Gold miner St Barbara has sought to clarify emails that showed former chairman Tim Netscher dismissing a September overture by Silver Lake Resources as a “distraction”, saying Silver Lake had been told three months earlier to lob a “specific transaction proposal” if it wanted to progress talks.

Friday’s clarification of the leaked emails, which were published on Tuesday by The Australian Financial Review, came as St Barbara directors unanimously rejected Silver Lake’s latest offer for the Gwalia mine because they remain committed to selling the mine to Genesis Minerals at a lower price.