KOTA KINABALU: AuMAS Resources Berhad has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Wullersdorf Resources Sdn. Bhd. (WRSB), has secured a renewal of its Operational Mining Scheme (OMS) licence from the Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia in Sabah.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the company stated that the renewal allows WRSB to continue operations at the Bukit Mantri gold mine, where it serves as the project operator.

The Board of Directors of AuMAS affirmed that the approval of the OMS licence reflects the project’s compliance with all required regulatory conditions, including resource conservation, landscape management, effluent control, security measures, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as well as engagement with residents of nearby villages.

Notably, the renewed licence is valid until 9 April 2027. This represents a one-year extension compared to previous renewals, which were granted for six-month durations—a clear indication that the company is gaining greater confidence from government regulatory bodies.

The latest announcement follows a series of earlier disclosures made on 24 February 2025, 30 April 2025, 6 May 2025, and 13 October 2025 regarding the status and regulatory progress of the mining project.

The company reiterated its commitment to maintaining regulatory compliance and high operational standards in its circular economy‑based sustainable mining activities.

TAWAU: The High Court on Thursday closely examined the factual foundation behind allegations of “41 missing gold doré bars” linked to the previous management of Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd (WRSB), as cross-examination of Plaintiff Witness 1, Chong Tzu Khen continued before Judicial Commissioner Steve Ritikos.

During questioning by defence counsel Andy Tay, the court heard that Chong lodged two police reports on 26 June 2023 within less than an hour.

In the second report, made at 3.34pm, Chong stated that it was “for the information and attention of the Court only and not for further police investigation,” which he confirmed during cross-examination.

Counsel then referred to an earlier report lodged at 2.55pm the same day alleging that Datuk Lo Fui Ming and Lo Teck Yong had removed 41 gold doré bars belonging to WRSB.

Chong agreed that only the first report was exhibited in support of an ex-parte injunction application.

The defence suggested that the reports were prepared primarily for court proceedings and that a police report constitutes a complaint rather than proof of wrongdoing and Chong disagreed with those propositions.

Andy further put to Chong that the allegation of missing doré bars was based on a comparison between production serial numbers and sales invoices.

While Chong disagreed with aspects of that characterisation, he acknowledged that gold production does not necessarily result in immediate sale and that bars may be accumulated, re-batched, re-smelted or sold later depending on logistics and pricing considerations.

He accepted that no specific standard operating procedure (SOP), contract or mining regulation was produced in the Common Bundle of Documents (CBOD) requiring every produced bar to appear in a corresponding sales invoice within the same accounting sequence.

The court also heard that Chong did not produce SOPs, access logs, biometric records, CCTV footage or audit trails demonstrating exclusive control of the gold room or production records by the named former management.

Although he disputed suggestions that others could have accessed the facilities, he agreed that no documentary proof excluding such access was exhibited in the CBOD.

Chong further acknowledged that he could not identify the last person who edited certain computer files relied upon in his analysis, nor confirm whether sales invoice files were complete, altered or deleted prior to his tenure.

He was also unable to provide the serial numbers of the alleged 41 bars, stating that another witness would address that issue.

On tax matters, chong  referred to an Inland Revenue Board (IRB) document but accepted under questioning that it did not state that 41 gold bars were missing, instead referring to undeclared income. He agreed that tax reconciliation or undeclared income does not in itself prove theft.

Chong  also confirmed that the royalty recording system of Jabatan Mineral dan Geosains Malaysia (JMG) is based on production declarations rather than a physical count of gold bars.

The defence further established that the alleged tax liability was voluntarily settled by Bahvest Resources Berhad/WRSB after the change in management.

Chong agreed he had served as Finance Manager of Bahvest and director of WRSB during the relevant period but rejected suggestions that he bore responsibility for any discrepancy.

Throughout the exchange, counsel suggested that the allegation of missing gold bars rested largely on accounting interpretation and inference rather than direct evidence or exclusive control records.

Proceedings were adjourned and will resume at 8.30am tomorrow.

KUALA LUMPUR: AuMAS Resources Berhad (AuMAS), Malaysia’s premier listed gold mining company, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended 30 September 2025.

