Chinese goldminer Zijin fined $4.6 MN for toxic spill

HONG KONG: China's Zijin Mining Group said Tuesday that it has been fined about $4.6 million over a toxic spill at one of its mines that wiped out local wildlife, with five unnamed defendants sentenced to jail.

Last July, poisonous waste water from the mine in Fujian province operated by Zijin, China's top gold producer, contaminated a major river, devastating marine life and killing nearly 2,000 tonnes of fish.

On Tuesday, the company said a district court in Fujian ordered it to pay 30 million yuan ($4.6 million), minus an earlier 9.56 million yuan fine imposed by the Fujian Environmental Protection Bureau.

The company did not name the individuals punished over the spill, but excerpts from the court's decision said they were "direct management personnel and responsible officers, who shall be directly responsible for the incident".

They received jail terms ranging from three to four-and-a-half years with unspecified fines, according to a statement filed to Hong Kong's stock exchange.

Zijin's shares were trading almost two percent lower at HK$6.04 (92 cents) during morning trade Tuesday.

In October, Zijin confirmed that police detained three executives over the spill. Three local officials were also sacked, and the head of the county government was suspended pending an probe, state media said at the time.

"The defendant (Zijin) committed a substantial environmental pollution offence and has been sentenced to pay a fine in the sum of 30 million (yuan)," the stock exchange statement said.