Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro reported this Wednesday that the comprehensive audit of the copper mine continues and will conclude in April, which will allow for complete technical and environmental information on the mining project's operations. "Once the audit concludes in April, we will have truthful information about everything that happened at the copper mine," Navarro stated to the media during the opening of the 2026 International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean. The head of the Ministry of the Environment reiterated that the process is in the hands of SGS Panamá Control Services Inc., a company of international prestige, which has already delivered two preliminary reports, currently available on the Ministry of the Environment's website. Navarro explained that this environmental and technical audit will allow the government of President José Raúl Mulino to face what he described as an "inherited problem" and to decide, in the middle of this year, whether or not to resume mining activities. "If the audit concludes in April, as planned, by June of this year we will have all the information in hand and we will be prepared to make a decision, as President Mulino has indicated," the minister stated. The head of state has reiterated that the evaluation is in the hands of independent experts, with a strictly technical and environmental approach, away from political considerations. In turn, Navarro emphasized that any future action must be carried out under a strict environmental supervision and with high technical rigor, prioritizing the protection of natural resources. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the audit process focuses on the most relevant environmental aspects and includes the review of 32 reports from the construction phase and 10 from the mine's operational period. The analysis covers what was executed during the design and construction stages, with the objective of verifying compliance prior to the current Care and Maintenance phase, approved through the Preservation and Safe Management Plan. The copper mine was disabled after the Supreme Court of Justice declared the concession contract unconstitutional in November 2023, a decision that caused the loss of approximately 7,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs.
