Newmont's pollution trial opens on Aug.5
Thursday, July 14 2005 - 01:02 AM WIB
"We have set to hold the trial on August 5," North Sulawesi judge Damanik told Reuters.
On Monday, prosecutors had filed charges related to "illegal waste dumping that caused pollution by negligence or deliberately" against PT Newmont Minahasa Raya and its president director, Richard Ness.
Due to a lack of evidence, prosecutors had dropped plans to file charges against five other employees, including an American and an Australian.
A government-commissioned panel found that sediment in Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi, near a gold mine run by the firm, had significant levels of arsenic and mercury.
Local residents have complained of rashes, lumps, breathing difficulties and dizziness.
Newmont vigorously denies the bay -- 1,400 miles (2,200 km) northeast of Jakarta -- was contaminated by its mining and says it has followed Indonesian laws.
The firm has said it was vindicated by two earlier studies -- one by the Indonesian government and another by the World Health Organization -- which concluded Buyat Bay was not polluted.
The Sulawesi mine was closed last August due to depleted reserves and the company had been carrying out reclamation work. The accusations relate to when the mine was operational.
Damanik said the trial may be held at the local government office building rather than the district court because a large audience is expected.
Separately, the environment ministry agreed earlier to seek an out-of-court settlement with Newmont in a multi-million-dollar civil suit.(*)