Chief Executive Terence Holohan and two other employees have been detained by government officials in Mali, where the Australian company runs gold-mining operations.

Mali is demanding Australia’s Resolute Mining Ltd. pay about $160 million to resolve a tax dispute after the government detained the gold producer’s chief executive, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mali’s military junta — crippled by sanctions and cut off from Western aid — is at the forefront of the push, aggressively pursuing both Resolute and Barrick Gold.

Mali’s military-led government has detained Terry Holohan, CEO of Australia’s Ltd. (ASX: RSG), along with two other company executives, marking a serious escalation in the

CEO Terry Holohan, along with two other company executives have been detained by the military-led government in Mali. What Happened: The executives traveled to Bamako, Mali's capital, for meetings with local mining and tax authorities to address concerns over the company's in-country practices.

Shares in Australia’s Resolute Mining Ltd. plunged more than 30% on Monday after the gold producer confirmed Chief Executive Officer Terry Holohan and two other employees were unexpectedly detained in Mali late last week.

Terry Holohan, chief executive officer of Australian gold miner Resolute Mining Ltd., has been detained by the military-controlled government of Mali in West Africa, according to people with knowledge of the matter.