Anagold's mining license back in court
Following the mining disaster in İliç, Erzincan, the appeal court overturned the decision to dismiss the case brought by the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) against Anagold's mining licenses on the grounds of ‘statute of limitations’. The court ruled that the case should be retried.
Following the mining disaster in Erzincan İliç, which claimed the lives of nine workers, the Regional Administrative Court overturned the decision to dismiss the case on the grounds of “statute of limitations” in the lawsuit filed to halt operations and revoke licences. The court ruled that new facts, such as the disaster at the mine and expert reports, necessitated a substantive review of the case. Thus, the TMMOB's lawsuit regarding the revocation of Anagold's mining licences in İliç will be retried.
In August 2025, TMMOB applied to the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG) requesting the cancellation of the licence, permit and related rights of the Çöpler Complex Mine, owned by Anagold Mining Industry and Trade Inc., operating in the İliç district of Erzincan.
When MAPEG failed to respond, the application was deemed rejected, and the lawsuit filed on this basis was dismissed on the grounds of ‘time bar’. The local court argued that the facility had been in operation since 2008 and that the plaintiff union was aware of the mining licences from previous lawsuits it had filed, claiming that the administrative application period had expired.
When TMMOB filed an appeal, the Erzurum Regional Administrative Court found the local court's interpretation to be contrary to the law. The court of appeal accepted that the mining disaster, the waste spread into the environment, the expert reports, and the findings that emerged in other legal proceedings constituted ‘new material and legal reasons’ that arose after the facility's initial licensing date.
The court ruled that ‘the substance of whether these new material and legal reasons require the forward-looking revocation of licences and permits under mining legislation must be assessed.’ The Regional Administrative Court ruled that the case had been filed within the time limit and decided to re-examine the case. Following the Regional Administrative Court's decision to overturn the ruling, the court of first instance will review the merits of the case and issue a new decision.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Anagold’un ruhsatı yeniden yargıda, published in BirGün newspaper on February 25, 2026.
