ccc, page-9

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Mining company Xstrata is seeking legal advice following revelations in the Western Australia Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) this week.

While Xstrata was locked in a legal dispute with Precious Metals Australia (PMA) over the future of the Windimurra vanadium mine, WA minister John Bowler - then a backbencher - forwarded a draft confidential parliamentary report on the dispute to the lobbyist Julian Grill.

At the time, Mr Grill and the former premier Brian Burke were acting as lobbyists for PMA.

Xstrata spokesman James Rickards says the company has paid close attention to the CCC proceedings and is seeking legal advice to the $17.5 million settlement paid to part owner of the mine, PMA, which had employed Mr Grill to act as a lobbyist.

Mr Rickards says he believes the official inquiry into the closure of Windimurra was compromised as a result of the leaking of the draft report.

He says the parliamentary report should be discredited in light of the CCC evidence.

"I think it's quite clear from this week's evidence that the final report that was put together was influenced significantly by external forces and it is therefore should be completely discredited," he said.
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Does this mean PMA will have to pay back 17 million and hand the project back to Xstrata?