Judge to rule next week on the status of Newmont trial

Newmont Mining Corp., the world’s biggest gold producer, will hear on Sept. 6 whether it must face its first criminal trial, on charges of polluting the sea off Sulawesi island, the Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Defense and prosecution lawyers said the hearing had been postponed from Sept. 1 because the judges had been summoned to Jakarta by the Supreme Court for training on environmental law.

Presiding Judge Ridwan Damanik will rule next Tuesday on whether the case against Denver-based Newmont and Richard Ness, head of its local unit, should proceed. The defense argues the charges have no basis in law, while state prosecutor Robert Illat says the evidence is strong enough to go ahead. Ness faces as many as 10 years in prison if convicted. He denies the charges.

The dispute centers on interpretations of pollution tests. Villagers living near the mine complained to police in July 2004 of health issues after eating fish from the Buyat Bay. Newmont has said its waste-disposal processes are in line with legal limits.

The company closed the Sulawesi mine last year after the deposit was worked out.(*)