6
January 2025
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF ARTICLE 7 OF REGULATION (EU) NO 596/2014 (MAR) AS IT FORMS PART
OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT
2018.
Condor Gold
plc
("Condor", "Condor Gold" or
"the Company")
Results of Court Meeting and
General Meeting for the Acquisition of Condor Gold plc by Metals
Exploration plc
(implemented by way of a
Scheme of Arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act
2006)
On 4 December 2024, the boards of
the Company and Metals Exploration plc ("MTL") announced that they had reached
agreement on the terms and conditions of a recommended offer
("Offer") for the entire
issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Condor Gold by
MTL (the "Acquisition").
The Acquisition is being implemented
by way of a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement between the
Company and Condor ordinary shareholders
("Scheme Shareholders")
pursuant to Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme"). Capitalised terms in this
announcement, unless otherwise defined, have the same meanings as
set out in the scheme document published on 11 December 2024 in
connection with the
Acquisition (the "Scheme
Document"). All references to times in this announcement are to
London times unless
otherwise stated. The Scheme Document contained, amongst other
things, a letter from the Chair of Condor, the full terms and
conditions of the Scheme, an explanatory statement pursuant to
section 897 of the Companies Act, an expected timetable of
principal events, notices convening the Court Meeting and the
General Meeting and details of the actions to be taken by Scheme
Shareholders.
Results of Court Meeting and the General
Meeting
The Company is pleased to announce
that the Company's Court Meeting and General Meeting were held
earlier today and that all resolutions were duly passed.
At the Court Meeting, as more
particularly described below, the requisite majority in number of
Scheme Shareholders who voted (either in person or by proxy) and
who together represented more than 75% of the voting rights of
those Condor Gold Shares voted, voted in favour of the resolution
to approve the Scheme. The resolution was accordingly
passed.
At the General Meeting, as more
particularly described below, the requisite majority of Condor Gold
Shareholders voted to pass the Special Resolution approving the
Acquisition and an amendment to the Condor Gold articles of
association.
Full details of the resolutions that
were proposed are set out in the notices of the Court Meeting and
General Meeting contained in the Scheme Document.
Court Meeting
The first meeting, convened in
accordance with an order of the Court dated 9 December 2024, sought
approval from Scheme Shareholders for the Scheme (the "Court Meeting").
A majority in number of Scheme
Shareholders who voted (either in person or by proxy), representing
99.41 per cent. by value of those Scheme Shares voted, voted in
favour of the resolution to approve the Scheme. Accordingly, the
resolution proposed at the Court Meeting was duly passed. The table
below set out the result of the poll at the Court
Meeting.
|
Scheme Shares
voted
|
Scheme Shareholders who
voted
|
No. of Scheme Shares voted as
a % of the Scheme Shares eligible to be voted at the Court
Meeting(1)(2)
|
|
Number
|
%(1)
|
Number
|
%(1)(2)
|
|
For(2)
|
109,953,232
|
99.41
|
51
|
98.08
|
53.76
|
Against
|
647,512
|
0.59
|
13
|
25.00
|
0.32
|
Total
|
110,600,744
|
100
|
52(3)
|
100(3)
|
54.07
|
(1) Rounded to two decimal
places.
(2) Where a Scheme Shareholder has cast some of
their votes "for" and some of their votes "against" the resolution,
such Scheme Shareholder has been counted as having voted both "for"
and "against" the resolution for the purposes of determining the
number and percentage of Scheme Shareholders who voted as set out
in this row.
(3) The aggregate of Scheme Shareholders
voting "for" and "against" the resolution as
set out in this row exceeds the total number and percentage of
Scheme Shareholders who voted because 12 registered members gave
instructions for votes to be cast "for" the resolution in
respect of part of their holding of Scheme Shares
and "against" the resolution in respect of another part
of their holding of Scheme Shares.
General Meeting
The results of the poll at the
General Meeting are set out in the table below. Each Condor Gold
Shareholder present in person or by proxy was entitled to one vote for each Condor
Gold Share held at the Scheme Voting Record Time.
Votes for
|
Votes
against
|
Total votes
|
Withheld
votes
|
Number
|
%(1)
|
Number
|
%(1)
|
Number
|
Number
|
111,124,583
|
99.37
|
699,326
|
0.63
|
111,823,909
|
0
|
(1) Rounded to two decimal
places.
