BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Parliament in Kyrgyzstan in is considering stripping the operating license of a company mining a major gold field in the Central Asian nation after it was accused of doing damage to the environment.
Deputies supporting the motion Friday also said the Kumtor Operating Company is ineffectually run.
The move would be a devastating blow to Canada-based miner Centerra, which wholly controls KOC, and could further dampen investor confidence in the former Soviet republic.
Kyrgyzstan is an impoverished nation on China’s mountainous western border that has come to prominence in recent years as it is home to a U.S. air base used to support military operations in nearby Afghanistan.
A parliamentary committee has published a report on KOC detailing a series of alleged violations.
KOC says the report is “grossly inaccurate.”
