Mining giant Fenix, accused of the destruction of Maya lands, resumes operations in Guatemala

Fenix Nickel, a major nickel mining company in Guatemala, resumed operations after a three-year suspension. The suspension began in March 2023 after the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC sanctioned two executives linked to the company for alleged corruption and bribes to the Guatemalan government in exchange for mining concessions. The Treasury previously alleged Russian corruption in Guatemala’s mining sector and sanctioned Dmitry Kudryakov and Irina Litviniuk for alleged bribery schemes involving politicians, judges, and government officials. Fenix operates an open-pit mine in Izabal, extracting nickel from Maya lands since 2011 through local companies. Nickel is largely exported for industrial manufacturing and electronics, with limited processing inside Guatemala.

"Fenix Nickel, the mining giant and one of Guatemala's largest nickel extractive companies accused of bribery, environmental destruction, and violence against Maya communities in the country's north has resumed operations after a three-year suspension, Indigenous leaders in the area and local media confirmed this week."

"The mining project with operations in the department of Izabal in northeastern Guatemala was suspended in March 2023 after the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two executives with ties to the company over accusations of corruption and paying bribes to the Guatemalan government in exchange for concessions."

"In November 2022 the U.S. Treasury alleged Russian corruption in Guatemala's mining sector and sanctioned Russian national Dmitry Kudryakov and Belarusian Irina Litviniuk, who allegedly ran multiple bribery schemes over several years, involving politicians, judges and government officials."

"Fenix, one of the largest open-pit mines in Central America, has exploited Maya lands in northern Guatemala since 2011 under the control of three local companies: Compania Guatemalteca de Niquel (CGN), Compania Procesadora de Niquel (Pronico) and Mayaniquel. According to the Treasury, the three operated as subsidiaries of Solway Investment Group, a Swiss-Russian-backed company that extracted between 22,000 and 25,000 tonnes of nickel a year, exporting mainly to Europe and Asia."

Read at english.elpais.com