October 20, masked men, who introduced themselves as people from the Security Service of Ukraine, have trashed the office of Carpathian Mining Company in the Zakarpattia village of Muzhievo as well as the apartment of the Company director in Kyiv and in Beregovo. A group of strangers have not provided any valid explanation for seizing mining information and the special permit for the exploration o...
October 20, masked men, who introduced themselves as people from the Security Service of Ukraine, have trashed the office of Carpathian Mining Company in the Zakarpattia village of Muzhievo as well as the apartment of the Company director in Kyiv and in Beregovo. A group of strangers have not provided any valid explanation for seizing mining information and the special permit for the exploration of Muzhievo polymetal deposit previously bought by the American investor Avellana Gold.
On site, the employees of Carpathian Mining Company were told that the search was conducted as part of criminal investigation against the previous owners of the company. Yet, for some unknown reason the people in masks took the documents belonging to the American company Avellana Gold.
“Some strangers broke into the company premises, pulled down the fence and destroyed the lock… Together with financial and business documents of the Carpathian Mining Company they took original permit for the exploration of Muzhievo deposit and a notebook with unique confidential information about the deposit. Employees add that without any explanations whatsoever the people said, “We were told to take everything.”
As of today American company Avellana Gold has designed a polymetal mining project unique for the region. They are planning to invest around 100 mln $ in the project and have already obtained all necessary approvals for running the business.
Without the permit that the unknown people took away, Avellana Gold cannot proceed with its work.
“We are preparing an urgent letter to the American embassy, the European Business Association and Ukraine Invest – a company supporting foreign investors. So far, we haven’t received any actual support but for some nice words,” Andrii Smolin, Head of the Ukrainian Representative Office of the American Company Avellana Gold, says.
For the record, in 2016 Avellana Gold bought Carpathian Mining Company and Western Exploration Company, which hold special permits for exploration and mining of polymetal ores in Western Ukraine (Muzhievo, Beregovo and Kvasovo deposits).