PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Former BHP Billiton CEO Brian Gilbertson would join the board of junior explorer Jupiter Mines as a nonexecutive director, to assist in filling the void left by the sudden death of chairperson Geoff Wedlock.

Wedlock, along with nine others, was killed when their chartered plane crashed in the Republic of Congo over the weekend.

The explorer went into a trading halt shortly after.

Jupiter said on Tuesday that Gilbertson’s appointment would ensure corporate stability and continuity for the company, particularly ahead of the extraordinary general meeting, where shareholders would be asked to vote on the Tshipi acquisition.

Jupiter was looking to acquire a 49,9% stake in the Tshipi Kalahari manganese project, in South Africa, from a group of investors that include Gilbertson’s Pallinghurst Resources.

The explorer would issue more than 1,1-billion shares, worth around A$245-million, to Pallinghurst and its co-investors. If the transaction is approved, Pallinghurst and its co-investors would own about 85% of Jupiter.

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