 72,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea damaging 38 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and killing thousands of seabirds. At the time the ultimatum was issued, the Agency said that it had not completed its investigations and that it could not determine when it would prosecute. Because of the Agency's failure to set out when it would take action and against whom, Friends of the Earth said that it would prosecute those responsible if the Agency did not act by April 15th.

Tony Juniper, Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth, said:

"The Agency has moved considerably since February and we look forward to seeing who it prosecutes. However, if Friends of the Earth considers that anyone has wrongly been left out of the frame, we will ensure that everyone who should be held responsible will be. Environmental laws are there to be enforced and it is the Agency's job to make sure they are. If its Board decides for political reasons not to take on potential defendants who properly bear criminal responsibility for this ecological disaster, then we stand ready to do the job ourselves."

ENDS

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