A Lawsuit Promises Justice for Rio Tinto’s Mining Disaster in Bougainville. Some Say It’s Nothing But a Cash Grab.

A class-action lawsuit launched against Rio Tinto in connection with the Panguna mine on Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville Island is being championed by former rebel leaders, but some are accusing lawyers and the funders backing the suit — who have managed to keep their identities secret in part due to a Nevis registration — are calling the lawsuit nothing but a cash grab, and are even saying it threatens to undermine negotiations aimed at getting Rio Tinto to clean up the mess and compensate affected communities.

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