PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Apollo Minerals could be facing a lengthy court battle after the Administrative Court cancelled the exploration licence for its Couflens project, in France.
The Administrative Court has ruled to cancel the Couflens permit due to a number of process errors in the 2016 granting of the permit by the French State. However, the French State has said that it would appeal the decision, believing that the permit was granted in accordance with the Mining Code.
Apollo on Thursday said that it was "extremely disappointed" that the court had reached this decision, despite the strong evidence in favour of maintaining the validity of the Couflens permit.
The company said that the court interpreted certain provisions within the Mining Code in a manner that was contrary to the well-established application of the Mining Code by the Mining Department.
The French State has confirmed that it will appeal the decision, and will apply for a stay of execution of the judgment, which, if successful, would mean that work at the mine site could continue during the appeals process.
Apollo on Thursday also said that it would ‘strongly defend’ its position, and would consider a range of options in relation to the court verdict.