Costa Rica halts Canadian firm's gold mine work (President investigated)

Source: Reuters

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The Costa Rican Supreme court ordered a small Canadian mining company to halt construction at an open-pit gold mine on Tuesday, ruling with environmental groups who say the project is destroying virgin forest.

Infinito Gold Ltd. (IG.V: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said the court ordered the company to stop clearing land at the Crucitas mine near the forested border with Nicaragua while it considered complaints brought by environmentalists.

The Canadian miner began last week cutting down trees to build a pit and tailings dam but has now stopped work until the court makes another ruling. The court has not set a date for a final decision in the case.

The miner will have to cut down 208 hectares (514 acres) to move ahead with the project, most forest that has never been touched, Edgardo Araya, the lawyer who filed the complaint on behalf of two local environmental organizations, said.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2146868720081022

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Costa Rica president investigated for abuse of authority

SAN JOSE (AFP) — The Costa Rica attorney general's office said Tuesday it has opened an investigation into President Oscar Arias and Environment Minister Roberto Dobles for abuse of authority over a gold mining exploitation they claim to be of "national interest."

"Yesterday (Monday), the national attorney general's office ordered an investigation into the President of the Republic Oscar Arias Sanchez and the Minister of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications, Roberto Dobles Mora, for possibly committing the crime of abuse of authority," a statement said.

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The investigation centered on a decree signed by both ministers last Friday which said that the Crucitas gold mine project in the north of the country, by the Industrias Infinito company, was "of public and national interest," the statement said.

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hyt3uaFAfo3r4WtCO4gBO-N8nIBQ