Southern Copper may have paid bribes to halt Peru protests -prosecutor
Southern Copper may have paid bribes to halt Peru protests -prosecutor
viernes 20 de noviembre de 2015 17:04 GYT
By Mitra Taj
LIMA Nov 20 (Reuters) - A Peruvian prosecutor said she suspects that U.S.-listed mining company Southern Copper Corp paid opponents to call off protests against its $1.4 billion Tia Maria project while it was waiting for an environmental permit.
Prosecutor Alejandra Cardenas told Reuters on Thursday that bank records show Southern gave a Peruvian lawyer, Jesus Gomez, 1.3 million soles ($387,000) between October 2013 and September 2014. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
In that period, when the government was evaluating Southern's second environmental plan for Tia Maria, Gomez paid a protest leader, Pepe Julio Gutierrez, 170,000 soles in a lump sum, Cardenas said. Three deposits of 250,000 soles were made before community meetings the company hosted to promote Tia Maria, Cardenas said.
She said both Gomez and Gutierrez told her the money was to buy an onion field, but neither could produce documentation of a land deal.
More:
http://lta.reuters.com/article/idLTAL1N12Z23T20151120?rpc=401
