“Powerful copper mining company ordered to pay more than COP 119 billion in royalties to the department of Chocó” – March 11, 2025 –

...An arbitration tribunal ordered Minera El Roble S.A., Colombia’s only copper mine, to pay COP 119.984 billion in royalties to the department of Chocó for the extraction of the metal... The dispute originated from differing interpretations of Mining Concession Contract No. 9319, signed in 1987, prior to the 1991 Constitution. Minera El Roble S.A. argued that it was not required to pay royalties under the new legal framework. However, the Tribunal ruled that the Constitution and Law 141 of 1994 establish that the payment of royalties is mandatory regardless of production volume... The case gained relevance in 2014, when Atico Mining Co., the Canadian firm that acquired the mine, increased production beyond 100,000 tons per year, triggering the obligation to pay royalties. Despite this, the company failed to meet its obligations, prompting state intervention to enforce payment...