Crystallex chief Gordon Thompson quits

Toronto-based Crystallex International has appointed chairperson Robert Fung as interim CEO, after president and CEO Gordon Thompson resigned 'to pursue personal interests', the company said on Tuesday afternoon. Senior VP of corporate development Robert Crombie had been appointed interim president of the company. Crystallex, which has been waiting for years for permission to build its Las Cristinas gold mine, in Venezuela, has taken a series of blows this year, after it was denied an exploration permit at the project in April, and then Venezuela's Environment Minister said that last month that the country would not issue permits for any openpit mines in the country because of environmental concerns, and would also not grant exploration permits for companies wanting to look for gold in its Imataca Forest Reserve. Shares in the company slid 3,57% on Tuesday, to C$0,81 a share by 16:10 in Toronto.