Serabi Gold plc (AIM: SRB) (TSX: SBI) (TSX: SBI.WT), the Brazilian
focused gold exploration and development company is pleased to
announce that it has entered into a conditional subscription
agreement ("
Subscription Agreement") with
Fratelli Investments Limited(1) (2) ("
Fratelli"), one of its major shareholders, to subscribe
for and underwrite a placement of new shares to raise in aggregate
UK£ 16.2 million to finance the development and start-up of
underground mining operations at its Palito gold mine. In addition,
Fratelli has provided an interim secured short term loan facility
of US$6 million (equivalent to UK£ 3.7 million) to the Company
("
Loan Agreement") to provide additional
working capital to the Company and to enable it to commence the
initial works at Palito.
The Subscription Agreement is conditional, inter alia, on
approval of the independent shareholders of the Company on a poll
at a general meeting of the waiver of any obligations of Fratelli
to make a general offer to shareholders pursuant to Rule 9 of the
City Code on Takeovers and Mergers. Drawdown under the Loan
Agreement is subject to a number of conditions precedent including
the execution of the security agreements.
Mike Hodgson the CEO of Serabi stated that:
"The results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment in June of
this year were a major milestone for Serabi. The PEA demonstrated
that with the established infrastructure, year round access and
permits, coupled with much improved gold prices and the adoption of
selective mining techniques, the high-grade Palito deposit could
produce a good cash flow stream to finance further exploration and
development which, in time, could increase gold production volumes.
In these current markets, equity funding for small companies
remains challenging and it is a demonstration of the confidence
Fratelli have in the project and the management team that they have
agreed to make available the entire amount of the estimated funding
required for the Palito redevelopment so the project can move
forward in the shortest possible time-frame. We will immediately be
implementing the mine re-development, placing orders for key long
lead-time items, undertaking plant refurbishment work and
finalising arrangements with key contractors. Production at Palito
will place Serabi ahead of its peers in the region and enable it to
take advantage of other potential development and growth
opportunities, especially if the equity markets for exploration
companies remain difficult."
1. Subscription Agreement
The Company has today entered into a conditional subscription
agreement ("Subscription Agreement") with
Fratelli Investments Limited ("Fratelli"),
which is interested in 19.3 per cent. of the Company's issued share
capital, to subscribe for and underwrite a placement of new shares
to raise UK£ 16.2 million ("Fratelli
Subscription") to finance the development and start-up of
underground mining operations at its Palito gold mine ("Placement"). The investment by Fratelli will take the
form of:
(a) A subscription for 90,403,000 new Ordinary Shares of UK£
0.05 each in the Company ("Shares") at a
subscription price of UK£ 0.06 per Share ("Subscription Price"), which will, in aggregate with
Fratelli's existing shareholding, provide Fratelli with 29.9% of
the enlarged equity share capital of the Company immediately on
completion of the Placement ("Enlarged Share
Capital"); and
(b) a further conditional subscription for up to 179,597,000 new
Ordinary Shares at a subscription price of UK£ 0.06 per Share such
number to be reduced by any subscriptions for new Shares from third
party investors ("Third Party Shares").
The subscription price of UK£ 0.06 per Share represents a 25%
discount to the 30 day VWAP as at 30 September 2012. In the event
that there are no other subscribers for the new Shares, Fratelli's
interest in the share capital of the Company would be 287,616,000
Shares representing 79.6% of the Enlarged Share Capital. The
Subscription Agreement is conditional therefore, inter alia, on
approval of the independent shareholders of the Company on a poll
at a general meeting of the waiver of any obligations of Fratelli
to make a general offer to shareholders pursuant to Rule 9 of the
City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, such matters to be set out in a
circular to shareholders (the "Circular").
Completion of the Fratelli Subscription is conditional upon:
(a) The submission of the Circular by the Company to the Panel
on Takeovers and Mergers ("Panel") on or
before 16 November 2012 (or such later date as may be agreed
between the Company and Fratelli);
(b) Approval of the independent shareholders of the Company on a
poll at a general meeting of the waiver of any obligations of
Fratelli to make a general offer to shareholders pursuant to Rule 9
of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers; and
(c) Admission of the New Ordinary Shares to AIM and the Toronto
Stock Exchange (TSX).
Under the Subscription Agreement, Fratelli may notify Serabi
that it wishes to terminate the Subscription Agreement with
immediate effect in the event that:
(a) Serabi notifies Fratelli that there is a material adverse
change in the financial condition of the Company and/or any of its
subsidiaries; or
(b) If an event of default occurs under the Loan Agreement.
