Claims of Human Rights Violations in Ghana...

Two Swedish companies reviewing ties to Ghana mines

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Two Swedish companies said Friday they are reviewing their operations in Ghana after a television program accused mining companies that use their equipment of violating human rights.

Sandvik and Atlas Copco have supplied mining equipment to gold mining companies in the west African company for at least five years.

The program, aired Tuesday by Swedish state broadcaster SVT, said Goldfields Ghana Ltd. and Ashanti Goldfields Co. Ltd. evicted people living near their gold mines and polluted their drinking water with heavy metals.

An Ashanti Goldfields spokesman, Gareth Penn, said "We've not seen a full transcript or a copy of the program, but what we do know is that the allegations made are unfounded and untrue."

A spokesman for Goldfields Ghana could not immediately be reached.

Sandvik spokeswoman Helene Gunnarsson said the Swedish company would examine the allegations carefully.

"If this information is correct, then it is terribly shocking," she said. "Based on the information that we are gathering ourselves it is possible that we may reevaluate our commitments."

Atlas Copco started its own investigation, spokeswoman Annika Berglund said, adding that the company considered Ashanti "a serious customer."

She also noted that Ashanti had signed the U.N. Global Compact, a partnership among U.N. agencies, corporations, labor unions and human rights organizations to promote good business practices around the world