BARRICK (Niugini) Limited says it is willing to engage in “good-faith” negotiations with the Papua New Guinea Government which can lead to the re-opening of the Porgera gold-copper mine.
“BNL remains willing to engage in good faith negotiations to chart a way forward that can result in a win-win for all stakeholders and lead to the re-opening of the Porgera mine,” a statement from the company said.
But it warned that any such talks “cannot be based on an abrogation of BNL’s legal rights and interests”.
It said that it was challenging in court the decision by the Government to grant Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited (KMHL) a lease which covers the Porgera mine.
It said it had lodged an application for a judicial review at the National Court.
The company is arguing that the special mining lease “purportedly granted to KMHL is asserted to cover areas of land which are already the subject of valid BNL tenements”.
“As such, the area was not available for grant at the time the Government purported to award KMHL an SML covering that land,” the statement said.
It also claimed that the SML application by KMHL was reportedly lodged on July 27 July and “purportedly granted on Aug 25”.
“These short timeframes raise serious questions as to how regulatory authorities, notably the Mineral Resources Authority were able to responsibly and properly assess the KMHL application,” the statement said.
The National/Pacific Mining Watch
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