The decision by Andes Iron to withdraw its appeals to the Supreme Court regarding the controversial «Dominga» mining-port project has sparked a variety of reactions.
According to international organization Greenpeace, the company’s withdrawal «clearly acknowledges that the Dominga mining-port project has been rejected,» indicating that the chances of legally overturning this decision were increasingly slim.
Roxana Núñez, a lawyer for Greenpeace Chile, explained that «after 13 years of proceedings, the company renounces judicial avenues, thereby upholding the Antofagasta Court of Appeals’ ruling that confirmed the rejection by the Committee of Ministers.»
She added, «This new turn of events comes amid a criminal investigation led by Greenpeace, aiming to clarify potential acts of corruption and irregularities associated with the project’s approval process.»
Núñez referred to a complaint filed by Greenpeace which probes into «possible crimes of aggravated bribery and disclosure of secrets, stemming from the over $255 million that Andes Iron paid to the legal firm Lagos, Vargas & Silber, two partners of which are implicated in the case known as the Belarusian Scheme.»
«We believe it is essential for this investigation to progress, clarify the true purpose of these payments, and determine all corresponding responsibilities. We cannot allow attempts to impose a project with over a decade of environmental questioning and integrity issues through administrative means,» stated Roxana Núñez.
«The rejection of Dominga must be respected. In this sense, the government has a responsibility to resist pressures, ensure transparency, uphold institutional decisions, and protect an ecosystem of extraordinary value, such as the Humboldt Archipelago,» emphasized the Greenpeace Chile lawyer.
In line with this, the NGO Oceana highlighted that «Dominga has faced three rejections and over a decade of environmental, administrative, and judicial controversies,» adding that the project has recently been linked to various cases of conflicts of interest and irregularities, including the Pandora Papers, Luis Hermosilla’s recordings, the Penta case, and the Belarusian doll scandal.
«Such a controversial project, proposing to establish itself in the heart of the ‘Humboldt Archipelago Multi-Use Conservation Area’, cannot continue seeking shortcuts to evade what the environmental assessment has already determined: Dominga is not compatible with the environment or the sustainable jobs currently being developed in the area,» Oceana representatives stressed.
Meanwhile, from the National Congress, Carolina Tello, a deputy from the Broad Front, commented that despite Andes Iron’s decision, «we remain vigilant, as the SEA accepted a request that could potentially bring the case back to the Committee of Ministers under the Kast government.»
«We will not allow them to win at La Moneda what they lost in court,» declared the legislator. «Minera Dominga is officially rejected. Andes Iron has withdrawn its appeals, and the ruling rejecting the project stands firm,» she reaffirmed.
We will continue to provide updates.
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