President Director of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya Questioned for 8 Hours

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The police questioned Richard Ness, the President Director of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR), for eight hours on Thursday (23/09) in relation to the pollution case in Buyat Bay, Minahasa, North Sulawesi. PT NMR is assumed to have been involved in this case, however, Ness is yet to be arrested. According to National Police V Director on Crime Brig. Gen. Suharto, the police have adequate proof that Ness was involved in the pollution in Buyat Bay. The fact is that Buyat Bay has been polluted. He (Ness, ed.) is definitely responsible in this matter, said Suharto on Thursday (23/09) in Jakarta. The police detectives have recently arrested four other suspects from PT NMR and issued a ban on six other suspects from going abroad. Ness will likely be charged with violating articles 41 and 46 of the state decree on environment management. If proven guilty, he could receive a sentence of between 5 and 10 years in jail as well as a fine of Rp500 million. According to Felix Sembiring, director-general of geology and mineral resources at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, if Ness and the other NMR employees were arrested, this could affect investor confidence in Indonesia. It will surely affect investment. But, so far, there has not yet been any reaction, he said. Sembiring said he hoped that the prevailing legal process regarding NMR staff would take into consideration the investigation results made by a joint team established by the government. This Friday (24/09), National Police headquarters is to question State Minister for Environment Nabiel Makarim as a witness in this case. He will be questioned on the governments measure as regards NMRs tailing waste and further studies on the environment. (Martha Warta/Eduardus KD/Dara Meutia/Maria Rita-Tempo News Room)