Reacting to the acquisition bid tossed on its German parent company, Hochtief AG, Leighton Holdings Ltd (ASX: LEI) moved on Monday to protect its minority shareholders as the construction firm requested the Australian regulator to intervene on the buyout transaction.

Hochtief, which presently maintains a 54.5 percent holding on Leighton, recently got a takeover proposal from Actividades des Construccion y Servicios (ACS) of Spain.

Leighton requested the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to review the Spanish bid and determine the actual implications that the acquisition might deliver on the construction specialist's shareholders.

Company chairman David Mortimer said that following the news of the possible takeover, "Leighton's independent directors are focused on assessing the ACS bid and responding to it in a way which protects and enhances value for Leighton's many stakeholders and specifically its minority shareholders."

Mr Mortimer called attention on the transaction's eventual impact on Leighton's minority shareholders as he gave assurance that "any changes that are likely to be made to our governance arrangements or shareholdings, no matter by whom, will be carefully considered," in order to best serve the shareholders' interests.

Leighton has been ramping up its presence in both local and global construction scenes as it secured a number of multi-million dollar agreements that would see the company working on the completion of a $660 million waste and sewage treatment facility in Hong Kong.

The company also managed to capture contracts of up to $170 gold mining projects in the southern part of the Philippines plus the $348 million Jellinbah coal mining exploration in Queensland.

As 1230 AEDT on Monday, Leighton Holdings shares were trading up by 0.7 percent to $37.70.