Newmont official wants prosecution over false claims in Indonesia pollution case

Newmont official wants prosecution over false claims in Indonesia pollution case

	Published : Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:22 By : Agencies Print this Story

MANADO, Indonesia (XFN-ASIA - Executive Richard Ness from US-based mining firm, Newmont called on the government to prosecute those who fuelled false claims that the firm polluted a local bay with toxic waste.

Ness welcomed a decision from judges here to clear him and the firm of pollution charges, saying the verdict today had restored their reputation.

'I am thrilled that after two and a half years of false allegations, my name and that of my fellow employees have been cleared and our reputation restored,' Ness said in a statement.

But he described as criminal those who pushed claims that Newmont polluted Buyat Bay on Sulawesi island with toxic waste from its now defunct gold mine.

The claims, made in 2004, led to a police investigation and charges against Newmont's local subsidiary and Ness, who faced three years in jail if convicted.

'I have lived in Indonesia for more than 25 years, this is my home, and I am delighted to see justice and truth prevail,' he said.

'The question remains shouldn't the perpetrators of this hoax be brought to justice for the sake of the Buyat Bay community who suffered at the hands of these people?'

He said villagers living around Buyat Bay had been deceived into believing that Newmont had polluted their water with mercury and arsenic contained in waste from the north Sulawesi mine, which closed in 2004.

The villagers were split between those who supported Newmont and those who thought the company was behind their illnesses.

'I do feel that there was a crime committed and many people in the community suffered because of that crime,' Ness told reporters in Manado separately.

His office later declined to say who should be held responsible, and that Ness was not blaming any villagers.

Villagers living around the bay have complained over recent years of headaches, skin rashes and tumours, which they blamed on the mine's tailings.

But studies of the water around the bay have given conflicting results.

A World Health Organisation-backed report, and other investigations, found no evidence of pollution, but government tests showed high levels of toxins.

Five judges said Tuesday that insufficient evidence was presented during the 20-month trial to find Newmont guilty of pollution.

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