London-listed Galileo Resources and its joint venture partner, Statunga Investments are locked in a legal battle to reclaim ownership of two Zambian copper licences that mysteriously disappeared from the government's mining cadastre portal in July.

The licences, numbers 34543/HQ/SML and 34545/HQ/SML, together form the Luansobe copper project, located 15km northwest of the Mufulira Mine.

Galileo holds a 75% interest in the project through a joint venture agreement signed with Statunga on December 30, 2021.

The removal of the licences from the Zambian Mining Cadastre portal prompted an immediate legal response.

Statunga lodged a formal complaint with the relevant authorities on June 12, 2026, which remains unanswered by the Minerals Regulation Commission.

Statunga also filed a formal challenge in a Zambian court on June 30, 2026, contesting the cancellation. A ruling is expected but no hearing date has been announced.

The joint venture partners have stressed there were no grounds for the termination of the licences. They are also pursuing separate legal action against Mopani Copper Mines, which has emerged as a third party contesting ownership of the same licences.

Statunga successfully obtained an injunction preventing Mopani from trespassing on the licence area or interfering with the title pending the final determination of the matter, Galileo said in July.

The dispute carries significant financial weight. The Luansobe project holds JORC-compliant Inferred Mineral Resources of approximately 5.8 million tonnes at 1% copper grade for open-pit mining, containing an estimated 56,000 tonnes of copper. Underground resources add roughly 6.3 million tonnes at 1.5% grade, containing 97,000 tonnes.

Historic drilling has indicated three to seven million tonnes of copper at depths of 100 to 300 metres across the 354-hectare project area.

Despite the legal standoff, Galileo and Statunga remain in dialogue with key stakeholders to reach an amicable solution.

"Galileo and Statunga are in dialogue with key stakeholders to arrive at an amicable solution," the company said in a statement.

The licence removal has had immediate commercial consequences. Galileo said in July that advanced discussions with multiple parties regarding the start of operations, partnerships and other value-adding mechanisms were put on hold following the notification.

"This has resulted in significant loss of potential value-add for all stakeholders," the company stated at the time.

Galileo and Statunga continue to maintain their legal position regarding ownership of the licences and are pursuing the matter through all possible legal avenues, the company confirmed.