According to Mongabay, concerns were raised amongst prosecutors and environmentalists as a Peruvian court overturned a prior ruling. Indeed, in December 2020, a Peruvian court overturned a previous judgement against employees of the cacao company Tamshi SAC, absolving them of crimes related to illegal deforestation in the Amazon. This decision followed a significant lobbying effort by the company, but could lead to dramatic negative impacts in terms of combating deforestation. Tamshi SAC, formerly Cacao del Perú Norte SAC, cleared nearly 2,000 hectares of primary rainforest without proper permits and was fined 129 million soles by Peru's Environmental Assessment and Enforcement Agency (OEFA). The company's officials, previously sentenced for illegal timber trafficking and obstruction, saw their sentences dismissed in December 2020. Environmental advocates argue the court's decision sets a harmful precedent, undermining efforts to enforce environmental laws in Peru. The Ministry of the Environment plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
The Environmental Crimes Financial Toolkit is developed by WWF and Themis, supported by the Climate Solutions Partnership, a collaboration between HSBC, World Resources Institute and WWF.
