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Tuesday, 24th April 2007 (2885 views)

Charges brought against the gold mining company Newmont Mining that alleged the firm had polluted an Indonesian bay have proved unsuccessful as the company was cleared of any wrongdoing.

It was found in an Indonesian court that both Newmont and the head of its subsidiary firm Richard Ness, were innocent of polluting a bay at Sulawesi island which resulted in sickness among the local population as well as death to marine life.

According to the head of the panel of judges presiding over the case, Ridwan Damanik, mercury and arsenic levels in Buyat Bay were checked by the World Health Organisation as well as independent bodies and the Indonesian government and they were found to be within normal limits.

Mr Ness spoke of his relief at the verdict: "We were exonerated and I'm thrilled by it… the one thing that this verdict has shown was it wasn't just about pollution, a big percentage of the written and the arguments that were delivered by the panel of judges was this case should not have been in court."

The case proved controversial in Indonesia as around 100 protestors demonstrated outside the court when the verdict went in favour of Newmont Mining.

 

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