Arequipa: they insist on annulling the resolution that gives land to the Zafranal mine

The Majes Autonomous Authority (Autodema) has the last word, in the following hours it must annul or ratify a resolution that grants 12,207 hectares in usufruct for 30 years to the Zafranal Mining Company (CMZ) for the exploitation of copper reserves.
In parallel, the Commission for Territorial Planning, Housing and Sanitation of the Arequipa Regional Council (CRA) already has its opinion ready on the alleged vices found in the procedure. It concludes that the assignment of the land “is null and void due to non-compliance with the requirements” by Supreme Decree No. 008-2021-Housing and Directive No. 006-2022-SBN.
While in its recommendations it urges the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Regional Office of Internal Control, and the Technical Secretary of Administrative and Disciplinary Procedures, determine criminal, civil and administrative responsibilities to the officials who intervened. “The person who signed, the former manager of Autodema, Arturo Arroyo, is definitely immersed. Let him answer how the procedure has been given,” said the president of the commission, Osías Ortiz.
The opinion reports similar observations to the report of the Comptroller’s Office, the Autodema Legal Department and the Sánchez Povis Lawyers study, to which S/ 22,000 was paid. In addition to visualizing that the inspection of the property was not carried out by Google Earth, only with photos provided by CMZ. Counselor Ortiz also questioned that Autodema’s Territorial Conditioning Suggestion concludes that “the application meets most of the requirements without having an appraisal and that it shows the payment per hectare of S/ 155. 82. In total S/ 1.9 million.
The document will be discussed at the next session of the CRA. Ortiz stressed that this is not about whether the Zafranal project is going or not, but about an administrative procedure that should have been complied with. Zafranal is a mining project whose investment exceeds $12,000. Last week, its environmental impact study was approved, the investment would be cut short while this controversy is not resolved.

Study recommendation

The Abogados Sánchez Povis study recommended Autodema, apart from initiating the annulment procedure, at the same time to renegotiate the terms of the contract that was signed with CMZ for the property in usufruct. Another is to annul the resolution and appeal to a direct dialogue so that Zafranal accepts a new appraisal. In case the dialogue does not prosper. Atuodema will be able to resolve the resolution and then the contract.