The final opinion of the Congressional Energy and Mines Commission—which is ready for debate in the Plenary Session of Congress—not only extends the Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry (Reinfo)also gives carte blanche to informal and illegal companies to exploit minerals with total impunity.
Due to this, the president of the Council of Ministers, Ernesto Alvarezanticipated that the Executive Branch hopes that the document will be modified during its discussion in the Plenary so that it adapts to the reality of the sector. Otherwise, he warned, “we will have to observe the norm.”
In this context, the chief of staff left open the possibility that the cases of miners who were left out of the formalization process could be re-evaluated. However, he was categorical in maintaining that it is not appropriate to allow the return of those who have shown a lack of will to formalize and use Reinfo as a way to sustain illegal activities.
After participating in the ceremony for the anniversary of the Better Citizen Service Platform (MAC), the premier stressed, along these lines, that illegal miners must be distinguished from artisanal miners and small-scale mining, who face procedures and requirements designed for large-scale mining and do not have the economic or legal capabilities to comply with them.
“Every citizen has the right to request a reconsideration. There is a not very large group of miners who have requested it and I consider it to be positive. It must be done, but without entering into an irrational reincorporation of those illegal miners who, deep down, do not give importance to the formalization that any economic activity requires within the rule of law,” he stressed.
Sentences
In another passage of his statements, the premier spoke about the sentences handed down this week to the former presidents of the Republic Martín Vizcarra and Pedro Castillo.
“Although these people have a certain political power, the Judiciary has managed to obtain sentences. At the end of the day, the citizen who works and pays his taxes needs to have confidence that whoever commits a crime assumes the consequences,” he commented, adding that what happened shows how important it is for citizens to have an independent and impartial Judiciary.
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