North Sulawesi legislators support Minahasa regent in spat with Newmont; Newmont welcomes Supreme Court's intervention
Thursday, February 3 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
North Sulawesi provincial legislators voiced on Wednesday supports for Minahasa regency in facing any interventions of the Supreme Court in its legal battle against gold mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya over tax payment, Manado Post reported.
"If the Supreme Court and the Provincial High Court interfere in the legal process, the lawsuit will not be dropped. We'll continue supporting the Minahasa regency," head of the Reform Faction at the North Sulawesi provincial legislature Jefferson Rumayar said.
Jefferson, accompanied by several other provincial legislators, said Minahasa regent Dolfie Tanor could force Newmont to pay the C-class taxes on building materials and industrial minerals.
Legislator Archelous Tuwaidan warned the North Sulawesi people could get angry if Newmont did not show a goodwill to pay the C-class taxes.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy, supporting Newmont in the tax dispute with the Minahasa regency, had asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the legal process by the Tondano District Court of the lawsuit filed by the Minahasa regency against Newmont.
The district court recently issued a provisional ruling to order Newmont to temporarily suspend its operation.
Meanwhile, the paper said, Newmont welcome the supports given by the industries and the Indonesian government for the company in its tax dispute with the regency.
"We are relieved that the central government has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the provisional ruling on the closure of the mining operation in Mesel, Ratatotok, mad by the Tondano District Court," company president Richard Ness in a statement, adding that the legal position of Newmont was strong in the case.
Ness insisted that the provisional ruling was very unreasonable, promising that Newmont would pursue on the tax case to a final resolution in the court.
Ness was quoted by Neraca as saying that the company would file counter-lawsuit against the regency "if the closure (of the operation) imposes losses on the company." (*)