Kyrgyzstan will win the international suit on Kumtor. The President Sadyr Japarov said at the first meeting of the Anti-Corruption Business Council.
According to him, the republic’s authorities intend to win the suit against Centerra Gold Inc.
«Corruption has reached a national scale in our country. For example, we recently won a $297 million MegaCom case that has lasted for 10 years. It was massive corruption at the highest level. Representatives of our government were interested in losing the case in order to get their share. We didn’t ask for a share, so we ended the court proceedings within a year. There is a trial on Kumtor now, we will win it too. There are people who support the protection of environment with all their hearts. We will provide them with the facts,» Sadyr Japarov said.
Subsidiaries of Centerra Gold Inc. Kumtor Gold Company and Kumtor Operating Company filed for bankruptcy with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York in June. It is stated that «such measures were taken in order to further protect the enterprise in response to the unjustified seizure of the Kumtor mine by the Kyrgyz government» and in order «to prevent further attempts by the Kyrgyz government to deprive Kumtor Gold Company of its assets».
The New York court previously rejected Centerra’s motion to impose a $1 million a day fine on the Kyrgyz government in connection with the illegal takeover of Kumtor mine.
