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French detectives join investigation into Total CEO’s death

Russian Prosecutor General’s Office agreed on French detectives to participate in a probe of the crash of a French jet Falcon at Moscow airport Vnukovo in which France’s oil giant Total CEO Christophe de Margerie died, spokesperson of the Prosecutor General’s Office Marina Gridneva told TASS.

“The Prosecutor General’s Office has granted the French partners’ request on their coming to Russia to participate in the investigation of the criminal case opened over the oil major Total CEO’s fatal jet crash at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on October 20,” she said.

During the takeoff at Vnukovo airport on Monday night, the Dassault Falcon business jet, bound for Paris, collided with a snowplow, caught fire and fell onto the runway. All the people on board died in the crash.

The field stage of the Falcon jet crash investigation was completed on Thursday. A chief investigator with the Interstate Aviation Committee reported the results of the field stage.

The crew of the French Falcon jet that crashed in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Monday night noticed the snowplow just 14 seconds before takeoff.

A trainee air traffic controller supervised by instructor was guiding Falcon at Vnukovo before crash. All systems of Falcon jet were properly functioning until crash.

The collision of the snowplow and Falcon jet occurred on an intersection of runway strips. The runway strip was free when takeoff authorization was given. Falcon’s speed was about 250 km/h when it crashed with the snowplow.

All fragments of the jet have been collected from the crash site. A thorough examination of the fuselage, collected fragments and fuel is still to be conducted in the future.

A Moscow court on Thursday ruled that the prime suspect in the case. Vladimir Martynenko, a snowplow operator who allegedly caused the crash of the French Falcon jet, remains in detention until December 21.

The court ruled in favor of the prosecution after preliminary medical examination results were announced that Martynenko was drunk at the moment of the crash.

Russia’s Investigative Committee spokesman said the level of alcohol found in Martynenko’s blood was 0,6.

Medical tests show that four staff members of Moscow’s Vnukovo-3 airport detained in connection with the Falcon jet crash were sober, the official spokesman of Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Thursday.

More suspects to emerge after Total’s CEO death

New suspects are likely to emerge in the ongoing Russian investigation into the accident in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport that killed the CEO of French oil giant Total, a Russian Investigative Committee spokesman told RIANovosti on Tuesday.

“Although first suspects have already been identified in the case, it is evident that the negligent behavior of perpetrators was, naturally, overlooked by the upper management, whose actions or inaction will undoubtedly undergo a proper legal scrutiny, and we do not rule out more detentions in this case,” Vladimir Markin said.

“Moreover, investigators will take measures soon to suspend some airport officials, who may hinder the investigation, from official duty,” the spokesman added.

Russia’s Investigative Committee will legally assess the actions of the leadership of the air company over the crash of the Falcon plane with Total CEO Christophe de Margerie on board, Investigative Commitee spokesman Vladimir Markin told TASS.

The chief executive of French oil major Total was killed when a business jet collided with a snow plough during takeoff at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, the company and airport officials said.
The collision occurred late on Monday, minutes before midnight Moscow time, the airport said in a statement. The Dassault Falcon business jet carrying de Margerie was heading to Paris, Reuters reported.

“The investigators will soon take measures to suspend from office a number of airport staff members who may impede the investigation. Despite the appearance of the first suspects in the case, it is also obvious that senior managers of the air company the action and inaction of which will be legally assessed during the investigation, are behind the negligent conduct of the persons directly responsible for the incident,” he said.

Markin did not rule out that more suspects may be detained during the criminal case investigation.

Investigators confiscated all video and audio recordings from the crash scene of the private Falcon-300 jet to establish those responsible for the tragic incident.

The driver of the snowplow that collided with the jet that crashed at a Moscow airport killing all four people on board, has been detained for 48 hours. The driver was drunk at the time of the accident when the snowplow he was operating crashed into the four-seat Falcon-300 airplane, which caught fire and fell onto the runway. Three crewmembers and France’s oil giant Total CEO Christophe de Margerie died in the jet’s crash.

The French Air Accident Bureau (BEA) has sent its experts to Moscow who will join the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) investigating the circumstances of the death of Total CEO Christophe de Margerie.
A team of three investigators is due to arrive in Russia soon, the Agence France-Presse reported on Tuesday.

The Paris Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal case into “involuntary manslaughter” following the tragic death of the Total CEO.

Game over for Australian coal

China, the world’s top coal importer, will levy import tariffs on the commodity after nearly a decade, in its latest bid to prop up ailing domestic miners who have been buffeted by rising costs and tumbling prices.

The sudden move by China to levy import tariffs of between 3 percent and 6 percent from October 15 is set to hit miners in Australia and Russia – among the top coal exporters into the country.

Traders said Indonesia, the second-biggest shipper of the fuel to China, will be exempt from the tariffs since a free trade agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) means Beijing has promised the signatory nations zero import tariffs for some resources.

A 3 percent import tariff imposed on lignite last year did not include Indonesia.

“China is clearly moving to protect its local miners. Given that the tariff also covers coking coal, Australia, being the top supplier to China, is likely going to be the most affected,” said Serene Lim, an analyst at Standard Chartered.

The Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Thursday that import tariffs for anthracite coal and coking coal will return to 3 percent, while non-coking coal will have an import tax of 6 percent. Briquettes, a fuel manufactured from coal, and other coal-based fuels will see their import tariffs return to 5 percent.

Import taxes for all coals, with the exception of coking coal, was at 6 percent prior to 2005 before they were scrapped in 2007. Coking coal import taxes were set at 3 percent before being abolished in 2005.

News of the tariff lifted China’s thermal coal futures by 1.9 percent to 529.2 yuan ($86.33) a tonne, while China-listed shares in top miners such as Shenhua Energy and China Coal Energy also rose.

Chinese traders were only willing to pay about $65 a tonne for coal with heating value of 5,500 kcal/kg (NAR) on a landed basis before the tariff was announced, against offers of about $66 a tonne by Australians, traders said.

“With the latest tax, Chinese can only offer around $62, which means Australian sellers will need to cut prices by about $3.50-$4 a tonne,” said a senior trader at major international trading house.

“It is game over for Australian coal.”

INTENSE LOBBYING

The latest effort to limit imports comes after nearly a year of intense lobbying by China’s top miners for Beijing to stem the flood of cheap supplies that have inundated the domestic market and dragged local prices to a six-year low.

The China National Coal Association, which had submitted proposals to reduce domestic output, reduce the tax burden and regulate imports, had urged Beijing to act swiftly to support the besieged sector, where 70 percent of the miners were making losses and more than half were owing wages.

On a broader level, the persistent slump in coal prices has put a severe financial strain on coal-dependent provinces such as Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi, which are already struggling with high debts and a weakening property market.

China said last month it will ban the import and local sale of coal with high ash and sulphur content starting from 2015 in a bid to tackle air pollution. But Australian miners were left unscathed by that regulation as the most stringent standards did not apply to power plants.

Separately, trade sources said Beijing has also asked its state-owned power utilities to cut coal imports by as much as 40 million tonnes from September to December, a move that is set to hit imports in the fourth quarter.

China, also the world’s top coal producer and consumer, saw imports rise 13 percent from a year ago to 327.1 million tonnes in 2013, accounting for about 10 percent of the country’s total consumption. (1 US dollar = 6.1299 Chinese yuan)

Source: Reuters