Effective Date and Expected timetable
Completion of the Acquisition
remains subject to the satisfaction or, if applicable, waiver of the
remaining Conditions set out in Part 3 of the Scheme Document, including the
passing of the MTL Resolution to approve the allotment and issue of
the New MTL Shares at the MTL General Meeting to be held on 9
January 2025 and the sanction of the Scheme by the High Court
at the Sanction Hearing, which is expected to take place on 13
January 2025. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining
Conditions, the
Scheme is expected to become Effective on 15 January 2025.
The expected timetable of principal
events relating to the Scheme remains as set out in the Scheme
Document. If any of the dates and/or times in this expected
timetable change, the revised dates and/or times will be notified
to Condor Gold Shareholders by way of an announcement through a
Regulatory Information Service.
Enquiries:
Condor Gold plc
|
|
Mark Child, CEO
|
Tel: +44 (0)
207 493 2784
|
|
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited
(Nominated Adviser and Rule 3
Adviser to Condor Gold)
|
Tel: +44 (0)207 628 3396
|
Roland Cornish / James
Biddle
|
|
|
|
H&P Advisory Limited
(Financial Adviser to Condor
Gold)
|
Tel: +44 207 907 8500
|
Andrew Chubb, Franck Nganou, Ilya
Demichev
|
|
|
|
SP
Angel Corporate Finance LLP
(Broker to Condor
Gold)
|
Tel: +44 (0) 203 470 0470
|
Ewan Leggat
|
|
|
|
Cassiopeia (Investor Relations)
|
Tel: +44 7949690338
|
Stefania Barbaglio
|
|
|
|
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange
nor the London Stock Exchange, nor any other securities regulatory
authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents of this
announcement.
MAR
The information contained within
this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU)
No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The person responsible
for releasing this statement on behalf of the Company is Mark
Child.
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
This announcement is not intended
to, and does not, constitute, represent or form part of any offer,
invitation or solicitation of an offer to purchase, otherwise
acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities
or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction
whether pursuant to this announcement or otherwise.
The distribution of this
announcement in jurisdictions outside the UK may be restricted by
law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement
comes should inform themselves about, and observe, such
restrictions. Any failure to comply with the restrictions may
constitute a violation of the securities law of any such
jurisdiction.
Beaumont Cornish Limited
("Beaumont Cornish"), which
is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is
acting as Nominated Adviser and Rule 3 Adviser exclusively to
Condor Gold and no-one else in connection with the matters
described in this announcement and will not be responsible to
anyone other than Condor Gold for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Beaumont Cornish nor for providing
advice in connection with the subject matter of this announcement.
Neither Beaumont Cornish nor any of its affiliates (nor any of
their respective directors, partners, officers, employees or
agents) owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility
whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in
tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client
of Beaumont Cornish in connection with this announcement, any
statement contained herein, the Offer or otherwise. No
representation or warranty, express or implied, is made
by Beaumont Cornish as to the contents of this
announcement.
H&P Advisory Limited
("Hannam & Partners"),
which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA,
is acting as financial adviser exclusively to Condor Gold and
no-one else in connection with the matters described in this
announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than
Condor Gold for providing the protections afforded to clients of
Hannam & Partners nor for providing advice in connection with
the subject matter of this announcement. Neither Hannam &
Partners nor any of its affiliates (nor any of their respective
directors, partners, officers, employees or agents) owes or accepts
any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or
indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise)
to any person who is not a client of Hannam & Partners in
connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein,
the Offer or otherwise. No representation or warranty, express
or implied, is made by Hannam & Partners as to the contents of
this announcement.
This announcement is for information
purposes only and is not intended to, and does not, constitute, or
form part of, an offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer
to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise
dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or
approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Offer or otherwise,
nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of the securities
of Condor Gold in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable
law. The Offer will be implemented solely pursuant to the terms of
the Scheme Document (or, if the Offer is implemented by way of a
Takeover Offer, the Offer Document), which will contain the full
terms and conditions of the Offer, including details of how to vote
in respect of the Offer. Any vote in respect of the Scheme or other
response in relation to the Offer should be made only on the basis
of the information contained in the Scheme Document (or, if the
Offer is implemented by way of a Takeover Offer, the Offer
Document).
