A Peruvian judge banned the head of oil company Repsol's Peru division, Jaime Fernandez Cuesta, from leaving the country due to an oil spill incident, the press service of the Supreme Court said
BUENOS AIRES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2022) A Peruvian judge banned the head of oil company Repsol's Peru division, Jaime Fernandez Cuesta, from leaving the country due to an oil spill incident, the press service of the Supreme Court said.
"Judge Romualdo Aguedo has ordered a ban on leaving the country for 18 months against the head of the La Pampilla refinery, Jaime Fernandez Cuesta," the court said in a statement.
The measure comes in response to a request from the environmental prosecutor's office.
On January 15, an oil spill was reported at La Pampilla refinery to the north of Lima, in the province of Callao, after strong waves caused by the eruption of an underwater volcano in Oceania. About 6,000 barrels of oil spilled while being unloaded from a ship at a refinery and polluted nearly 1.1 million square meters (0.4 square miles) of sea, endangering flora and fauna of two protected natural areas covering more than 18,000 square kilometers (almost 7,000 square miles).
The government has declared an environmental emergency. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry demanded that Spanish company Repsol pay damages.
