Gold Mining Company Wages $301 Million Lawsuit Against El Salvador | Global Research

Gold Mining Company Wages $301 Million Lawsuit Against El Salvador | Global Research

(Ottawa/Washington) The President-elect of El Salvador has publicly committed to prohibit new mining during his administration, just as his predecessors have done since 2008. OceanaGold should
respect the democratic process in El Salvador, abandon its acquisition
of Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining, and drop its lawsuit against the
government of El Salvador for not having permitted a mine, according to
international civil society organizations. A new study debunks
eight falsehoods the company has used to try to justify mining in El
Salvador and undermine public debate and policymaking.

Canadian-Australian firm OceanaGold acquired Pacific Rim Mining in
November 2013. Up against stiff local and national opposition in El
Salvador, Pacific Rim has been trying to get at gold deposits in
northern El Salvador for about a decade.

In 2009, Pacific Rim launched what is now a $301 million lawsuit against
El Salvador in a World Bank arbitration tribunal, arguing that the
government must grant the company the permit to begin its El Dorado gold
project. OceanaGold, having bailed out Pacific Rim from
near bankruptcy in November 2013, aims either to strike a deal with the
Salvadoran government or to continue fighting the suit.