Acacia denies arrest of its workers in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. Acacia has refuted media reports that the government has ordered some of its international workers to leave the country.

A statement issued this afternoon says that the news is just unfounded speculations.

“We have been cooperating fully with the Government’s ongoing investigations and a number of our colleagues have been interviewed as part of this, but none have been arrested,” reads part of the statement.

The statement responds to reports stated by international media, that the government has detained two senior local Acacia Mining staff at an airport after questioning.

The media said the move was a result of a dispute between the company and the government. The media also quoted a Acacia official as saying the company was having trouble renewing work permits for foreign staff.

However, in the same story, Acacia Chief Executive Brad Gordon denied that foreign staff were asked to leave by the government due to a dispute over mining licenses and accusations of tax evasion.

"We were having difficulty getting work permits renewed. But no foreign nationals have been asked to leave the country. So there may be some confusion in that. That’s a normal part of business," Gordon was quoted.

Acacia Mining said this month it was seeking an adjudicator to resolve its dispute over mining contracts after President John Magufuli ordered the suspension of any new licenses.