The Prosecutor General instructed to check the legality of gold mining in Russia

Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov instructed to check the legality of gold mining and compliance with safety rules in this area. About it reported department press office.

“The supervisory agency will evaluate the legality of the decisions made by the authorized state authorities on granting the right to use subsoil plots, early termination, suspension and restriction of such activities,” the report says.

Prosecutors will also check that gold mining companies have licenses and compliance with prescribed conditions. The Prosecutor General’s Office emphasized that special attention during the audit will be paid to compliance with the safety rules of work and requirements in the field of environmental protection. The agency plans to “take exhaustive measures” to calculate and recover damage to the environment if, during the course of events, facts of pollution of water bodies, illegal logging or littering of sites with industrial waste are found.

During the audit, the supervisory agency intends to check how organizations dispose of mined and produced precious metals. The prosecutor’s office also expects to assess how the regulatory authorities comply with measures to curb their illicit trafficking.

In July, State Duma deputies in the first reading approved a bill that would allow individual entrepreneurs to mine gold. According to the text of the explanatory note, the draft law was developed in order to regulate the production and sale of alluvial gold to the state by individual entrepreneurs. The adoption of the law on the so-called “free bringing” will allow individuals to legally mine gold. Now in Russia this is allowed only for legal entities that have received a license for the use of subsoil as a result of participation in an auction or tender.