LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia’s High Court on Tuesday suspended hearings on the winding up of Vedanta Resources’ local mining business until the Court of Appeal rules on the lower court’s refusal to let the matter go to arbitration, the provisional liquidator said.

Vedanta Resources said on Aug 7 that the Lusaka High Court had refused its application to halt the Zambian government’s winding up proceedings against its Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) business.

“Judge Banda decided that despite her not believing in the likelihood of Vedanta’s grounds for appeal, it was in the interest of justice to stay the hearing of the petition,” Provisional Liquidator Milingo Lungu said in a statement.