This announcement does not
constitute a prospectus, prospectus equivalent document or exempted
document nor does this announcement, or the information contained
herein, constitute a solicitation of proxies within the meaning of
applicable Canadian Securities Laws. Condor Gold Shareholders are
not being asked at this time to execute a proxy in favour of the
Offer or the matters described herein.
MTL reserves the right to elect to
implement the Offer by way of a Takeover Offer as an alternative to
the Scheme (subject to the Panel's consent and in accordance with the terms
of the Cooperation Agreement). In such event, the Offer will be
implemented on substantially the same terms, so far as applicable,
as those which will apply to the Scheme, subject to appropriate
amendments to reflect, among other things, the change in method of
effecting the Offer (including, without limitation: (i) the
inclusion of an acceptance condition set at 90 per cent. of the
Condor Gold Shares to which such Offer relates (or such other
percentage as MTL may, subject to the rules of the Takeover Code
and with the consent of the Panel, decide); and (ii) those required
by, or deemed appropriate by, MTL under applicable law). Further,
if sufficient acceptances of such Offer are received and/or
sufficient Condor Gold Shares are otherwise acquired, it is the
intention of MTL to apply the provisions of Chapter 3 of Part 28 of
the 2006 Act to acquire compulsorily any outstanding Condor Gold
Shares to which such Offer relates.
If you are in any doubt about the
contents of this announcement or the action you should take, you
are recommended to seek your own independent financial advice
immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor,
accountant or independent financial adviser duly authorised under
the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) if you are
resident in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another
appropriately authorised independent financial adviser.
Overseas Shareholders
The release, publication or
distribution of this announcement in or into jurisdictions other
than the UK may be restricted by law and therefore any persons who
are subject to the law of any jurisdiction other than the UK should
inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable legal or
regulatory requirements. Any failure to comply with such
requirements may constitute a violation of the securities laws of
any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law, the companies and persons involved in the Offer
disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such
restrictions by any person. This announcement has been prepared in
accordance with and for the purpose of complying with English law,
the Takeover Code, the AIM Rules, the Market Abuse Regulation and
the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and information
disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been
prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside
England including, without limitation the United States and
Canada.
The availability of the Offer to
Condor Gold Shareholders who are not resident in and citizens of
the UK may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in
which they are located or of which they are citizens. Persons who
are not resident in the UK should inform themselves of, and
observe, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements of their
jurisdictions. In particular, the ability of persons who are not
resident in the United Kingdom to vote their Condor Gold Shares
with respect to the Scheme at the Court Meeting, or to appoint
another person as proxy to vote at the Court Meeting on their
behalf, may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions
in which they are located. Any failure to comply with the
applicable restrictions may constitute a violation of the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in
the Offer disclaim any responsibility or liability for the
violation of such restrictions by any person.
Unless otherwise determined by MTL
or required by the Takeover Code, and permitted by applicable law
and regulation, the Offer will not be made available, directly or
indirectly, in, into, from, or by the use of mails or any means or
instrumentality (including, but not limited to, facsimile, e-mail
or other electronic transmission, telex or telephone) of interstate
or foreign commerce of, or of any facility of a national, state or
other securities exchange of, any Restricted Jurisdiction where to
do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction and no person may
vote in favour of the Scheme by any such use, means,
instrumentality or from within a Restricted Jurisdiction or any
other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a violation of the
laws of that jurisdiction. Copies of this announcement and any
formal documentation relating to the Offer are not being, and may
not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded,
distributed or sent in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction
and persons receiving such documents (including, without
limitation, agents, custodians, nominees and trustees) may not mail
or otherwise forward, distribute or send it in or into or from any
Restricted Jurisdiction. Doing so may render invalid any related
purported vote in respect of the Offer. If the Offer is implemented
by way of a Takeover Offer (unless otherwise permitted by
applicable law and regulation), the Offer may not be made directly
or indirectly, in, into, from, or by the use of mails or any means
or instrumentality (including, but not limited to, facsimile,
e-mail or other electronic transmission, telex or telephone) of
interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facility of a
national, state or other securities exchange of, any Restricted
Jurisdiction and the Offer may not be capable of acceptance by any
such use, means, instrumentality or facilities.
Further details in relation to
Overseas Shareholders are contained in the Scheme
Document.
