London Gold Body Goes on Trial Over 2 Tanzania Deaths
TANZANIA · MINING
Key Facts
- —The country Tanzania holds 16% of North Mara through Barrick’s Twiga Minerals venture.
- —What happened High Court trial of the London Bullion Market Association opened 7 October.
- —The claim Families of two miners killed in 2019 allege negligent clean-gold certification.
- —The defence The association denies liability and says it does not certify mines.
- —The operator New York-listed Barrick denies abuses and says it never controlled police.
- —Still open Trial expected to run until 20 November; 30 more claims await outcome.
Two Tanzanian families are testing in London whether a voluntary gold label carries a legal duty to people living near a mine.
A trial opened at the High Court in London on Wednesday, 7 October, over two deaths at Tanzania’s North Mara gold mine. The families of two artisanal miners who died there in 2019 are suing the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).
The LBMA is the industry body behind the London gold market and its Good Delivery List of approved refiners. The families say it wrongly certified a refiner buying from the mine as clean despite years of alleged police abuses.
The mine is majority-owned by Barrick Mining Corporation, whose shares trade in New York. The case could decide whether a voluntary industry label creates legal duties toward people harmed deep in a supply chain.
What the Families Allege
The claimants are represented by Leigh Day, a London law firm known for human rights cases against companies.
In a release on Tuesday, 6 October, the firm said both men were 23. They were allegedly killed by security forces while prospecting for gold, it said.
The families say the LBMA repeatedly certified a refiner that bought North Mara gold as sourcing “conflict free” metal. Leigh Day identifies the refiner as MMTC-PAMP, part of the MKS PAMP Group.
Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights group, says the Indian-Swiss refinery kept buying from the mine until 2024. In a 2020 statement, the refinery said it “rigorously” follows LBMA responsible gold guidance.
The claimants also allege conflicts of interest. They say a senior MKS PAMP figure and a non-executive director of Barrick sat on the LBMA board at the time.
They add that the head of the Good Delivery List committee worked for a bullion bank that financed the mine’s exports. None of these claims has yet been tested in court.
Their core argument is commercial. Losing certification would have been “commercially devastating” for the refiner and mine, they say, so both would have ensured abuses stopped.
“Our clients say it is time for the LBMA to clean up its act,” said Daniel Leader, a Leigh Day partner. He said North Mara “has become known as Africa’s most deadly mine.”
Leigh Day cites rights groups reporting more than 100 killings and 304 injuries linked to the mine from 2009 to 2022. Barrick disputes those accounts.
Another 30 people have joined the claim, alleging killings, gunshot wounds and torture by security forces between December 2022 and March 2024. Their cases are paused until this trial ends.
What the LBMA and Barrick Say
The LBMA denies liability in full. It says it never owned, ran or controlled North Mara, and its assurance process does not certify mines.
According to Leigh Day, the LBMA also argues the alleged abuses were not serious enough to require the refiner to stop buying. The LBMA’s published statements do not mention that argument.
In a statement dated Friday, 25 September, the association said it takes the allegations extremely seriously. “We are defending the claim so that the court can determine the issues and LBMA’s role,” it said.
In July it said it “does not accept that it is legally responsible for the tragic fatalities.” The LBMA describes itself as a not-for-profit association that accredits gold and silver refiners.
Barrick, which is not a defendant, denies the human rights allegations and calls them unsubstantiated, Leigh Day says. The company also denies having any oversight or control over the Tanzanian police.
In a 2022 statement on an earlier lawsuit, Barrick said the police “operate under their own chain of command.” It added: “We have zero tolerance for human rights violations.”
That earlier case, brought in Canada, was dismissed in November 2024 when an Ontario court ruled it was not the right forum. Barrick welcomed the ruling in a statement it also published in Swahili.
Ontario’s Court of Appeal upheld that decision in April 2026, Mining Weekly reported. The claimants’ lawyers then said they would take the case to Canada’s Supreme Court, RAID reported.
