Overview
- The Congressional Energy and Mines Commission approved a bill to extend the Reinfo registry to December 31, 2027, with a 17–3–1 vote, sending it to the full Congress.
- The proposal suspends recent exclusions and would reinstate about 50,000 registrants, excluding those with final convictions for illegal mining, money laundering or human trafficking.
- Prime Minister Ernesto Álvarez said the Executive will observe the law if passed without clearer differentiation between informal and illegal operators and could challenge it before the Constitutional Court.
- President José Jerí stated the government will present its formal position during the upcoming Plenary debate, aligning with the Energy and Mines Ministry’s technical recommendations.
- The Constitutional Court reiterated that formalization rules cannot grant exemptions from criminal, civil or administrative liability, as experts and business groups cite a roughly 2.4% formalization rate and warn of links to laundering estimated at $22.8 billion over the past decade.