Aureus Mining Inc. announced that the metallurgical optimization test work programme undertaken as part of the on-going New Liberty Project ("New Liberty" or the "Project") optimization phase confirms a substantial improvement on the results in the original Technical Report published in October 2012. Key highlights include: Improved leach kinetics allows for halving the leach residence time; Cyanide consumption has been reduced to one-third; Potential gold recovery increase to over 93% and Cyanide destruction process - sodium metabisulphite addition could be reduced from 2.0kg/t to 0.5kg/t. Metallurgical test work has shown encouraging results with improved leach kinetics indicating that the recovery of 93% modelled in the Technical Report is achievable at a reduced carbon in leach residence time of 24 hours (previously 48 hours), with significantly lower reagent consumption. These improvements will impact positively on both the capital and operating costs.

Overall plant recovery will be defined when an economic trade-off has been completed to quantify the recovery benefit associated with the inclusion of a regrind mill. The extensive optimization test work was completed on a 240kg representative bulk composite sample and six variability composite samples from the New Liberty deposit and has produced the following key results: Improved leach kinetics allows for halving the leach residence time - The inclusion of high shear and oxygen addition resulted in improved leached kinetics. The improved leach kinetics allow for a reduction in leach residence time to 24 hours.

Cyanide consumption has been reduced to one-third - CIL reagent optimization test work indicated that cyanide consumption could be reduced from 1.5kg/t to 0.5kg/t with the inclusion of lead nitrate addition of 25g/t. Potential gold recovery increase to over 93% - The evaluation of CIL recovery as a function of grind size on the bulk master composite sample at a head grade of 4.23g/t indicated that at a grind of 90% passing 75 micron CIL recovery increased recovery to 91.7% as compared to 91.2% for a mill grind of 80% passing 75 micron. A further increase in mill grind to 95% passing 75 micron resulted in an increase in CIL recovery to 94.5%. Continuous tests using a Hybrid SO2/Air process indicated that a weak acid dissociable cyanide ("CN (WAD)") concentration of less than 20ppm could be achieved in the effluent stream.

This CN (WAD) concentration is below the target level of 50ppm as stipulated by the International Cyanide Code of Practice. This test work also indicated that for the Hybrid SO2/Air process (cyanide destruction process) sodium metabisulphite addition could be reduced from 2.0kg/t to 0.5kg/t.