The permit for Loulo, where processing facilities are located, expires in February, shortly after the period of provisional administration is supposed to end.

A judge in Mali on Monday ordered Barrick Gold's Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex to be placed under provisional administration for six months in an ongoing dispute between the Canadian mining company and the West African nation's military government over unpaid taxes.

A Malian court adjourned until June 16 a hearing on whether to put Barrick Mining's gold mining complex, suspended since January due to a dispute over taxes and ownership, under provisional administration,