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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 10 2010 02:47 | LAST UPDATED Feb 10 2010 02:47 |
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Côte d'Ivoire on Tuesday released three customs officials held over a toxic-waste scandal, ending a customs strike that briefly halted registration of cocoa exports days ahead of a new crop, officials said. "The strike has been lifted. We have gone back to work. We have been informed that they have been released," a customs official told Reuters. The three customs officers were among 10 people detained over the dumping of deadly chemicals in the main port city of Abidjan in August, which caused at least eight deaths and prompted tens of thousands of people to seek medical help. Customs officials said earlier bail had been set at 50-million CFA francs ($96 640) each, but a senior customs officer told Reuters that an investigating judge had released the three on bail of a tenth of that sum. "I think it was the Economy and Finance Ministry which paid the 5-million francs for each of them," said the senior official, who declined to be named. "They are now free and the judge is continuing his investigations," the official added. Tuesday's strike came just days before the world's number one cocoa producer was due to open its new 2006/2007 harvest season, although some exporters said they were still waiting for new harvest beans to arrive so shipments were not yet affected. The scandal over the toxic waste, unloaded from a Panamanian-registered tanker, has rocked Côte d'Ivoire. Last month, it forced the resignation of a national unity government formed to lead a country divided in two since rebels seized the north in a 2002 to 2003 civil war. A new Cabinet was installed, which kept most of the original ministers.  CONTINUES BELOW A series of inquiries have begun in Côte d'Ivoire and in Europe to determine the origin of the waste and how it came to be deposited at sites around the densely populated city, once regarded as a model of development in impoverished West Africa. -- Reuters TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
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