The Group demonstrated remarkable resilience, achieving a full operational recovery in the final quarter and capitalising on record-high gold prices to deliver strong profitability and shareholder returns.

For the full year FY2025, the Group reported a total revenue of RM248.57 million, driven by the production of 566.42 kilograms of gold doré and 625.59 kilograms of silver doré.

Performance accelerated sharply in the fourth quarter following the resolution of a sabotage incident in May 2025 that temporarily disrupted operations at the Bukit Mantri facility. With operations restored to full capacity in July, the Group achieved a robust operating profit exceeding RM64.00 million in 4Q2025.

Gold doré production for the quarter reached 199.44 kilograms, generating precious metals revenue of RM98.50 million. AuMAS benefited significantly from a surging gold price environment, which rose from approximately RM367,000 per kilogram in October 2024 to over RM525,000 per kilogram by September 2025.

“FY2025 was a testament to our team’s operational discipline and resilience,” said Dr. Frederick Chong, Executive Director of AuMAS in a statement today.

“After navigating unprecedented challenges in Q3, our swift response enabled us to not only stabilize operations but to return to normalized production momentum in Q4. With a strong balance sheet and minimal debt, we are now firmly focused on executing our growth strategy for FY2026.”

This strategy includes the development of a new processing plant, optimisation of existing mining areas, and the advancement of the exploration contract at Mount Andrassy, located 10 km from the Bukit Mantri site.

The new processing plant remains central to the Group’s FY2026 strategy. Coupled with planned mine development, it is designed to increase resource availability, operational scale and processing efficiency. Furthermore, the successful renewal of the Operational Mining Scheme (OMS) licence in October 2025 secures the Group’s long-term operational continuity.

Demonstrating confidence in its financial health and future prospects, the Board has declared a first interim single-tier dividend of 1.5 sen per ordinary share for FY2026, amounting to RM27,322,462.11. This is in addition to the FY2025 dividend of 2.5 sen per share, bringing the total dividend payout for the year to approximately RM72.85 million.

“The interim dividend will be paid on 23 December 2025 to shareholders on record as of 8 December 2025,” according to the statement.

As part of a strengthened risk management framework, the Group has rolled out robust new security protocols. These include upgraded perimeter security and continuous boundary surveillance, specifically designed to mitigate the risk of any future disruptions.

AuMAS Resources Berhad is a Malaysia-based investment holding company primarily engaged in gold mining. As the only Bursa-listed company with gold mining as its core business, the Group operates the Bukit Mantri mine in Tawau, Sabah.

TAWAU – Mahkamah Tinggi di sini hari ini membenarkan perintah injunksi ad-interim kepada AuMas Resources Berhad dan anak syarikat milik penuhnya, Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd, berhubung tindakan undang-undang yang sedang berjalan terhadap Datuk Lo Fui Ming dan Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd.

Keputusan itu dibuat dalam prosiding secara dalam talian yang diadakan pagi ini.

Dalam kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh AuMas, perbicaraan hari ini sepatutnya bagi mendengar permohonan injunksi inter partes, namun pihak defendan gagal memfailkan afidavit jawapan terhadap permohonan syarikat tersebut.

“Walaupun tanpa dokumen balasan daripada pihak defendan, mahkamah telah meluluskan perintah injunksi ad-interim, sekali gus melanjutkan perintah injunksi ex-parte yang diberikan pada 29 Mei 2025,” menurut kenyataan itu.

Perintah interim ini akan kekal berkuat kuasa sehingga perbicaraan penuh inter partes diselesaikan.

Mahkamah turut menetapkan tarikh sebutan semula pada 18 Jun 2025 bagi mengeluarkan arahan lanjut mengenai pemfailan afidavit dan penjadualan tarikh perbicaraan.

Menurut kenyataan itu lagi, syarikat menegaskan komitmennya untuk terus mengambil langkah-langkah undang-undang yang perlu bagi melindungi hak-haknya serta memastikan keselamatan dan pematuhan terhadap peraturan alam sekitar dalam operasi perlombongannya.

Syarikat turut memaklumkan bahawa sebarang perkembangan lanjut akan diumumkan dari semasa ke semasa.