Bombshell letter shows Rinehart ‘knew for decades’ about rival’s share

afr.com:

A 37-year-old letter penned by Lang Hancock could prove that his daughter, Gina Rinehart, has known for decades that a now-rival family has a claim to a share of lucrative mining tenements developed by her company in West Australia’s Pilbara.

Lawyers for Wright Prospecting revealed the potentially explosive 1986 letter from Hancock to his daughter on Tuesday, the second day of a trial where the company is seeking billions of dollars in past and future revenue from Hancock Prospecting’s mines in the Hamersley Ranges.

Gina Rinehart with her father Lang Hancock. Marija Ercegovac

Wright’s barrister, Julie Taylor, SC, described the evidence as “very significant,” after outlining that Hancock had written to Mrs Rinehart explaining that key tenements in the Pilbara – which are now at the centre of the dispute – were held jointly by the Hanwright partnership.

“This is very significant evidence that both Lang and Mrs Rinehart knew and understood that all of those areas were held jointly for the partnership,” Ms Taylor told the court.

Ms Taylor said the evidence suggested Mrs Rinehart had known “at least since 1986” that the assets were jointly held.

The letter was unearthed in the pre-trial discovery process by lawyers representing Mrs Rinehart’s children, John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart, who are separately seeking a claim to the revenue flowing from the Hope Downs iron ore project, Ms Taylor revealed.

“This is a document that has come from John and Bianca’s discovery, and has not been discovered by [Hancock],” Ms Taylor said.

Hancock executives Jay Newby, Garry Korte and Brad Ross arrive at the WA Supreme Court on Tuesday. Ross Swanborough

John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart are expected to run their own legal argument suggesting