"Video: Supreme Court should overturn mining ban, says Panama’s Mining Chamber", 05 February 2025

...The Supreme Court of Panama should declare the country’s mining moratorium unconstitutional, according to Zorel Morales, Executive Director of the Mining Chamber of Panama.

In an interview with MINING.COM host Devan Murugan, Morales emphasized that the country’s constitution declares mining to be of social interest and economic benefit.

In November 2023, the Central American nation enacted Law 407, a mining moratorium, in response to widespread protests that erupted after the government signed a new contract with Minera Panamá, the local unit of First Quantum Minerals.

The Cobre Panamá mine, one of the world’s top sources of copper, was shut down that same month amid intensifying protests over the operating contract. Later, Panama’s Supreme Court declared First Quantum’s contract unconstitutional...

First Quantum is seeking at least $20 billion from Panama in two arbitration cases—one through the International Chamber of Commerce and another through the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement—following Cobre Panamá’s closure...