Notice to Australian Condor Gold
Shareholders
The offer of New MTL Shares and CVRs
for issue, sale or re-sale within Australia is prohibited unless a
disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission ("ASIC"), or an exemption applies. The
New MTL Shares and CVRs will be issued in reliance on exemptions in
ASIC Legislative Instrument 2015/358 as the Offer will be made
under a foreign compromise or arrangement that is made in
accordance with laws in force in the United Kingdom, being an
eligible foreign country.
This announcement is not a
disclosure document for the purposes of Chapter 6D of the
Australian Corporations Act 2001(Cth) ("Corporations Act") and does not purport
to include the information required of a disclosure document under
Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. It has not been approved by any
Australian regulatory authority, such as ASIC or the Australian
Securities Exchange and has not been lodged with ASIC. You are
advised to exercise caution in relation to the proposal set out in
this announcement. You should obtain independent professional
advice if you have any queries or concerns about any of the
contents or subject matter of this announcement.
To the extent this announcement is
received by a Condor Gold Shareholder in Australia, it is provided
in reliance upon ASIC Corporations (Unsolicited Offers-Foreign
Bids) Instrument 2015/1070.
Notice to Canadian Condor Gold
Shareholders
The enforcement by Canadian Condor
Gold Shareholders of civil liabilities under applicable Canadian
Securities Laws may be affected adversely by the fact that Condor
Gold and MTL are incorporated under the laws of a jurisdiction
other than Canada, that some or all of Condor Gold's and MTL's
officers and directors are and, in the case of MTL, will be
residents of countries other than Canada, that some or all of the
experts named in this announcement may be residents of countries
other than Canada, and that all or a substantial portion of the
assets of MTL, Condor Gold and such persons are and will be located
outside Canada. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for
Canadian Condor Gold Shareholders to effect service of process
within Canada upon MTL, Condor Gold or the officers or directors or
MTL and/or Condor Gold or the experts named herein, or to realise
against them, upon judgments of courts of Canada predicated upon
liabilities under applicable Canadian Securities Laws. In addition,
Canadian Condor Gold Shareholders should not assume that the courts
of England and Wales: (a) would enforce judgments of courts of
Canada obtained in actions against such persons predicated upon
civil liabilities under applicable Canadian Securities Laws; or (b)
would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against such
persons predicated upon civil liabilities under applicable Canadian
Securities Laws.
The distribution of the New MTL
Shares and the CVRs pursuant to the Offer will constitute a
distribution of securities that is exempt from the prospectus
requirements of applicable Canadian Securities Laws and is exempt
from or otherwise is not subject to the registration requirements
under applicable Canadian Securities Law. The New MTL Shares and
the CVRs received pursuant to the Offer will not be legended and
may be resold through registered dealers in all of the provinces
and territories of Canada provided that (i) the trade is not a
"control distribution" as defined under applicable Canadian
Securities Laws, (ii) no unusual effort is made to prepare the
market or to create a demand for MTL Shares or the CVRs, (iii) no
extraordinary commission or consideration is paid to a person in
respect of such sale, and (iv) if the selling security holder is an
insider (as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws) or
officer of MTL, as the case may be, the selling security holder has
no reasonable grounds to believe that MTL is in default of
applicable Canadian Securities Laws.
The Offer relates to the securities
of a company organised under the laws of England and Wales with a quotation
on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and the TSX and is
proposed to be implemented pursuant to a scheme of arrangement
provided for under the 2006 Act. A transaction effected by means of
a scheme of arrangement may differ from the procedures and
requirements that would be applicable to a similar transaction
under applicable Canadian corporate laws or Canadian Securities
Laws, including the including the Canadian Take-Over Bid Rules.
While MTL and Condor Gold will complete the Offer in accordance
with applicable Canadian Securities Laws, the Offer is subject to
the procedural and disclosure requirements, rules and practices
applicable to schemes of arrangement involving a target company
incorporated in England and Wales and listed on AIM and the TSX,
which differ in certain areas from the requirements applicable to
similar transactions under applicable Canadian corporate laws or
applicable Canadian Securities Laws.
