Media in Spain are reporting that a Spanish prosecutor is recommending formal criminal charges against Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) president Bill Williams and others for their alleged role in a Spanish mine that has water pollution problems.
A GTAC spokesman in Wisconsin said Williams has not been formally indicted in the Cobre Las Cruces case, but the prosecutor’s recommendation appears to bring Williams a step closer to possibly winding up in court.
Joe Skulan is an Arizona State University chemistry professor who lives in Wisconsin, and who has been following the Wisconsin mining debate. Skulan said the formal accusations against Williams matter in the debate over the mine proposed in northern Wisconsin, because Williams has touted his work in Spain.
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“He’s being charged with very serious crimes in Spain, as a result of his work at Cobre Las Cruces,” said Skulan. “So this is directly relevant to Bill Williams in the Penokee Hills.”
Skulan acknowledges that Williams enjoys a presumption of innocence in Spain, but if found guilty of the allegations Williams could be fined and go to jail for a few years.
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