Kumtor Responds to the Claims from the State Inspectorate Office for Environmental and Technical Safety

published: 04 February 2013

In early December 2012, the State Inspectorate Office for Environmental and Technical Safety under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic submitted a number of substantial claims and directions to Kumtor Operating Company CJSC.

The company has examined and thoroughly analyzed the subject matter of the claims from the State Inspectorate Office, and the Company has submitted a notice of appeal dated January 4, 2013, and detailed responses and grounds relating to the notice of appeal dated January 28, 2013, to the Director of the State Inspectorate Office, Chair of the State Commission and Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Kumtor Operating Company disagrees with the above claims and believes that the allegations contained in the claims are exaggerated and without foundation. Kumtor has always worked and continues to work in strict compliance with the law of the Kyrgyz Republic. The activities raised in the claims, particularly the mining and placement of waste rock on waste dumps, have been approved at all times by appropriate Kyrgyz authorities and are specifically referred to in Kumtor’s annual mine plans, which are submitted and approved annually by Kyrgyz authorities.

The Company has decided to post its responses to the State Inspectorate Office and the Government on its corporate website.