The man driving Australia's biggest mining project failed to disclose that a company he ran in Africa was guilty of serious environmental breaches, despite being asked to do so in a letter from the federal Environment Department.

Key points: Mr Janakaraj was in charge of a Zambian mine involved in a pollution disaster

Mr Janakaraj was in charge of a Zambian mine involved in a pollution disaster The Environment Department wrote to him in August seeking "information about environmental history of executive officers"

The Environment Department wrote to him in August seeking "information about environmental history of executive officers" He failed to disclose his links to the African pollution disaster

He failed to disclose his links to the African pollution disaster The Adani coal mine was later approved

The ABC revealed last month that Adani Mining's chief executive and Australian head, Jeyakumar Janakaraj, was in charge of a Zambian copper mine when it discharged dangerous contaminants into a major river in 2010.

The ABC has obtained a letter from the Environment Department to Mr Janakaraj in August seeking "information about environmental history of executive officers".

The letter stated that it believed executive officers would include "the directors and chief executive officer of Adani Mining".

The letter asked the company to provide information about any executive officer who "has been the subject of any civil or criminal penalties or compliance-related findings, for breaches of, or non-compliance with environmental laws... ...[and] information about his or her roles both in Australia and in other countries".

The information was needed for the Environment Minister's assessment of Adani's proposed $16 billion Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland.

The minister approved the mega-mine for a second time in October with "36 of the strictest conditions in Australian history".

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After the approval, the ABC revealed that Mr Janakaraj had been the director of operations of the KCM copper mine in Zambia when the company pleaded guilty to four charges, including polluting the environment and wilfully failing to report an incident of pollution.

Mr Janakaraj was described in the 2009 annual report of KCM's parent company as being "responsible for overall operations of KCM".

"It's clear the criminal prosecution in 2010 in Zambia when Mr Janakaraj was director of operations at KCM, so an executive officer, would fall within the parameters of that request from the Department of Environment," lawyer Ariane Wilkinson from Environmental Justice Australia said.

Chingola mine is described as the biggest copper mine in Africa, producing about 2 million tonnes of ore a year. ( Leigh Day lawyers, London )

In Senate estimates hearings the day after the ABC broke the story, Environment Department official Dean Knudson said the information about the Zambian pollution incident had not been known by the department or Minister Greg Hunt when he was assessing the Carmichael mine.

"In terms of why this information was not included in that assessment... that's why we've asked Adani to come back and clarify that question," Mr Knudson said last month.

Adani has submitted its clarification to the department, but the company declined to release it to the ABC.

"Both Adani and Mr Janakaraj stand by their earlier remarks," a company spokesman said.

"It would not be appropriate to release this correspondence while the Environment Department considers matters relating to the response to which you have referred."

The ABC also repeatedly asked the Environment Department if it would release the company's explanation about why Mr Janakaraj's role with KCM during the pollution event was not included in Adani's assessment. The department said it was still considering the matter.

A map showing the Adani Group's $16-billion Carmichael coal mine and rail project. ( Sourced: adanimining.com )

In the August letter to Mr Janakaraj, obtained by the ABC, the department asked him for a range of information about the environmental history of Adani's executive officers, including:

Whether or not [any executive officer] has been the subject of any civil or criminal penalties or compliance-related finding, for breaches of, or non-compliance with, environmental laws;

Whether or not [any executive officer] has been the subject of any civil or criminal penalties or compliance-related finding, for breaches of, or non-compliance with, environmental laws; Whether or not [any executive officer] has been an executive officer of a body during a time when that body was the subject of any civil and criminal penalties or compliance-related findings, for breaches of or non-compliance with environmental laws, and an explanation of the person's role or responsibility in relation to the conduct that lead to those penalties or findings;

Whether or not [any executive officer] has been an executive officer of a body during a time when that body was the subject of any civil and criminal penalties or compliance-related findings, for breaches of or non-compliance with environmental laws, and an explanation of the person's role or responsibility in relation to the conduct that lead to those penalties or findings; Information about his or her roles both in Australia and in other countries;

Information about his or her roles both in Australia and in other countries; Information about both the executive officer's history with the relevant entity and with other entities, whether or not those entities are related to the Adani Group;

Information about both the executive officer's history with the relevant entity and with other entities, whether or not those entities are related to the Adani Group; Any other matters which Adani Mining considers to be relevant to the executive officer's history in relation to environmental matters"

The letter asked for information going back a decade.

"If any company provides false or misleading information to the environment department when seeking to get an environmental approval that is actually an offence under federal environmental law, in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act," Ms Wilkinson said.

"So if any company is reckless or negligent in the information they provide, it's an offence and there are criminal fines and prosecutions that can be brought."

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