Mali Court Denies Barrick Mining’s Appeal to Release Detained Employees Amid Ongoing Dispute
Mali Rejects Barrick Gold’s Appeal Over Employee Arrests as Mining Dispute Deepens
A court in Mali on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Barrick Gold Corporation to release four local employees who were arrested in November 2024, according to Judge Samba Sarr.
This ruling marks the latest development in a prolonged standoff between the Canadian mining giant and Mali’s military-led government over taxes and mine ownership.
Barrick, which has consistently dismissed the allegations as baseless, filed an appeal to free the employees from detention.
However, Judge Sarr ruled the appeal “unfounded,” according to Alifa Habib Kone, a lawyer representing the company.
The detained employees face charges that include money laundering and violations of financial regulations, Kone said. Barrick maintains that all charges against its staff are without merit.
The dispute is rooted in negotiations that began in 2023 over Mali’s new mining code, which increases tax rates and grants the government a larger stake in the country’s lucrative gold sector.
The Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex, operated by Barrick, is 80% owned by the company, with the Malian government holding the remaining 20%.
Operations at the site have been halted since mid-January after the government blocked Barrick’s gold exports and confiscated three metric tons of its gold stockpile.
The four employees have remained in pre-trial detention in Bamako since their arrest, according to information published on Barrick’s website.
In a related escalation, Malian authorities issued an arrest warrant in December 2024 for Barrick CEO Mark Bristow, who is based in Toronto.
The warrant accuses him of money laundering and violations of financial regulations.
Mali, along with other junta-led nations such as Burkina Faso and Niger, has been pushing for new mining agreements that would grant their governments a larger share of revenues amid a surge in global gold prices.
Mali accounts for approximately 14% of Barrick’s global gold output. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, the company reported $949 million in revenue from its operations in the country.
