Mining Sector Joins Nicaragua Attorney General’s Office

Gustavo-Adolfo Vargas, Partner, and Ana Victoria Ruiz, Associate at ARIAS Nicaragua, present this article on the integration of the mining sector into the structure of the Attorney General’s Office ("PGJ”) and its main institutional implications.

The National Assembly of Nicaragua approved Law No. 1275, Law to Attach the General Directorate of Mines to the Attorney General’s Office, published in Official Gazette No. 27 dated February 12, 2026, and effective as of that same date. This law modifies the institutional framework applicable to the mining sector by providing that the General Directorate of Mines becomes part of the Attorney General’s Office.

To fully understand its scope, this law must be interpreted with Law No. 1259, Organic Law of the Attorney General’s Office, published and in force since August 28, 2025, through which the Attorney General’s Office (the "PGJ”) was created and the prior framework governing the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic was repealed. Law No. 1259 establishes the PGJ as the entity responsible for the legal representation of the State of the Republic of Nicaragua and further grants it direction, control, and supervisory authority over various entities, as well as consultative powers whose opinions are binding on the Public Administration.

In this context, Law No. 1275 assigns to the PGJ a new function consisting of the direction, control, and supervision of the General Directorate of Mines, which was previously attached to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM). The General Directorate of Mines is now integrated as an entity within the PGJ through the National Attorney’s Office for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources.

The law further provides that the General Directorate of Mines will continue to be responsible for the administration of the use and exploitation of mines and quarries, the application of the concessions and licensing regime, the coordination and administration of the mining cadastre system, as well as the processing, negotiation, and granting of concessions. It also retains the authority to suspend or revoke such concessions when technical standards and regulations issued by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) are not complied with.

The reform also introduces procedural clarifications. In particular, it establishes that authorities of the Caribbean Coast must issue their opinions regarding applications for mining concessions.

Additionally, the law amends Law No. 387, Special Law on Exploration and Exploitation of Mines, to expressly provide that the General Directorate of Mines of the Attorney General’s Office is the authority responsible for its enforcement. It also amends Law No. 290, Law on the Organization, Powers, and Procedures of the Executive Branch, replacing the denomination "Ministry of Energy and Mines” with "Ministry of Energy,” and establishes rules for terminological alignment throughout the legal framework.

Finally, Law No. 1275 provides for the transfer, in favor of the Attorney General’s Office, of the budget, financial, and patrimonial resources, as well as movable and immovable assets, vehicles, equipment, IT systems, and other assets assigned to the General Directorate of Mines within the former Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Accordingly, as of the entry into force of this law, the General Directorate of Mines is formally integrated into the structure of the PGJ, which, through such Directorate, assumes responsibility for the application of the legal framework governing mining exploration and exploitation in Nicaragua.

The information provided by ARIAS® is presented for informational purposes only. This information is not legal advice and is not intended to create, and does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking advice from professional advisers.