JAKARTA (AFP) — A panel of Indonesian judges said Thursday it would visit the site of a former gold mine run by the local subsidiary of US mining giant Newmont that a coalition of green groups have filed a suit over.
The coalition of groups lodged the suit through the South Jakarta district court in March under a law that allows environmental groups to file complaints against alleged polluters. Hearings have been ongoing since then.
The groups accuse Newmont Minahasa Raya of violating Indonesia's environmental law at its North Sulawesi mine between 1986 and 2003, causing environmental damage and harming villagers.
A criminal case against the company and one of its executives over the issue has already been tried and dismissed, although Indonesian prosecutors are currently appealing.
The judges are to make their Newmont-funded visit to Buyat Bay on November 9 to the former mine and its surroundings, said panel member Efran Basuning.
"The results will be combined with the data from the two sides, the evidence presented by both sides," Basuning said, adding the judges may also question witnesses or alleged victims.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Firman Jaya, said there was little reason to visit the mine since it had already closed.
"The damage cannot be observed visually... Checks on the spot would be useless," Jaya said.
Newmont, the world's largest gold miner, had always denied dumping toxic waste in Buyat Bay, saying it disposed of toxins safely and levels of mercury and arsenic were within acceptable levels.
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