Brazil's authorities will investigate miner Vale SA over possible corruption in misleading officials about the safety of its dam that burst and killed hundreds, a spokeswoman for the Mines and Energy Ministry said on Friday.
If found to have violated Brazil's 2013 anti-corruption law, Vale could face a fine of up to 20 percent of its 2018 gross revenue. In 2017, the company reported 109 billion reals ($28.79 billion) in revenue and net income of 17.6 billion reals.
Vale is due to report fourth-quarter 2018 earnings on March 27.