State-run news channel TVP Info reported that the miner was conscious when rescuers reached him.
The African Development Bank has agreed to finance a feasibility study for the project, at a cost of about $4 million.
The department said the charges for violations of the Fisheries Act stem from an investigation that began in March 2023, CBC reported.
Rio Tinto has held talks with bankers, but is not immediately planning to launch a bid for the Canadian miner, Sky News reported.