Indonesia awaits Newmont pollution case verdict - Reuters

[Eugene]

Indonesia awaits Newmont pollution case verdict

By Fitri Wulandari
Sat Apr 21, 9:29 PM ET

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian court is due to give a verdict
on Tuesday in a pollution trial involving Newmont Mining Corp
(NYSE:NEM). that is seen as a test of attitudes toward foreign
firms and environmental protection.

The U.S. miner and the chief of its local unit, Richard Ness, are
charged with dumping toxic substances into a bay near a now
defunct gold mine on Sulawsi island, making villagers sick.

Newmont and Ness deny the charges, pointing to studies that
have found no evidence of pollution. If convicted, Ness could
be jailed for three years and Newmont heavily fined.

A guilty verdict could deter foreign investors from investing in
Indonesia's already struggling mining sector, some analysts say,
while environmentalists want the country to send a message
showing it is serious about enforcing laws to protect the
country's rapidly degrading environment.

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070422/bs_nm/newmont_indonesia_dc