Three expat executives from Australian company Resolute Mining, which owns a gold mine in Mali, have been detained for questioning, according to industry and judicial sources on Saturday.
This marks the second time in just over a month that employees from a foreign mining firm have been detained in Mali, as the ruling military junta seeks to assert greater control over the country’s lucrative mining sector.
The Resolute executives were arrested on Friday at a hotel in the capital, Bamako, and taken to a special unit set up by the junta to investigate corruption and financial crimes. They are being questioned over allegations of false evidence and misappropriation of public funds, a source said. A Resolute executive, speaking anonymously, denied the charges but noted that efforts to persuade investigators had so far been unsuccessful.
Resolute holds 80 percent of a subsidiary that owns the Syama gold mine in northwestern Mali, with the Malian government controlling the remaining 20 percent, according to the company’s website.