Kyrgyz leader signs law threatening Kumtor gold mine takeover

Move allows gov’t to take control of the country’s largest gold mine if Centerra Gold violates environmental standards.

Kyrgyzstan’s president has signed a law that allows the government to seize control of its largest gold mine if the facility’s Canadian operator is found to have violated environmental standards. The move on Friday comes as authorities ratchet up pressure on Centerra Gold, the Canada-headquartered miner that controls the Kumtor gold mine by claiming the company has committed environmental and tax violations worth more than $4bn. Kumtor, a mine situated in the east of the country at more than 4,000 metres (13,100 feet) above sea level, accounts for up to 10 percent of the threadbare national economy.