No trial statement from Twiga Minerals, the joint venture running the North Mara mine, could be found by Thursday morning.
Tanzania’s Stake in the North Mara Mine
Tanzania is Barrick’s partner, not a bystander. Barrick and the government set up Twiga Minerals in 2019 to run the North Mara and Bulyanhulu mines.
The state holds 16% of each mine, and the partners split economic benefits equally, Barrick says. On Monday, 5 October, Barrick said the government had renewed North Mara’s special mining licences for another 15 years.
“Residents now really view the mine as a community partner,” Tarime District Commissioner Major Edward Gowele said in Barrick’s release. Barrick says it has put about US$5.3 billion into Tanzania’s economy since 2019.
The state-owned Daily News reported on Saturday, 26 September, that officials were valuing homes and farms for a new tailings storage facility. The project needs about 419 acres in Matongo and Nyangoto villages, roughly 317 American football fields.
The paper said Barrick’s studies have extended North Mara’s life from 2030 to 2041. Gowele told it that human rights advocates and the anti-corruption bureau were taking part in the valuation.
The Tanzania Police Force is not a party to the London case. No public comment on the trial from the police or the Ministry of Minerals could be found by Thursday morning.
What It Means for US Readers
Barrick trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol B, so many US investors have exposure to North Mara. The company is not on trial, but a ruling could renew scrutiny of its Tanzanian operations.
The case also touches US rules. Under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s conflict minerals rule, gold is a covered mineral and Tanzania a covered country.
That status comes from Tanzania’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. US-listed manufacturers using gold must check its origin, with extra checks if it may come from the region.
Leigh Day says the trial will examine how far downstream firms and bullion banks rely on LBMA certificates for their own checks. Human Rights Watch says the case challenges the gold industry’s “responsible gold” certification itself.
A finding that the LBMA owed a duty of care would put voluntary certification schemes under legal pressure. Jewellers, electronics makers and gold investors would then face harder questions about what a label proves.
What Is Not Known
The court has not ruled on any allegation, and no findings have been made about how the two men died. Leigh Day has not publicly named them or stated the damages the families seek.
Casualty counts differ. In a 2022 briefing, RAID, a UK corporate watchdog, counted at least 77 killed and 304 wounded by police guarding the mine.
The judge hearing the case has not been named in statements by either side. It is also unclear whether MMTC-PAMP or the Tanzanian government will comment as the trial proceeds.
What Comes Next
The trial is expected to run until Friday, 20 November, with judgment to follow later. The 30 newer claims stay paused until the court rules on the first case.
The opening of the trial does not mean the LBMA has been found at fault. Barrick is not a defendant, and no criminal charges are involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the London Bullion Market Association?
It is a not-for-profit industry body that sets standards for the London wholesale gold and silver market. Its Good Delivery List names the refiners whose bars that market accepts.
Who owns the North Mara mine?
Barrick Mining Corporation, listed in New York and Toronto, majority-owns it. The Tanzanian government holds 16% through the Twiga Minerals joint venture.
Is Barrick on trial in London?
No, the only defendant is the LBMA. Barrick denies the abuse allegations and says it has no control over the Tanzanian police.
What do the families say happened in 2019?
Leigh Day says the two artisanal miners, both 23, were allegedly killed by security forces while prospecting at the mine. No court has made findings on their deaths.
When is a verdict expected?
The trial is expected to last until 20 November. No date for a judgment has been announced.
Sources: Leigh Day, press release of 6 October 2026; LBMA, position on the North Mara mine claim; Barrick, North Mara licence renewal, 5 October 2026; Barrick, statement on North Mara legal proceeding (2022); Barrick, Swahili statement on Ontario ruling (2024); Daily News (Tanzania); Human Rights Watch; MMTC-PAMP, North Mara statement (2020); RAID; RAID (April 2026); Mining Weekly (8 April 2026); US Securities and Exchange Commission, conflict minerals rule; Taarifa Rwanda (all accessed 8 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief