"LBMA Should Suspend Gold Refiner MMTC-PAMP"

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) should suspend gold refiner MMTC-PAMP for its failure to act over human rights abuses at the North Mara gold mine in Tanzania, UK corporate watchdog RAID said today. MMTC-PAMP, part of the Swiss-based MKS PAMP Group, said in a statement released on 3 July that it would continue to source gold from Barrick’s problematic mine following an “independent assessment” of its supply chain.

RAID said MMTC-PAMP’s assessment lacked independence since the site visit was tightly controlled by the mine’s owner, Canadian gold mining giant Barrick. Synergy Global, the consultancy hired by MMTC-PAMP to carry out the assessment, failed to meet with human rights victims or Tanzanian civil society groups who have repeatedly reported on the human rights situation at the mine. Efforts by RAID staff to facilitate contact with victims were rejected. In a meeting with RAID, Synergy Global said not meeting with victims was an issue and unusual in its line of work.