A court in Mali has rejected Barrick Mining’s (TSX: ABX)(NYSE: B) appeal to release four employees arrested in November, deepening a high-stakes standoff between the Canadian mining giant and the country’s military-led government.
Judge Samba Sarr ruled the appeal “unfounded” according to Barrick, which has repeatedly dismissed the charges as politically motivated and legally baseless. The employees, local staff working at Barrick’s Loulo-Gounkoto gold mine, remain in pre-trial detention in Bamako. They face allegations including money laundering and regulatory violations, Alifa Habib Kone, a lawyer for Barrick, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Chief executive officer Mark Bristow is also facing an arrest warrant issued by Malian authorities in December. He is accused of similar offences.
Bristow and the company have rejected all allegations, calling them without merit.
The court’s decision…