As a result of the Offer being
effected by means of a scheme of arrangement provided for under the
2006 Act, the Offer does not constitute a "take-over bid" for the
purposes of Canadian Take-Over Bid Rules. However, if, in the
future, MTL elects, with the consent of the Panel, to implement the
Offer by means of a Takeover Offer and determines to extend such
Offer into Canada, such Offer will be made in compliance with all
applicable Canadian Securities Laws and regulations, including,
without limitation, and to the extent applicable, the Canadian
Take-Over Bid Rules. In addition to any such Offer, MTL, certain
affiliated companies and their nominees or brokers (acting as
agents) may make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase,
shares in Condor Gold outside such Offer during the period in which
such Offer would remain open for acceptance. If such purchases or
arrangements to purchase were to be made, they would be made
outside of Canada and would comply with applicable law, including
applicable Canadian Securities Laws. Any information about such
purchases will be disclosed as required in the United Kingdom, will
be reported to a Regulatory Information Service of the UK Financial
Conduct Authority and will be available on the London Stock
Exchange's website: www.londonstockexchange.com.
None of the securities, including
the New MTL Shares, CVRs or Loan Notes to be issued in connection
with the Offer, referred to in this announcement have been approved
or disapproved by any Canadian securities regulatory authority nor
has any Canadian regulatory authority passed upon or determined the
fairness or merits of such securities or the Offer or upon the
adequacy or accuracy of the information contained in this
announcement. Any representation to the contrary is an
offence.
The receipt of consideration
pursuant to the Offer by a Canadian shareholder of Condor Gold as
consideration for the transfer of its Condor Gold Shares will be a
taxable transaction for Canadian federal income tax purposes and
under applicable Canadian provincial income tax laws, and may be a
taxable transaction for foreign and other tax laws. Upon the
delisting of the Condor Gold Shares from trading on the TSX, the
Condor Gold Shares will cease to be qualified investments under the
Income Tax Act (Canada) for trusts governed by registered
retirement savings plans, registered retirement income funds,
registered disability savings plans, deferred profit sharing plans,
registered education savings plans, tax-free savings accounts and
first home savings accounts (each, a "Registered Plan"). Penalty
taxes apply to a Registered Plan that holds property that is not a
qualified investment. Each annuitant, subscriber or beneficiary of
a Registered Plan that holds Condor Gold Shares should consider
causing such Registered Plan to dispose of such shares prior the
delisting of the Condor Gold Shares from trading on the TSX. Each
shareholder of Condor Gold is urged to consult their independent
professional adviser immediately regarding the tax consequences of
the Offer applicable to them.
Notice to U.S. Condor Gold
Shareholders
Condor Gold Shareholders in the
United States should note that the Offer relates to the securities
of a company organised under the laws of England and Wales and is
proposed to be effected by means of a scheme of arrangement under
the 2006 Act. This announcement, the Scheme Document and certain
other documents relating to the Offer have been or will be prepared
in accordance with English law, the AIM Rules, the Takeover Code
and UK disclosure requirements, and the format and style applicable
to a scheme of arrangement under the 2006 Act, all of which differ
from those in the United States. A transaction effected by means of
a scheme of arrangement is not subject to the tender offer rules or
the proxy solicitation rules under the US Exchange Act.
Accordingly, the Scheme is subject to the disclosure requirements
of and practices applicable in the United Kingdom to schemes of
arrangement, which differ from the disclosure requirements and
practices of the United States tender offer and proxy solicitation
rules.
The New MTL Shares, the CVRs and the
Loan Notes referred to in this announcement have not been, and will
not be, registered under the US Securities Act or with any
securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction
of the United States and may not be offered, sold, exercised,
resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or
into the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the
registration requirements of the US Securities
Act. The New
MTL Shares, the CVRs and the Loan Notes are expected to be issued
in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements
of the US Securities Act provided by section 3(a)(10)
thereof. Condor Gold Shareholders who are or will be "affiliates"
(within the meaning of Rule 144 under the US Securities Act) of
Condor Gold or MTL prior to, or of MTL after, the Effective Date
will be subject to certain US transfer restrictions relating to the
New MTL Shares, the CVRs and the Loan Notes received pursuant to
the Scheme as will be further described in the Scheme
Document.
None of the securities referred to
in this announcement nor the information contained in this
announcement has been approved or disapproved by the US Securities
and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the
United States or any other US regulatory authority, nor have such
authorities passed upon the fairness or merits of the proposal
contained in this announcement or determined the adequacy or
accuracy of the information contained herein. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
Condor Gold's and/or MTL's financial
statements, and all financial information that is included in this
announcement or that may be included in the Scheme Document, or any
other documents relating to the Offer, have been prepared in
accordance with UK adopted International Accounting Standards and
may not be comparable to the financial statements of companies in
the United States or other companies whose financial statements are
prepared in accordance with US generally accepted accounting
principles. US generally accepted principles differ in certain
respects from UK adopted International Accounting Standards. None
of the financial information in this announcement has been audited
in accordance with the auditing standards generally accepted in the
US or the auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board of the US.
