The new system has already reached 3 thousand terms of acceptance sent for judicial approval. Payments for this week’s approvals will take place by Christmas.
Residents of downtown Colatina (ES) and the district of Itapina, in the same municipality, will have access to the Simplified Indemnity System starting December 19. Through this system, instituted by the decision of the 12th Federal Court, it is possible to indemnify categories with hard-to-prove damage caused by the collapse of the Fundao dam (MG), such as washerwomen, artisans, sand harvesters, trash scavengers, mineral extractors, subsistence, and unregistered fishermen, among others.
This week, the simplified system has already surpassed a total of 3 thousand terms of acceptance sent for judicial approval, a 50% growth compared to the previous week. On December 7, the total paid amounted to R$ 178.9 million to about 2 thousand people. The first indemnity occurred on September 10. “All terms that are approved this week, ending December 18th, will be paid before Christmas,” says Andre de Freitas, CEO of the Renova Foundation.
According to the damage category, the settlements are a one-off and definitive payment, as ruled by the Court, and they vary from R$23 thousand to R$567 thousand. Those who join the Simplified Indemnity System, taxes and attorneys’ fees will be deducted from the amounts previously paid by way of compensation through the Mediated Indemnity Program (PIM). Click here and see the values by category and city or town, and information on taxes and fees.
Currently, seven municipalities have access to the new payment flow: Baixo Guandu, Sao Mateus, Aracruz, Conceiçao da Barra and Linhares, in Espirito Santo, and Naque and Itueta, in Minas Gerais, besides five districts: Reves do Belem (Bom Jesus do Galho), Cachoeira Escura (Belo Oriente), Ipaba do Paraiso (Santana do Paraiso), Baguari (Governador Valadares) and Pedra Corrida (Periquito), all in Minas Gerais. In addition to downtown Colatina and the district of Itapina.
The new, more agile payment flow was implemented by the Renova Foundation in August, following a Court decision for actions filed by Commissions for Parties Affected due to the damage caused by the Fundao dam collapse.
Access
The Simplified Indemnity System can be accessed through the online platform called Attorney’s Portal, on the Renova Foundation website ( www.fundacaorenova.org ). Participation is voluntary. To join, people must be represented by an attorney or public defender, according to a judicial decision, as only these professionals can access and complete the data in the system. Besides, one must have been at least 16 years of age at the time of the dam collapse and be registered or have applied for registration in the Renova Foundation database by April 30, 2020.
The deadline for joining the Simplified Indemnity System was defined by Court. For the municipality of Sao Mateus, the deadline is December 31, 2020. For Baixo Guandu, Aracruz, Conceição da Barra, and Linhares, it is January 31, 2021. Whereas for Colatina, Itapina, and Minas Gerais’s districts, the application deadline is April 30, 2021.
The Renova Foundation informs that, until September 2020, a total of R$ 2.65 billion were paid in indemnities and financial disbursement to approximately 321 thousand people.