Supreme Court admits appeal process by Pascua Lama
Will review Environmental Court ruling, related to the calculation method of fine imposed by the SMA. A new trial in the history of Pascua Lama began in the Supreme Court.
On Monday afternoon, the high court ruled admissible accept the appeal submitted by the holder of the copper-gold project, Barrick Gold, against the decision of the Environmental Court (TA), which in March this year overturned penalty of $ 16.4 million that the Superintendence of the Environment (SMA) applied against the mining company in May 2013, after finding 22 violations of its environmental clearance.
It should be recalled that the Environmental Court ruled that the fine issued by the SMA was misapplied, because their calculation criteria called “infraction competition” was used, through which the watchdog grouped the offenses and did not apply penalties for each of the faults. If the criteria have been different, the fine would have been higher.
Sources from the court commented that the allegations could begin soon and that the court ruling could be known within about two months. Environmental lawyers, meanwhile, agreed that the definition of the Supreme Court will deliver right precedents on how SMA has to apply the fines.
Source: La Tercera
