Wellington Council, Tiaki Wai face criminal charges for Moa Point disaster
The Moa Point saga is now wading into the courts.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council has filed charges against water company Tiaki Wai and the City Council after a catastrophic failure in February saw more than 14 billion litres of untreated sewage pumped into the sea.
The regional council says the prosecution follows detailed investigation of the events, the roles of involved parties, and the environmental consequences.
Both organisations could face fines of up to $100 million each.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little told Mike Hosking it's highly unlikely there will be a fine at that level.
He says there will be talks by lawyers on all sides, and if anything goes before a judge, there'll be a bit of teasing out about where responsibility actually lies, as that's still a bit of an open question.
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