El Salvador seizes mining company's assets for payment
El Salvador seizes mining company's assets for payment
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2017 7:24PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2017 7:25PM EDT
The government of El Salvador has seized properties, vehicles and bank accounts tied to OceanaGold because it says the company has not paid its legal costs after losing a decision in an international arbitration panel last year.
Last October, the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes ordered the company to pay El Salvador $8 million for legal fees. The company had argued that El Salvador should pay nearly $250 million for not granting it a license to mine gold.
This March, the country's congress voted to ban metal mining to protect its water sources.
In 2013, Australia-based OceanaGold purchased Pac Rim Cayman, which had initiated the arbitration process.
According to a statement from the Attorney General's Office Wednesday, the three bank accounts seized held US$198,904.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/feeds/canadian-press/world/el-salvador-seizes-mining-companys-assets-for-payment/article34755228/
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