Four employees of Barrick Gold have been arrested and charged in Mali, the Canadian mining company confirmed on Tuesday. This follows a previous arrest of the same employees in September.
Mali, one of Africa’s top gold producers, is demanding approximately $500 million in unpaid taxes from Barrick. The company denies the charges but is working with the Malian government to resolve the situation and secure the release of its staff.
Barrick has been negotiating with the government to finalize a Memorandum of Agreement, which would address the company’s future partnership with the state, including its share of the country’s mining revenues.
The case is being handled by Mali’s Economy and Finance Ministry, along with the Justice Ministry’s Economic Division, as the Mines Ministry is not directly involved.
