Statement from İlhan Cihaner on the mining disaster: Unfortunately, it was clear this would happen

A landslide occurred today at around 14:30 in the Eski Değirmen area at the Çöpler Mine, where the Canadian mining company Anagold Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. has been producing gold since December 2010, despite cyanide leaks. A statement regarding the disaster, in which nine workers are estimated to be trapped under the rubble, came from former Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor İlhan Cihaner, who was arrested years ago following his own investigation into Anagold.

"THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR SUSPICIONS SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT"

Speaking to Vecih Cuzdan and Tuğçe Yılmaz from bianet, İlhan Cihaner made the following assessment regarding the legitimacy of the operations at the Anagold Gold Mine site in İliç, where the disaster occurred:

"This is a process for which we have received signs many times that it would end this way. It was clear this would happen. Because a cyanide pipe had burst and ruptured recently as well. It was denied at first, then closed for a long time. But the mine had started operating again. In the case of İliç, there have been very major suspicions since its establishment. When I launched an investigation there, it was revealed that the mining company had obtained its license by bribing the relevant people and that the environmental impact assessment report had been manipulated. However, unfortunately, we later saw that these investigations were not conducted effectively."

"UNFORTUNATELY, THE JUDICIARY IS NOT SHOWING THE NECESSARY SENSITIVITY"

A handful of patriots, miners, and unionists have been fighting this struggle there for years. Unfortunately, the judiciary is not showing the necessary sensitivity either. The state is already standing behind this predatory system with all its institutions. Today, unfortunately, such a disaster occurred. Our only expectation and hope is that there will be no loss of life or that it will be minimal. But this should have woken us up by now.

"IT CANNOT BE PREVENTED WITH PRECAUTIONS"

Cemalettin Küçük from the Chamber of Metallurgical and Materials Engineers has been fighting this for years. Even during the site inspection, Küçük had stated that something like this would happen. He has been explaining for years that it is impossible to prevent this type of accident with precautions or the operating technique used there. Then there is Sedat Cezayirlioğlu, one of the local people there. He has been voicing this for years. He is fighting for this, but unfortunately, it will be one of the lands that predatory capitalism leaves behind after leaving a great destruction. That is why we are very angry and sad."

"IT ENSURED THAT THINGS WENT 'SMOOTHLY' BY MAKING A POLITICIAN A PARTNER"

The gold mine in Erzincan has been suspicious since its establishment. I mean, not just in terms of the risks and threats posed by the project of extracting gold with cyanide. For example, it ensured that its business went 'smoothly' by making a politician a partner. The partners of this company were chosen from politically powerful names. It would probably be naive to say that these had no influence.

"IT IS CONSTANTLY EXPANDING ITS AREA"

It is already a massive international firm on its own. It has power derived from capital. And against it, there is a handful of people trying to pay even the litigation costs out of their own pockets. Just think, you are trying to fight something like this. Yet, the state institutions should be the ones following the process here. The prosecutor's offices should be, in terms of environmental crimes. But unfortunately, citizens are waging such a struggle. There is, of course, an asymmetric struggle there as well.

No effective investigation was conducted, and even though a major accident occurred there, it was granted a permit to work again. It is constantly expanding its area, and unfortunately, all of Turkey is just watching."

CİHANER AND THE ANAGOLD INVESTIGATION

During the period when İlhan Cihaner was appointed as the Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor, he received a tip-off while following local news. Upon this, he instructed the İliç Prosecutor Bayram Bozkurt to launch an investigation.

Although a year had passed, prosecutor Bayram Bozkurt, a member of the Gülen movement, did not conclude the investigation. İlhan Cihaner explained the prosecutor's bribery as follows:

"Prosecutor Bayram Bozkurt used this investigation as an excuse to demand a bribe from the US manager of the gold mine and put them on a payroll. According to the village headman Cahit Keklik, Prosecutor Bayram Bozkurt demanded a bribe by saying, 'Let them give 10-15 thousand TL and I will close the case. Actually, 15 thousand is too little, make it about 25 thousand.' The US manager, who visited the Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Colonel Recep Gençoğlu, declared that the prosecutor had demanded a bribe."

Upon this, İlhan Cihaner launched a bribery investigation against prosecutor Bayram Bozkurt.

One day, when Cihaner arrived at his office, he saw an instruction letter on his desk from the Ministry of Justice stating, "Send the investigation you have to us immediately."

Following this instruction, he turned the investigation into a summary of proceedings and recorded it officially. The file was taken from Cihaner and sent to the Ministry of Justice.

During the same period, an investigation was launched against Cihaner, who had initiated investigations into both the İsmailağa Community and the Gülen structure, on charges of "taking bribes."

The investigation was based on the testimony of a secret witness codenamed "EFE."

Cihaner was detained in his office by the specially authorized prosecutor Osman Şanal on February 16, 2010, and was subsequently arrested.

It turned out that this secret witness codenamed "EFE" was prosecutor Bayram Bozkurt, against whom Cihaner had launched an investigation.