Petaquilla denies owing money to Jamieson
2013-01-14 13:48 ET - Street Wire
by Mike Caswell
Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. denies owing any money to a contractor that is suing the company in the Supreme Court of British Columbia over unpaid invoices. Petaquilla says it had no agreement with the contractor, Jamieson Consulting Pty. Ltd., and did not own the Molejon mine where the contractor claims to have worked. Even if there were an agreement, Jamieson did not do all the required work, according to Petaquilla.
The company is responding to a lawsuit that Jamieson filed at the Vancouver courthouse on Nov. 2, 2012. According to the suit, Jamieson performed "productivity improvement" services at Petaquilla's Molejon gold mine in Panama in 2010 or 2011. It had a budget of $1,174,500 plus travel expenses. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)
Jamieson complained that it only received partial payment for its invoices, with $401,929 outstanding after its contract came to an end. The suit sought a $401,929 judgment, plus interest and court costs.
Petaquilla says no money owing
Petaquilla, in a response filed on Friday, Jan. 11, denies ever entering into a contract with Jamieson. The company says that any agreement was between Jamieson and another company called Petaquilla Gold SA (which is also a defendant). Alternatively, if there were a contract, then Jamieson did not perform sufficient services to entitle it to be paid all or any of the money it seeks, the response states.
Also in its response, Petaquilla says that it does not own or operate the Molejon gold mine in Panama, where Jamieson claims to have done the work. The company further denies the suit's allegation that Petaquilla Gold is a subsidiary. (The response does not say what the relationship between the companies is.)
Petaquilla Gold separately filed a brief response to the suit, also on Friday. It too asks that the claim be dismissed, arguing that the courts in B.C. have no jurisdiction. Petaquilla Gold says it does not carry out business in B.C. and is incorporated in Panama.
Vancouver lawyer Gordon Plottel of Miller Thomson LLP filed the responses on behalf of both Petaquilla Minerals and Petaquilla Gold.
AI
