Ukraine's Bogolyubov mops up Australian mine buy

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters)- Ukrainian billionaire Gennadiy Bogolyubov's Palmary Enterprises said on Tuesday it would move to take full control of Consolidated Minerals CSM.AX after winning a hotly contested $1 billion-plus battle with other mining magnates for the Australian manganese producer.

Palmary, which announced it held more than 90 percent of Consolidated's stock on Jan.3, said it would now proceed with compulsory acquisition of remaining Consolidated shares.

Consolidated had been stalked by predators since early in 2007, when another private group, Pallinghurst Resources, launched a friendly offer that turned hostile when Palmary counterbid, pitting Bogolyubov against one of mining's best-known dealmakers, Brian Gilbertson.

Bogolyubov, who also owns a manganese project in Ghana and has interests industries ranging from oil and chemicals to banking, eventually won the battle after offering A$5 a share, or A$1.3 billion ($1.1 billion) for Consolidated, which controls 10 percent of the world's manganese supply.

During the foray, which also attracted a bid by Consolidated's former managing director Michael Kiernan's Territory Resources Ltd. TTY.AX, Consolidated's market value more than doubled.

Pallinghurst is headed by one-time BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AX) chief Brian Gilbertson, who orchestrated BHP's $57 billion merger with Billiton in 2001 to create the world's biggest mining house.

Kiernan, who used to drive trucks in the outback, was often seen wearing work shirts emblazoned with the Consolidated logo at industry conferences and likes to portray the rough-and-tumble straight-speaking outback prospector. Territory dropped out in October.

Gilbertson, a reserved South African, always wears a suit and has kept company with Nelson Mandela and Russian President Vladimir Putin. ($1=A$1.11)