Régimen usa empresas chinas para blanquear concesiones de minera sancionada
El régimen autorizó que una minera sancionada por Estados Unidos ceda una concesión estratégica a una empresa china, en una maniobra denunciada como evasión de sanciones
TL;DR
- Nicaragua authorized a U.S.-sanctioned mining company (COMINTSA) to transfer a strategic mining concession (La Reyna II) to a Chinese company (Thomas Metal S.A.).
- Experts view this as a tactic to evade international sanctions and keep extractive projects linked to the regime active.
- COMINTSA was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on May 15, 2024, due to its alleged ties to Salvador Mansell Castillo, formerly linked to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
- The transfer allows the concession to continue operations despite sanctions preventing the original company from using the international financial system.
- This is reportedly part of a pattern where concessions linked to the regime are transferred, sometimes between Chinese companies or from Nicaraguan entities to Chinese ones, to bypass sanctions.
- Concerns are raised about the opacity of these deals, including undisclosed sale prices, investment agreements, and true beneficiaries.
- The transfer aims to "rehabilitate" concessions that were effectively blacklisted due to international sanctions.
- Similar maneuvers have occurred with other mining lots, like Tutubaca, and in cases of expropriation, where administration was transferred to other companies that later also faced sanctions.