Rio Tinto controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2021
Rio Tinto faces investor backlash over former CEO's exit package
Public backlash
Rio Tinto faced the prospect of an investor revolt over a £7.2 million payout to former CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques. Shareholder advisory groups Glass Lewis and ISS urged shareholders to vote against the company's pay report at its next annual meeting.
Source excerpt
Rio Tinto is braced for an investor revolt after handing £7.2 million ($9.9m) to its former CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques, who was forced to leave over the fallout of the destruction of sacred Aboriginal caves last year.
2020
Juukan Gorge heritage destruction
Rio Tinto destroyed two ancient Aboriginal rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia during an iron ore expansion. The sites were highly significant to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples. The incident generated global criticism, parliamentary scrutiny, investor pressure and executive departures, and prompted reforms to heritage governance.
2020
Dominion Diamond sues Diavik mine partner over alleged contract breach
Lawsuit filed
Dominion Diamond Mines filed a civil lawsuit accusing Diavik Diamond Mines (2012) Inc. of breach of contract and alleging that mine management and cash calls contributed to Dominion's liquidity crisis. Rio Tinto called the allegations baseless and said it would defend the claims.
Company response
Denial — Rio Tinto
In an email to CBC News on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Rio Tinto described Dominion's allegations as "baseless."
Denial — Rio Tinto
We regret Dominion filing what are baseless claims against us and will be defending ourselves in court vigorously.
Source excerpt
The civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday with the Supreme Court of British Columbia (where Dominion is incorporated), claims Diavik Diamond Mines (DDMI) has continued to make cash calls from Dominion "knowing that Dominion has no ability to pay for such cash calls."
In an email to CBC News on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Rio Tinto described Dominion's allegations as "baseless."
On Tuesday, Dominion Diamond filed a suit against Rio Tinto, its longtime partner in the Diavik Diamond Mine, over Rio’s management of the project—the latest sign of the tension between the two partners that has surfaced following Dominion’s April insolvency filing.
2020
Rio Tinto settles with Oyu Tolgoi whistleblower
Settlement
Rio Tinto reached a settlement with former employee Richard Bowley, who had alleged that the miner knew about major cost and schedule overruns at the Oyu Tolgoi mine before disclosing them to the market. The source does not state the settlement date or terms.
Source excerpt
Rio Tinto has struck a settlement with the former employee who said the miner knew about multibillion-dollar cost and schedule blowouts at Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi mine long before they were disclosed to the market.
2020
Rio Tinto apologizes over Juukan Gorge destruction and reviews other site plans
Company response
After explosives detonated by Rio Tinto destroyed two ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge, the company apologized to traditional owners and said it was urgently reviewing plans for other sites in the area.
Company response
Apology — Rio Tinto
We are sorry for the distress we have caused
Remediation — Rio Tinto
As a matter of urgency, we are reviewing the plans of all other sites in the Juukan Gorge area.
Source excerpt
We are sorry for the distress we have caused
Mining giant Rio Tinto has apologised to traditional owners in Western Australia's north after destroying a significant indigenous site dating back 46,000 years, saying it is urgently reviewing plans for other sites in the area.
As a matter of urgency, we are reviewing the plans of all other sites in the Juukan Gorge area.
2017
Guinea payments investigation
Rio Tinto disclosed investigations concerning payments connected with its Simandou iron ore project in Guinea. The matter resulted in regulatory and law-enforcement scrutiny and contributed to criticism of the company’s governance and compliance controls.
1928
Alleged tax fraud in Spain
Former employee Harry Pilkington reported alleged tax fraud by the company covering the 1923–1925 period. The allegations added to longstanding criticism of the company’s political influence and relationship with the Spanish Treasury.
1888
Año de los Tiros and pollution controversy
A protest involving miners, local residents and opponents of open-air ore calcination ended in a deadly confrontation. The episode became a defining example of the conflict between the company’s industrial model and local concerns about pollution, health and working conditions.