Several former Michigan health and political officials, including Governor Rick Snyder, were indicted in the lead-contaminated water scandal in the city of Flint in 2014, officials in the northern state announced Thursday (January 14th). United.
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In 2014, Rick Snyder decided to change the city's source of water supply, to save money.
Acidic, polluted water from the local river, preferred over pure water from nearby Lake Huron, had eaten away at the lead pipes of the distribution network, exposing residents to lead poisoning.
This dramatic pollution, initially denied by local authorities and the state, poisoned thousands of children and caused the death of twelve people, sick with legionella.
Rick Snyder
“failed to protect the health and safety of the people of Flint,”
Deputy State Attorney Fadwa Hammoud told a press conference.
Rick Snyder's lawyer, who pleaded not guilty, in a statement denounced
"scandalous political persecution"
, believing that this indictment did
"nothing to bring justice to the people of Flint"
.
Brian Lennon estimated that his client would be
"totally exonerated"
during a trial.
Lead in children's blood
While Snyder is only charged with
"willful negligence"
and faces up to two years in prison, other officials have been charged with manslaughter.
The former director of the Michigan Department of Health (MDHHS), Nicolas Lyon, has been charged with nine deaths and faces fifteen years in prison each.
Eden Wells, former director of medical services in Michigan, is also facing nine counts of manslaughter, and
"professional misconduct"
for preventing the distribution of information on Legionella.
Former MDHHS Early Childhood Officer Nancy Peeler is charged with
"professional misconduct"
and faces up to ten years in prison for
"hiding and then manipulating the data"
about lead levels in the
hospital.
blood of Flint's children, according to Fadwa Hammoud.
Three former local officials and two of Rick Snyder's associates have also been charged.
Read also: Water polluted with lead: beginning of a health crisis near New York
The scandal, which had caused a wave of indignation in the country,
"is not a relic of the past,"
said Fadwa Hammoud.
The people of Flint
"continue to suffer from the irrefutable failure of public officials at all levels of government,"
she said.
The municipality ensures that the quality of the water is now
"stabilized"
and more than 90% of the lead pipes have been replaced.
But the US Environmental Protection Agency still advises against drinking unfiltered water.
Many residents regularly stock up on bottled mineral water.
The first indictments were announced in 2016, but the state justice had taken up the case and presented it in January 2020 before a special court.
Michigan prosecutor Kim Worthy declined to detail the charges and the content of the testimony, citing the secrecy of the investigation.
Rick Snyder is scheduled to appear in court on January 19, other defendants will appear before a judge on February 18.