"BRASILIA - A Supreme Court judge backed a government move to crack down on illegal gold mining in Brazil, suspending a legal practice of buyers accepting the origin of the precious metal with paper receipts based on the "good faith" of the seller.
The injunction by Justice Gilmar Mendes gave the government 90 days to adopt a new regulatory framework for the gold trade to stop the sale of gold mined illegally from indigenous lands and other environmentally protected areas.
"This spurious consortium formed by illegal miners and criminal organizations must be stopped as soon as possible," Mendes said in his ruling late on Tuesday."
Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu report for Reuters April 5, 2023.
Source: Reuters, 04/06/2023
