12:46 PM EST, 11/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Barrick Gold ( GOLD ) on Tuesday confirmed four of its Mali employees at the Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex have been charged and detained pending trial.

According to a Reuters report, four senior local employees of Barrick were briefly arrested in September. Reuters, citing unnamed sources, said the same employees had been arrested again.

Barrick refutes the charges, which were not specified in its statement.

Chief executive Mark Bristow said that since Sept. 30, Barrick had been working to finalize a Memorandum of Agreement with the government, which would cover the state's share of the economic benefits generated by the complex.

"Our attempts to find a mutually acceptable resolution have so far been unsuccessful, but we remain committed to engage with the government in order to resolve all the claims levied against the company and its employees and secure the early release of our unjustly imprisoned colleagues," Bristow said.

Barrick was last seen down $0.20 to $24.53 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Price: 24.49, Change: -0.24, Percent Change: -0.97