Appeals court changes former Erdenet chief Ts. Davaatseren's prison sentence and releases him

The criminal and civil appeals court in Orkhon province on November 12 reviewed the case against Ts. Davaatseren, former director general of the state-owned Erdenet Mining Corporation, and his son-in-law S. Munkhtur, and changed the prison sentence imposed by the lower court. Ts. Davaatseren was subsequently released from the detention center of the General Executive Agency of Court Decisions.

Charges dropped

According to Gereg.mn, the appeals court found no criminal elements in the allegations that Ts. Davaatseren granted preferential treatment to Achit-Ikht LLC, laundered money through Hong Kong and the United States, and enriched himself without justification, and dropped those charges.

Conviction upheld on the hospital transfer

The court did, however, find him guilty of abusing his position by transferring the Erdenet Medical hospital to Medipas LLC without a decision from the company's governing body. Taking his health and personal circumstances into account, the court barred him from public office for five years and restricted him from leaving Ulaanbaatar's Chingeltei district for three years.

Background

The Erdenet Medical hospital, built with Erdenet's funds and opened in 2015, was handed to Medipas in 2016 under an 18-year agreement. As Unuudur.mn reported earlier, investigators alleged that the transfer cost the state more than 64.8 billion tugriks. According to Eguur.mn, a first-instance court in Orkhon province found Ts. Davaatseren guilty in June 2026 of abuse of office, unexplained enrichment and money laundering.

A post on X sharing the appeals court ruling: