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Article

30 Oct 2018

Author:
Kirk Herbertson, EarthRights International

US Supreme Court to consider immunity of Intl. Finance Corporation from lawsuit over negative impact of coal-fired plant in India

"Supreme Court Preview: Is the World Bank Group Above the Law?", 29 Oct 2018

...The case, Budha Ismail Jam et al. v. International Finance Corporation (IFC), will be argued on Wednesday [31 October] before the U.S. Supreme Court...to decide if international organizations such as the IFC are absolutely immune from lawsuits in U.S. courts...

The petitioners are members of a fishing and farming community in India, represented by EarthRights International...

The suit arises out of the IFC’s reckless lending for a disastrous coal-fired power plant project that the IFC helped build on the coast of Gujarat, India.

In addition to being a financial disaster, the project has destroyed natural resources...

For years, the IFC has branded itself as a global leader in responsible business...[but] the IFC has not always practiced what it preaches, occasionally pursuing investments despite knowing quite well that they will bring enormous harms to local communities...

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