CHP's İliç report: Murat Kurum, one of the main figures responsible for the disaster, must resign

The CHP Deputy Chairmanship responsible for the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has released a report they prepared regarding the heap leach collapse that occurred at the gold mine site operated by Anagold in the İliç district of Erzincan.

The report includes sections on the development of the incident, notes from the site inspection, the ownership structure of the project owners, the violations that led to the disaster, post-disaster violations, an evaluation of the disaster in terms of occupational health and safety, and conclusions.

Key information from the report is as follows:

AKP WROTE OFF THE COMPANY'S TAX DEBT

A collapse also occurred at the heap leach site where the disaster took place on March 27, 2022. On June 21, 2022, after a pipeline belonging to the heap leach site burst, waste loaded with chemicals spread into the environment. Although the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change suspended the company's operations for 3 months and imposed an administrative fine of 16 million 440 thousand TL and filed a criminal complaint, the AK Party government, on the other hand, wrote off the company's tax debt amounting to 7 million 218 thousand dollars (approximately 222 million TL at the current exchange rate).

TAKE THE MONEY AND STAY SILENT

The report also mentions that the company opened its purse to prevent future reactions, providing support of up to 130 thousand TL by having local residents sign commitments:

Instead of taking precautions in the face of warnings, the company prepared a protocol in 2016 under the name of "Economic Displacement and Livelihood Support" to prevent objections and legal applications from the local people. According to this protocol, it was stated that a total of 130,000 TL in aid would be provided to each of the local residents as a one-time payment, consisting of 40,000 TL for heating, 50,000 TL for livestock support, and 40,000 TL for feed support. However, with one condition: According to Article 2 of the Protocol, citizens signing the protocol must accept, undertake, and declare that they give their consent regarding all of the company's mining-related projects and that they will not make any private, administrative, and/or judicial applications.

The firm has also made large donations to organizations such as Erzincan University and Erzincanspor.

NOT THE FIRST ACCIDENT

The report also listed previous work accidents at the mining facility as follows:

In 2018, a sulfuric acid tanker belonging to the mining company overturned while passing through the center of İliç district. In 2019, another sulfuric acid tanker belonging to the mining company overturned.

On March 27, 2022, a collapse occurred between the 1292-1346 levels of the 4th phase of the heap leach site.

On June 21, 2022, after a pipeline belonging to the heap leach site of the mining facility owned by Anagold Madencilik San. ve Tic. A.Ş., which operates in the İliç district of Erzincan, burst, waste loaded with chemicals spread into the environment.

On June 25, 2022, it was shared with the public that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change had imposed an administrative fine of 16 million 441 thousand TL, which is the "MAXIMUM LIMIT," on Anagold Madencilik on the grounds that it caused environmental pollution, and that a criminal complaint had been filed against the company with the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

On June 27, 2022, it was announced by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change that the gold mine's operations had been suspended and that the facility would not be allowed to operate until the Ministry's inspection teams determined that additional environmental improvement works had been completed.

On September 22, 2022, approval was given by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for the Çöpler Mine Complex to resume operations.

SUSPICION OF TAX EVASION

Another important issue is the problems related to the transfer of the company's income. SSR makes profit transfers as a result of invoicing with its firms abroad. It is of great importance that the necessary examinations are carried out by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance regarding issues of hidden earnings, hidden capital, and profit transfers. In particular, the invoicing between the American, Canadian, and Turkish firms needs to be examined. Is there tax avoidance related to hidden earnings, hidden capital, and profit transfers? Are there unpaid taxes? Is there any profit that has left without being taxed? Is there paper transfer? These must definitely be determined.

The Ovacık Fault Line-Munzur Segment, which passes under the Çöpler Mine facility, appears on the 2013 Active Fault Line map of the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA).

BLAME PLACED ON PERSONNEL

The report emphasized that the expert report prepared regarding the investigation created a perception as if the employer was in a supervisory position, and that the blame was placed on the personnel:

In judicial processes regarding work accidents and murders in large industrial facilities, the main employers are positioned as "supervisors" or "investors" and are kept out of punishment. This policy was also pursued in the preliminary expert report that guided the initial stage of the İliç investigation; the issue was confined to the duty of care and attention of technical personnel, and a perception was created as if the main employer was only in a supervisory position in the organization. For this reason, suspects working in engineering positions at the facility were mostly found to be primarily at fault.

The power that Anagold possesses in both the Erzincan and Turkish bureaucracy and politics has paved the way for the company to be left without supervision.

It has been understood that in the last month before the collapse on February 13, workers had repeatedly conveyed existing risks and concerns to their superiors, that similar warnings were made on the day of the incident, and that although part of the area was closed, the necessary information and warnings were not provided to the workers.

It was stated to us that there were no warning systems in the region, such as sirens, which are extremely vital to ensure that workers move away from the area.

According to the union's account, on the day of the incident, the subcontractor company Çiftay called the workers to work and to remove the soil, but the workers objected to this. Upon this, the Çiftay company forced the workers to either sign a document for 3 months of unpaid leave or to start work.

The following points stood out in the conclusion section of the report:

• The heap leach site, where the accidents of March 27 and June 21, 2022, occurred, was allowed to resume operations on September 22, 2022, based on reports from private inspection firms and reports submitted by the firm owner, claiming that the necessary repairs had been made.

• It is absurd that Murat Kurum still holds the position of Chairman of the Environment Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), despite being one of the main figures responsible for the process leading to the disaster in İliç. He must resign immediately.
  
  Although the movement of the chemical-containing material that spread to the environment as a result of the disaster at the heap leach site seems to have stopped for now, there is a risk that both this material and the remaining part of the leach site could be set in motion again. The leakage of cyanide and other chemical-containing materials into the environment brings with it various environmental risks such as polluting water resources and the air, reducing soil fertility, harming the ecosystem and biodiversity, and creating serious dangers in terms of public health. In response to this entire cluster of risks, it is understood that the AK Party government and the company will focus on efforts to transport the material to another area and recover the ore within the material.

• Although the environmental permit and license document issued by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change was cancelled, the process for the cancellation or "revocation" of other permit and license documents, EIA positive decisions, and EIA Not Required decisions was not initiated. The 6 licenses granted to Anagold Madencilik by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources have not been cancelled either. These licenses have validity periods continuing until 2026, 2028, 2029, and 2031.

• Despite the use of false and fraudulent information in the EIA report and Project Introduction Files, and acting contrary to the commitments made, no sanctions have been applied against the company.

• The AK Party wants to once again place all the responsibility for what happened on the employees. The political figures responsible who gave the approvals that paved the way for the disaster are being sought to be shielded from the judiciary.

News Source: 12punto