More senior Newmont officers face questioning<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
More senior officers of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR) are to be
\nquestioned this week for allegedly contributing to the
\ncontamination of Buyat Bay in Minahasa, North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
A reliable police headquarters source said on Monday that they
\nwould question American Bill Long, Newmont's site manager, as a
\nsuspect as a senior officer at the mining site.<\/p>\n
National Police director of specific crimes Brig. Gen. Suharto
\nwould not confirm whether Long would be questioned, but did say
\nthat police investigators would summon Newmont's managers on
\nWednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n
Police questioned last week the company's maintenance and
\nproduction manager Phil Turner, external relations manager David
\nSompie, superintendent for the environment Jerry Kojansow and
\nwaste processing superintendent Putra Wijayantri. The four have
\nall been named suspects in the case.<\/p>\n
Long is the most senior of the four as well as the company's
\nhighest officer at the Buyat mining site.<\/p>\n
\"We will question him (Long) as a suspect because, based on
\nour interrogation of other suspects, we believe he is responsible
\nfor the sort of waste dumped in the bay,\" said the source.<\/p>\n
None of the suspects have been detained as, according to the
\npolice, they were cooperating fully with investigators.<\/p>\n
The police forensic laboratory found that heavy metals in the
\nbay exceeded the safety levels set by the Office of the State
\nMinister of the Environment.<\/p>\n
Newmont has repeatedly denied allegations that it is
\nresponsible for the water pollution, saying that at least three
\nindependent laboratories concluded that the bay was not polluted
\nbecause the heavy metal content was far below government limits.<\/p>\n
The government formed a joint team last month comprising
\nofficials from the Office of the Minister for the Environment,
\nthe Ministry of Health and the police to take more samples from
\nthe bay. The team is expected to announce its results after the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Police have charged all four suspects under Article 41 of Law
\nNo. 23\/1997 on environmental pollution caused by an individual.<\/p>\n
Under the law, an individual who deliberately contaminates or
\ndamages the environment is liable to 10 years in prison, while if
\nhis\/her conduct also causes harm to humans he\/she could face 15
\nyears in prison.<\/p>\n
Suharto said the police were attempting to establish the exact
\nlink between lower-ranking officers and senior officers and find
\nevidence that would enable them to charge the company with
\ncommitting a corporate crime as stipulated in Article 46 of the
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
The article stipulates that top officers be held responsible
\nfor a company's misconduct.<\/p>\n
He said that after Long was questioned the police would summon
\nRichard Ness, the company's president director, to explain
\nNewmont's policies on its waste disposal.<\/p>",
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