The director of Dutch oil trading company Trafigura personally approved the dumping of toxic waste in Côte d'Ivoire, Greenpeace says. The environmental group has unearthed Trafigura's internal e-mail messages which it claims show that the director, Claude Dauphin, was personally involved in the decision three years ago.

Trafigura sent the Probo Koala tanker to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's capital, when they found chemical treatment in Amsterdam harbour too expensive. A local company in Abidjan agreed to process the waste, but it illegally dumped the waste all over Abidjan. The fumes and leakages from the black sludge caused hundreds of thousands of Ivorians to become ill, and in the end, 16 people died.

Trafigura has consistently denied any responsibility for the waste dumping and its consequences. It is refusing to comment on Greenpeace's complaint.

• Read more: Greenpeace claims Trafigura director knew about toxic waste.