It may be difficult for US holders
of Condor Gold Shares to enforce their rights and any claims they
may have arising under US federal securities laws in connection
with the Offer, since Condor Gold is organised under the laws of a
country other than the United States, and some or all of its
officers and directors may be residents of countries other than the
United States, and most of the assets of Condor Gold are located
outside of the United States. US holders of Condor Gold Shares may
not be able to sue a non-US company or its officers or directors in
a non-US court for violations of US federal securities laws.
Further, it may be difficult to compel a non-US company and its
affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's jurisdiction or
judgment.
If, in the future, with the consent
of the Panel, MTL were to elect to implement the Offer by means of
a Takeover Offer, such Offer will be made in accordance with the
Takeover Code. Such a Takeover Offer may be made in the United
States by MTL and no one else. Accordingly, the Offer may be
subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including
with respect to withdrawal rights, offer timetable, settlement
procedures and timing of payments that are different from those
applicable under US domestic tender offer procedures and
law.
None of the securities referred to
in this announcement have been approved or disapproved by the US
Securities and Exchange Commission, any State securities commission
in the United States or any other US regulatory authority, nor have
any such authorities passed judgment upon the fairness or the
merits of the Offer or determined if the information in this
announcement is accurate or complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
The receipt of the Fixed
Consideration and the CVR Consideration pursuant to the Offer in
the United States as consideration for the transfer of Scheme
Shares pursuant to the Scheme may be a taxable transaction for
United States federal income tax purposes and under any applicable
United States state and local income tax laws. Each Scheme
Shareholder in the United States is urged to consult its
independent professional tax or legal adviser immediately regarding
the US federal, state and local income and non-income tax
consequences of the Offer applicable to it, as well as any
consequences arising under the laws of any other taxing
jurisdiction.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This announcement (including
information incorporated by reference in this announcement), oral
statements made regarding the Offer, and other information
published by MTL and Condor Gold contain statements which are, or
may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking
statements are prospective in nature and are not based on
historical facts, but rather on current expectations and
projections of the management of MTL and Condor Gold about future
events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which
could cause actual results to differ materially from the future
results expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements.
The forward-looking statements
contained in this announcement include statements relating to the
expected effects of the Offer on MTL and Condor Gold (including
their future prospects, developments and strategies), the expected
timing and scope of the Offer and other statements other than
historical facts. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements
can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as
"prepares", "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected",
"is subject to", "budget", "projects", "synergy", "strategy",
"scheduled", "goal", "estimates", "forecasts", "cost-saving",
"intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes",
or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain
actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would",
"might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward looking
statements may include statements relating to the following: (i)
future capital expenditures, expenses, revenues, earnings,
synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition,
dividend policy, losses and future prospects; (ii) business and
management strategies and the expansion and growth of MTL, Condor
Gold, the MTL Group or the Condor Gold Group's operations and
potential synergies resulting from the Offer; and (iii) the effects
of global economic conditions and governmental regulation on MTL,
Condor Gold or any member of the MTL Group's or Condor Gold Group's
business.
Although MTL and Condor Gold believe
that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements
are reasonable, MTL and Condor Gold can give no assurance that such
expectations will prove to be correct. By their nature,
forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because
they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur
in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause
actual results and developments to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
These factors include, but are not
limited to: the ability to complete the Offer; the ability to
obtain requisite regulatory and shareholder approvals and the
satisfaction of other Conditions on the proposed terms and
schedule; changes in the global political, economic, business and
competitive environments and in market and regulatory forces;
changes in future exchange and interest rates; changes in tax
rates; future business combinations or disposals; changes in
general economic and business conditions; changes in the behaviour
of other market participants; changes in the anticipated benefits
from the proposed transaction not being realised as a result of
changes in general economic and market conditions in the countries
in which MTL and Condor Gold operate, weak, volatile or illiquid
capital and/or credit markets, changes in tax rates, interest rate
and currency value fluctuations, the degree of competition in the
geographic and business areas in which MTL and Condor Gold operate
and changes in laws or in supervisory expectations or requirements.
Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual results
to differ materially from those expected, estimated or projected in
the forward-looking statements. If any one or more of these risks
or uncertainties materialises or if any one or more of the
assumptions proves incorrect, actual results may differ materially
from those expected, estimated or projected. Such forward-looking
statements should therefore be construed in the light of such
factors. Neither MTL nor Condor Gold, nor any of their respective
associates or directors, officers or advisers, provides any
representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the
events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in
this announcement will actually occur. You are cautioned not to
place any reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Specifically, statements of
estimated cost savings and synergies relate to future actions and
circumstances which, by their nature, involve risks, uncertainties
and contingencies. As a result, the cost savings and synergies
referred to may not be achieved, may be achieved later or sooner
than estimated, or those achieved could be materially different
from those estimated. Due to the scale of the Condor Gold Group,
there may be additional changes to the Condor Gold Group's
operations. As a result, and given the fact that the changes relate
to the future, the resulting cost synergies may be materially
greater or less than those estimated.
Other than in accordance with their
legal or regulatory obligations, neither MTL nor Condor Gold is
under any obligation, and MTL and Condor Gold expressly disclaim
any intention or obligation, to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Dealing and Opening Position
Disclosure Requirements
Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Takeover
Code, any person who is interested in 1 per cent. or more of any
class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any
securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an
offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer
is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening
Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period
and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities
exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position
Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short
positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities
of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange
offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule
8.3(a) of the Takeover Code applies must be made by no later than
3.30 p.m. (London time) on the 10th Business Day following the
commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later
than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the 10th Business Day following the
announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first
identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of
the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to
the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead
make a Dealing Disclosure.
Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Takeover
Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1 per cent. or
more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or
of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure
if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree
company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure
must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's
interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any
relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any
securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these
details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing
Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by
no later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the Business Day following
the date of the relevant dealing.
If two or more persons act together
pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or
informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities
of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will
be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule
8.3.
Opening Position Disclosures must
also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing
Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any
offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see
Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).
Details of the offeree and offeror
companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position
Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in
the Disclosure Table on the Panel's website at
www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of
relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and
when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the
Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are
in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening
Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.
Publication on websites
In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the
Takeover Code, a copy of this announcement will be made available,
subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in
Restricted Jurisdictions, on MTL's website at https://metalsexploration.com/investors and on Condor Gold's
website at https://www.condorgold.com/investors by no later than 12
noon (London time) on the Business Day following this announcement.
For the avoidance of doubt, neither the content of these websites
nor of any other website accessible from hyperlinks set out in this
announcement is incorporated by reference or forms part of this
announcement.
No profit forecasts, estimates or
quantified benefits statements
No statement in this announcement is
intended as a profit forecast, profit estimate or quantified
benefits statement for any period and no statement in this
announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings or
earnings per share for Condor Gold or MTL for the current or future
financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical
published earnings or earnings per share for Condor Gold or
MTL.
Requesting hard copy
documents
In accordance with Rule 30.3 of the
Takeover Code, Condor Gold Shareholders, persons with information
rights, participants in the Condor Gold Share Plan and Condor Gold
Warrant Holders may request a hard copy of this announcement, free
of charge, by contacting Condor Gold's registrars, Computershare
Investor Services plc, during business hours on +44 (0) 370 70 702
000 or in writing to Computershare Investor Services
plc, The
Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS99 6ZY. Calls are charged at
the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider. Calls
outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable
international rate. For persons who receive a copy of this
announcement in electronic form or via a website notification, a
hard copy of this announcement will not be sent unless so
requested. In accordance with Rule 30.3 of the Takeover Code, such
persons may also request that all future documents, announcements
and information to be sent to them in relation to the Offer should
be in hard copy form.
Electronic Communications
Please be aware that addresses,
electronic addresses and certain other information provided by
Condor Gold Shareholders, persons with information rights and other
relevant persons for the receipt of communications from Condor Gold
may be provided to MTL during the offer period as required under
Section 4 of Appendix 4 of the Takeover Code to comply with Rule
2.11(c) of the Takeover Code.
Rounding
Certain figures included in this
announcement have been subjected to rounding adjustments.
Accordingly, figures shown for the same category presented in
different tables may vary slightly and figures shown as totals in
certain tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of figures that
precede them.