MinRes billionaire founder Chris Ellison admits tax evasion, shares tank
Recasts paragraph 1, adds details, background throughout
Oct 21 (Reuters) -Australian miner Mineral Resources' MIN.AX billionaire founder Chris Ellison admitted to failing to properly disclose revenue from his overseas entities to the Australian Taxation Office on Monday, sending the company's share price sharply lower.
Mineral Resources (MinRes) shares fell as much as 13.5% to A$39.66 as of 2307 GMT and were heading for their worst trading session since late November 2009, while the broader benchmark index .AXJO was up 0.5%.
Ellison said that prior to listing Mineral Resources in 2006, he and his business partners operated entities overseas that imported mining equipment into Australia. Some of that revenue was not disclosed to the tax office, he said.
Ellison, who is the biggest shareholder of MinRes with an 11.5% stake, told Reuters the matter was "a serious lapse of judgement."
"All outstanding tax, penalties and interest that should otherwise have been paid by me has been fully repaid, and the matter has been settled with the ATO," Ellison said in a statement in response to media reporting about the issue.
The company has appointed an external legal counsel to investigate the matter and the investigation is well advanced, Mineral Resources said in a statement on Monday.
MinRes has full confidence in Ellison and his leadership, it said.
Reporting by John Biju in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Stephen Coates
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