Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques to resign over Aboriginal cave destruction

Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques will resign after criticism of the mining giant’s destruction of Aboriginal sacred sites.

In May, the world’s largest iron ore miner destroyed two ancient caves in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

The company went ahead with the blasting of the rock shelters of Juukan Gorge despite opposition from the traditional Aboriginal owners.

It has drawn widespread condemnation from shareholders and the public.

On Friday, the company said in a statement that “important stakeholders have raised concerns about executive liability for the identified flaws.”

The board said Jacques will remain as CEO until March, or until a successor is appointed.

Other top executives, including the heads of the miner’s iron ore and corporate relations divisions, will also leave the company at year-end.

The caves, seen as one of Australia’s most important archaeological research sites, had shown evidence of continuous human presence dating back 46,000 years.

They sat on top of some eight million tonnes of high-grade iron ore, with an estimated value of 75 million pounds (A $ 132 million; $ 96 million).

Australia’s parliament is conducting an investigation into the miner’s actions.

Rio Tinto also conducted its own research earlier this year, after which the company reduced the bonuses for directors and began trying to repair relationships with Aboriginal communities.

“What happened in Juukan was wrong and we are determined to ensure that the destruction of a heritage site of such exceptional archaeological and cultural importance never occurs again in a Rio Tinto operation,” said President Simon Thompson.

Artifacts found in the caves include a 28,000-year-old animal bone tool and a 4,000-year-old belt made from braided human hair. DNA tests had directly linked him to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people, the traditional owners of the land.

After the caves were destroyed, a PKKP representative, John Ashburton, said that losing the site was a “devastating blow”.

“There are less than a handful of known Aboriginal sites in Australia that are as old as this … their importance cannot be underestimated,” he said.

It was revealed last week that in the days leading up to the caves’ destruction in May, Rio Tinto hired lawyers in case opponents tried to ask for precautionary measures to stop them.

Although the company said it had permission to work under Aboriginal heritage laws, critics said it suggested the miner was aware of the cultural significance of the site.