A judge in Mali has placed Canadian mining company Barrick Gold under provisional administration in an ongoing dispute with the military government over alleged unpaid taxes

BARRICK Mining had its Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in Mali placed under state control by a court on Monday in a major escalation of a dispute over taxes and ownership, Reuters reported. Former Malian health minister Soumana Makadji will take over as provisional administrator for six months,

Mali's military government has tightened its grip on the gold industry as it moved to reclaim control from foreign operators and expand local processing with Russian support. The junta stepped up its efforts to reclaim control of its lucrative gold industry,