Three expat executives from Australian company Resolute Mining, which owns a gold mine in Mali, have been detained for questioning, industry and judiciary sources told AFP on Saturday.

It is the second time in just over a month that employees of a foreign mining firm have been detained in Mali, as the ruling military junta seeks greater control over the lucrative sector.

The Resolute executives were arrested on Friday at a hotel in the capital, Bamako, and taken to a specialised unit set up by the junta to tackle corruption, and economic or financial crimes, the judiciary source said.

They are being questioned over suspicions of false evidence and misappropriation of public goods, said a Resolute executive on condition of anonymity. He denied the allegations but said attempts to convince the investigators had failed so far.

Resolute holds 80 percent of a subsidiary that owns the northwestern mine of Syama, with the Malian state controlling the remaining 20 percent, according to the firm’s website.