Manado District Court to start Newmont alleged pollution trial<\/p>\n
A pollution trial against an Indonesian unit of US mining giant
\nNewmont and its top executive will start on August 5, a court
\nofficial said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
State prosecutors this week filed charges against Newmont's
\nIndonesian subsidiary Newmont Minahasa Raya and its American
\npresident director Richard Ness, accusing them of dumping toxic
\nwaste into a North Sulawesi bay.<\/p>\n
Hearings in the case, which is being closely watched by both
\ninvestors and environmentalists, will start on August 5, said an
\nofficial at Manado district.<\/p>\n
Indonesian police launched an investigation last year after
\nclaims Newmont had pumped toxic waste into the air and sea around
\nits mine in Buyat Bay, causing neurological disorders and severe
\nskin conditions to nearby residents.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said they would present as witnesses local people
\nallegedly sick because of the pollution.<\/p>\n
If Ness is convicted, he faces a maximum jail sentence of 15
\nyears.<\/p>\n
The government has also filed a civil lawsuit against Newmont,
\nthe world's biggest gold producer, seeking 1.24 trillion rupiah
\n(130 million dollars) in damages -- although this is expected to
\nbe settled out of court.<\/p>\n
Newmont's operations in Buyat, 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers)
\nnortheast of Jakarta, ceased in August 2004, shortly before the
\nfirst allegations of pollution emerged.<\/p>\n
From the outset, Newmont has claimed it disposed of toxins
\nsafely and that levels of mercury and arsenic found around the
\nmine were within acceptable limits.<\/p>\n
Studies of the waters around Buyat Bay have shown conflicting
\nresults. A World Health Organisation-backed report found no
\nevidence of pollution, but government tests showed high levels of
\ntoxins. -- AFP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/manado-district-court-to-start-newmont-alleged-pollution-trial-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}