Spanish court reopens case over Grupo Mexico mine tender

Emerita Resources

20/10/2016 18:37

MADRID, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A Spanish court said on Thursday 
it has reopened a case examining alleged irregularities in the 
tender process for a mine contract won by Grupo Mexico 
 GMEXICOB.MX  in the Andalusia region.      
    A lesser regional court cleared the Mexican company last 
November of any wrongdoing over its winning bid to reopen the 
Aznalcollar copper, zinc and lead mine in southern Spain, but an 
appeal by a rival bidder has now been accepted.  
    "There are indications at this stage that there might have 
been not only irregularities in the administrative process, but 
ones that are sufficiently serious that it is necessary to keep 
this case going," the Seville regional court said in a written 
ruling.  
    Andalusia's regional government was responsible for awarding 
the 30-year concession to a Grupo Mexico-Minorbis consortium in 
February 2015.  
    A competing bidder in the process, Canada's Emerita 
Resources  EMO.V , raised allegations of corruption when it lost 
out to the Mexican firm.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N13B1R6 
    Grupo Mexico was not immediately available for comment.  
    Spain is hoping to re-open the mine after it was shut down 
following a toxic waste spill in 1998 that caused widespread 
damage to the neighbouring Donana National Park, one of Europe's 
largest nature reserves.  
    UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, has raised concerns over 
whether the mine's reopening will further endanger Donana's 
protected wetlands, which are used by millions of migratory 
birds and rare species, and has asked Spain to do a risk 
assessment by December.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1BR2Z1 
 
 (Reporting by Rodrigo de Miguel and Natalie Schachar; Writing 
by Paul Day, Editing by Sarah White and Susan Fenton) 
 ((paul.e.day@thomsonreuters.com; +34 91 585 83 08; Reuters 
Messaging: paul.e.day.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: SPAIN MINE/