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Gina Rinehart’s eldest daughter-turned-rival Bianca has made a surprise appearance in the multibillion-dollar battle over Hancock Prospecting’s iron ore mines.

She looked on as her lawyers called on Australia’s richest woman to get in the witness box over claims she defrauded her children.

Bianca Rinehart enters court flanked by lawyers, with Christopher Withers SC on the left.Credit: AFR

Bianca arrived at the West Australian Supreme Court flanked by lawyers on Monday, the fourth week of a civil trial over the ownership of Hancock Prospecting’s Hope Downs iron ore mines.

The 2010-launched lawsuit pits mining magnate Gina against first the descendants of Peter Wright (her father Lang Hancock’s schoolfriend-turned-business partner), and second the company of his Pilbara pioneer associate Don Rhodes.

But she is also fending off a claim by her eldest children, John Hancock and Bianca, who joined the lawsuit in 2016 amid allegations their grandfather intended to leave Hope Downs to them.

The childrens’ lawyer Christopher Withers told the court his clients had proof Lang left mining assets, including Hope Downs, in the family trust for his grandchildren – only for Gina to take them back in a “calculated” fraud.

Hancock Prospecting claims Lang embarked on a textbook breach of fiduciary duty by removing the assets from the company to siphon money out of it and Gina was simply fulfilling her father’s dying wish to undo those transactions.

But Withers said Lang’s pursuit of Hope Downs via mining entity Hancock Mining Limited, rather than Hancock Prospecting, was one designed to shield it from risks Gina had flagged herself as the pair’s relationship soured.

The court was told Lang and Gina’s relationship became strained amid her disapproval of his marriage to Rose Porteous, with Gina allegedly attempting to have Porteous deported and also taking off to the United States with her mother’s will to prevent Lang from getting probate over her estate.

Contrary to Hancock Prospecting’s claims Gina was kept in the dark about her father’s elaborate scheme as the relationship deteriorated, the children’s lawyer Withers told the court he had proof she was informed every step of the way.

And he claimed Gina devised a plan to regain control over the lucrative mining assets after her father’s death in 1992, engaging in an “egregious” fraud until 1995 intended to devalue and effectively destroy the wealth of the trust left to her children.

Bianca Rinehart and her brother John Hancock are fighting their mother in court.Credit: Ben Rushton

“The total destruction of the trust was made by senior executives of Hancock Prospecting acting at Gina’s direction,” Withers said.

When John found out about his grandfather’s intentions for the assets, the court was told he quizzed his mother about how they came to be in Hancock Prospecting’s possession only to be met with a “barrage of lies”, “threats” and “deception”.

Withers also questioned why Gina was absent from the civil trial.

“Where is Gina? She is very much alive and able to give evidence as to these events,” he said.

“She has said my client’s allegations are baseless, but won’t come to court and allow herself to be cross-examined in this case.

“The evidence demonstrates Gina knew exactly what Lang was doing and [Hancock Prospecting] cannot prove its allegations, and therefore answer our case, without calling Gina.”

Withers also took aim at Wright Prospecting’s claim to an interest in Hope Downs, insisting their case was the product of remorse and that Peter Wright and his descendants regretted not taking the risk to invest in Hope Downs’ development.

This is the first time inside details of the children’s stoush with their mother, previously shielded by private arbitration, have made their way into open court, despite the parties inking a series of deeds not to air the claims publicly.

Hancock Prospecting’s lawyer Noel Hutley, SC, last week dubbed the children’s case “an utterly fruitless pursuit of the impossible”.

Critically, Hutley highlighted Lang spent his final days attempting to reverse it, overhauling his will to return the mining assets to Hancock Prospecting and cut Porteous out.

Hutley also lashed the pair for holding off on bringing the legal action, producing emails from John Hancock he claimed proved the children held off on suing until after the asset could be developed for his benefit.

Wright Prospecting claims it is entitled to a portion of the royalties from Hope Downs, which is home to four operational mines owned by Hancock Prospecting and Rio Tinto, under a 1980s partnership deed.

Rhodes’ family company, DFD Rhodes, insists he also played a critical role in discovering the mammoth iron ore deposit, which entitled him to a 1.25 per cent stake in its proceeds under a separate 1969 agreement.

Hancock Prospecting and its executive chair Rinehart maintain the Hope Downs assets and royalties belong to them, insisting they put in the work to recover them and invest in their development after they were confiscated by the state government.

The case continues.

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