District Court Justice Jane Farish ruled Pike River guilty under the Health and Safety in Employment Act, according to representatives of court-appointed trustees of the company’s west coast asset, John Fisk, David Bridgman and Malcolm Hollis, all of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), said in 2012.
During a July sentencing hearing, the receivers will provide the court information about the company’s financial position. The mine has been sold to state-owned Solid Energy—itself in a precarious position, for $7.5 million, with earn-outs approaching $25 million if the site is not re-opened for commercial production.
The receivers said they wouldn’t defend the charges. “Given the amounts owing to creditors, the receivers do not intend to take any position in relation to what may be an appropriate sentence—this is a matter for the court,” Fisk said.
