President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov commented on the decision of the Bishkek City Court to cancel the fine imposed on Kumtor in the amount of 261.7 billion soms for storing waste on glaciers.
The president said in an interview that the agreement between Kumtor and Kyrgyzstan would come into force on July 4.
«I will give full information after the entry into force of the agreement. As for the environment, I remain of the same opinion. Yes, the environment is damaged. Initially, the mine was developed incorrectly. Incompetent people managed it. Therefore, there were many disasters. About 100 people died. Two people died in 2019. Their bodies were not found. And there will be disasters. Neither I nor Tengiz Bolturuk are to blame for this. Only God knows what and when will happen. Don’t forget about it. Everything has been wrong since work began in 1990. If professionals managed, this would not have happened,» the president said.
Sadyr Japarov noted that the authorities resolved the Kumtor issue by 99 percent in favor of the people. In his opinion, only those who could not get a job in the company speak negatively about Kumtor.
«Those who cannot get a job in the company or cannot bring their old equipment to Kumtor express their claims. The company can not hire everyone. Now is not the time to use the machinery made in 1941. Kumtor is now owned by the state. Therefore, special attention is now paid to the equipment and technology used. We don’t need old stuff. Canadians have taught, it turns out. They took old machines, started them up, paid money for it only because they were told that people would protest against it. If someone continues to blackmail, they will be held accountable,» Sadyr Japarov added.
On May 24, the judicial board of the Bishkek City Court overturned the decision of the Oktyabrsky District Court and made a new ruling. The activists’ claim against Kumtor Gold Company was denied.
In May 2021, the Kumtor company was fined 261.7 billion soms by a court decision for storing waste on glaciers. Four people — Aibek Sarybaev, Nariste Kalchaev, Ablas Jeenbekov, Kemelbek Kutmanov — filed a civil lawsuit against Kumtor Gold Company CJSC. They asked to recognize storage of waste on Davidov and Lysy glaciers during the development of Kumtor gold mine in Kyrgyzstan as illegal. The court satisfied the claim.
