Saracen Mineral, which through its subsidiaries, explores and mines gold and other minerals, completed its acquisition of a 50% stake in Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines joint venture from Barrick Gold, a gold mining company, for $750m. "The sale of our non-operating interest in KCGM represents the first step in our plan to realize in excess of $1.5bn from the disposal of non-core assets by the end of next year. While this iconic gold mine has been a valuable contributor to Barrick over the years, the asset does not fit with our strategy of operating mines that we own. The sale allows us to further focus our portfolio on core operations," Mark Bristow, Barrick President and CEO.