Bloomberg quoted a judge said in his ruling on the project that Anglo American Plc Kumba Iron Ore unit showed double standards in fighting for rights over South Africa Sishen mine which supplies about 65% of the country iron ore.

Judge Mr Raymond Zondo said the company subsequently claimed Imperial should have specified in its own application the size of stake it sought which “seems to reveal double standards.”

The judge said Sishen Iron Ore seems to have no quarrel in keeping to itself all the benefits or proceeds of all the iron ore that it mines.

He said “If Sishen doesn’t believe it now holds a 100% right, I wonder how it explains the fact that all the proceeds of the iron ore that it mines now come to it.”

The High Court in Pretoria released its full ruling after last week annulling the government award of a fifth of the Sishen property to Imperial Crown Trading 289 Ltd saying Kumba owned 100% of the rights.

According to the ruling while Kumba had argued it held 78.6% of the mining permit, it didn’t stipulate that stake when it applied to renew its rights in 2009.

Kumba is studying the judgment and isn’t yet ready to comment.

(Sourced from Bloomberg)