Last checked at 26 Sep 2018 07:00
26 September 2018
Atalaya Mining Plc.
("Atalaya" and/or the "Company")
Receipt of ruling of claim made by an environmental group
Atalaya Mining Plc (AIM: ATYM; TSX: AYM) announces that it has received notice from the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía that it has ruled in favour of certain claims made by environmental group Ecologistas en Accion ("EeA") against the government of Andalucía ("Junta de Andalucía" or "JdA") and Atalaya, as co-defendant in the case.
In July 2014, the EeA filed a legal claim to the JdA with a request to declare null the Unified Environmental Declaration (in Spanish, Authorization Ambiental Unificada, or "AAU") granted to Atalaya Riotinto Minera, S.L.U. (formerly Emed Tartessus, S.L.) dated 27 March 2014, which was required in order to secure the required mining permits for Proyecto Riotinto. The judgment, in spite of annulling the AAU on procedural grounds, makes it very clear that the AAU is correct and therefore, rejects all the issues raised by EeA and confirms the decision of the JdA not to suspend the AAU.
The JdA has already confirmed its intention to launch an appeal process within 30 days as they see sufficient grounds for the appeal. The JdA also highlighted the fact that the ruling is limited to process and not to the merits of the award or the substantive grounds included in the AAU.
Although the claim was against the JdA, Atalaya, being an interested party in the process, voluntarily joined as co-defendant and believes it could be successfully appealed to the Supreme Court in Spain.
The Company will continue running the mine normally and it is confident the ruling will not impact its operations at Proyecto Riotinto. Atalaya is currently considering the implications of the ruling with its legal advisors, including the possibility of appealing independently to the Supreme Court as co-defendant or requesting the JdA to amend the process ruled by the Court.
The Company will update the market further in due course.
About Atalaya Mining Plc
Atalaya is an AIM and TSX-listed mining and development group. It produces copper concentrates and silver by-product at its wholly owned Proyecto Riotinto site in southwest Spain, which is also undergoing a brownfield expansion. In addition, the Group has a phased, earn-in agreement for up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain which is currently in the permitting stage. For further information, visit www.atalayamining.com
This announcement contains information which, prior to its publication constituted inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014.
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