Kampuni ya utafiti wa dhahabu ya Indiana Resources iliyopo Australia imeanzisha madai ya kutaka fidia ya dola za kimarekani million 95 (takribani TZS Bilioni 220) dhidi ya Serikali ya Tanzania juu ya unyakuaji haramu wa mradi wa madini ya Nikeli (Ntaka Hill Nickel project) uliopo Kusini Mashariki mwa Tanzania.
Mzozo huu unadaiwa kutokana na maamuzi ya mwaka 2017 yaliyofanywa na Serikali ya Tanzania ya kurekebisha Sheria ya Madini, kwa kuondoa msingi wa Sheria kwa uanishaji wa leseni ya uhifadhi bila kuchukua nafasi mbadala ya uanishaji huo.
Mnamo mwaka 2018, Serikali ya Tanzanua ilichapisha Sheria za Madini zilizofuta leseni zote za uhifadhi zilizotolewa kabla ya 2018, huku leseni zote za uhifadhi mara moja zikarudishwa Serikalini.
Mradi wa Ntaka ni moja ya miradi inayodaiea kuathiriwa na maamuzi hayo.
Mwezi Januari mwaka huu (2029) kampuni ya Indiana Resources ilitoa taarifa ya mzozo kwa serikali ya Tanzania na sasa imeomba suluhisho kutoka kwa Kituo cha Kimataifa cha Usuluhishi wa Mizozo ya Uwekezaji (ICSID).
“Tumefanya kazi kwa bidii zaidi ya miezi sita iliyopita kujiandaa kufungua maombi yetu ya suluhisho na ICSID na kuweka makadirio ya thamani ya madai ya fidia kwa unyakuaji wa mradi” alisema Mwenyekiti wa Kampuni hiyo, Bronwyn Barnes.
“Uwasilishaji wa maombi yetu ya usuluhishi, rasmi unaanza mchakato huo na sasa tutajiandaa kuwasilisha madai yetu kwa ajili ya fidia kwa upotevu wa mali na uharibifu uliotokana na kitendo cha Serikali ya Tanzania.
“Pamoja na ufadhili wa madai ili kusaidia gharama zote za kisheria zinazohusu usuluhishi, tunaweza kuendelea kujiandaa kwa ajili ya usuluhishi tukiwa tunajua kwamba maslahi ya wanahisa yamelindwa kikamilifu na hawatopata hasara yoyote zaidi katika kutafuta fidia.”
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Mining Weekly | 30 September 2020
Indiana lodges $95m claim against Tanzania
By: Esmarie Iannucci
PERTH ASX-listed Indiana Resources has lodged a $95-million compensation claim against the government of Tanzania over the "illegal expropriation” of the Ntaka Hill nickel project.
The dispute arose from a 2017 decision by the Tanzanian government to amend the Mining Act, abolishing the legislative basis for the retention licence classification, without replacing this classification.
In 2018, the government published Mining Regulations cancelling all retention licences issued prior to 2018, with all the retention licences immediately transferred back to the government.
The Ntaka Hill project was one of the projects affected by this decision.
Indiana Resources in January this year delivered a notice of dispute to the Tanzanian government, and has now requested arbitration with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
“We have worked diligently over the past six months to prepare to lodge our request for arbitration with the ICSID and place an estimate on the value of the claim for compensation for the expropriation of the project,” said executive chairperson Bronwyn Barnes.
“The lodgment of our request for arbitration formally commences the arbitration process and we will now prepare to present our full claim for compensation for the loss of the asset and damage resulting from the actions of the Tanzanian government.
“With litigation funding in place to support all legal costs relating to arbitration, we can proceed to prepare for arbitration knowing that shareholders’ interest have been fully protected and will not incur any further losses in seeking compensation.”
Source:
Indiana lodges $95m claim against Tanzania
PIA SOMA: Kampuni ya uchimbaji madini ya Uingereza, Resources Indiana kuishitaki Serikali ya Tanzania kwa ukiukwaji wa mikataba