The Fibre Excellence Tarascon pulp factory in the Bouches-du-Rhône region, which was accused of air pollution, was acquitted on Wednesday 31 March by the criminal court. The court dismissed the 140 civil parties, including individuals and environmental protection associations, from their claims for compensation.
For several years, local residents and environmental associations have been denouncing the pollution generated by the site. At the beginning of January, the public prosecutor requested a 50,000 euro fine. A deliberately low amount due to the fragility of the company.
However, the factory was sentenced to 10,000 euros for " operation of pressure equipment in spite of an inspection having concluded to their non-conformity "reports the daily newspaper La Provence .
The pulp mill, which has nearly 280 employees, has been in receivership since October 8. The company was able to avoid bankruptcy thanks to a government contribution of 1.6 million euros. The company had already received seven million euros of public funds in the fall.
On Tuesday 23 March, the commercial court granted the company an additional stay of execution by extending the observation period.
Fibre Excellence Tarascon produces 270,000 tons of pulp per year and plays an important role for the region with a direct impact on other players in the wood industry. It is owned by the Canadian company Paper Excellence, itself owned by Jackson Widjaja, whose family runs Asia Pulp and Paper, the Indonesian giant of the global paper industry.
