Top gold refiner accreditor faces families of artisanal miners in London court case
GOLD•The London Bullion Market Association will defend a claim in London's High Court starting October 7 that it owed a duty of care to families of two Tanzanian miners allegedly killed at North Mara in 2019. The claimants say the LBMA was negligent in continuing to accredit a refinery that processed gold from the mine.
1. Claim goes to court
The LBMA will defend the claim in London's High Court, with the first phase of the trial due to conclude November 9 and closing submissions scheduled for November 19-20. The claim, filed in 2022, alleges two artisanal miners were killed by Tanzanian police, private security guards or both at North Mara in July and December 2019; the allegations have not been independently verified.
2. Accreditation dispute
The claimants allege the LBMA was negligent in continuing to accredit India-based MMTC-PAMP, which refined gold from North Mara in 2019. They argue that suspending or threatening to suspend the refinery's accreditation could have pressured it, Acacia and later Barrick to stop the alleged abuses. The LBMA says its role is to accredit refiners, not mines, and that it relied on MMTC-PAMP's compliance reporting and independent audits.
3. Mine and refinery
Barrick took operational control of North Mara in September 2019 after acquiring Acacia Mining. Barrick and the Tanzanian government own 84% and 16% of the mine, respectively. MMTC-PAMP says its compliance is confirmed annually by an independent audit and that it no longer sources gold from North Mara.