The Company has additionally provided a number of undertakings
to Fratelli regarding the management of the Serabi Group prior to
completion of the Fratelli Subscription, which are set out in the
Appendix.
Immediately on completion of the Placement, Fratelli will
receive an underwriting fee to be satisfied by the issue of
warrants to subscribe for new Shares. The number of warrants will
be issued on the basis of one warrant for every ten Third Party
Shares subscribed for. The warrants will be exercisable at a
subscription price of UK£ 0.10 per Ordinary Share for a period of
two years from the date of completion of the Placement.
Serabi and Fratelli have agreed to use all reasonable endeavours
to complete the Fratelli Subscription before 28 February 2013.
2. Loan
Agreement
Fratelli has also provided an interim secured short term loan
facility of US$6 million (equivalent to UK£ 3.7 million) to the
Company ("Loan Agreement") to provide
additional working capital to the Company and to enable the Company
to commence the necessary mine development and plant refurbishment
works immediately. Drawdown under the Loan Agreement is subject to
a number of conditions precedent including the execution of the
security agreements. The Company intends that the loan will be
repaid from the proceeds of the Placement. The Loan is for a period
of six months and for a maximum of US$6 million and will be
drawn-down in up to 4 separate instalments. Interest is chargeable
at the rate of 12% per annum and the facility will attract a 3%
arrangement fee. In the event that the funds advanced under the
Loan Agreement are repaid prior to the end of the loan period, a
penalty will accrue equivalent to the lower of 3 months' interest
or the remaining interest that would be chargeable to the end of
the loan period. The Loan is to be secured against the entire share
capital of Serabi Mining Limited a subsidiary of Serabi and the
99.99% shareholder of Serabi Mineraçăo SA, which is the licence
holder for the Palito Mine. In addition, the Company has also made
a charge in favour of Fratelli over all current and future sums
owed by Serabi Mineraçao SA to Serabi Gold plc.
3. Appointment of director
Fratelli, as part of the share subscription arrangements entered
into with the Company in January 2012, were granted the right,
whilst they maintained a shareholding of 15% or more in the
company, to nominate a non-executive director to the Board of the
Company ("Board"). The Company has agreed to
appoint Mr. Eduardo Rosselot, a Chilean mining engineer, as a
non-executive director of the Company as a representative of
Fratelli.
Mr. Rosselot is a mining engineer with almost 20 years of
experience. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Mining Engineering from
the University of Chile and is a Chartered Engineer of the
Engineering Council UK as well as a Member of the Institute of
Materials, Minerals and Mining. Mr. Rosselot is also a member of
Colegio de Ingenieros de Chile. Over the years Mr. Rosselot has
worked for various mining, consulting and contracting companies and
he has also held senior mining engineering positions with a number
of gold and base metal mining companies. He has worked in South and
Central America, Europe and Russia. Mr. Juan Eduardo Rosselot
Risopatron, 51, has held the following directorships and /or
partnerships in the last 5 years:
Current: Past:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andina Minerals Inc. None
Mr. Rosselot does not own any shares in Serabi Gold. There is no
further information on Mr. Rosselot required to be disclosed under
Schedule Two, paragraph (g) (i)-(viii) of the AIM Rules for
Companies.
In addition, on completion of the Fratelli Subscription,
Fratelli will be entitled to appoint one further non-executive
director to the Board in the event that Fratelli's percentage of
the Enlarged Share Capital ("Enlarged
Interest") is 50 per cent. or less; or two further
non-executive directors to the Board if Fratelli's Enlarged
Interest is more than 50 per cent., subject to completion of all
regulatory checks in accordance with the AIM Rules and the TSX.
4. Related Party Transactions
AIM
As Fratelli is currently interested in more than 10 per cent. of
the issued ordinary share capital of the Company, the Subscription
Agreement and the Loan Agreement are related party transactions for
the purposes of Rule 13 of the AIM Rules. For the purposes of the
AIM Rules, The Directors of Serabi consider, having consulted with
the Company's nominated adviser, that the terms of the Subscription
Agreement and the Loan Agreement are fair and reasonable insofar as
Shareholders are concerned. The Directors have taken into account
in particular that the Subscription Agreement conditionally
provides the full funding of US$18 million identified by the
Preliminary Economic Assessment, issued on 29 June 2012, as being
the capital required to re-open the Palito mine as well as
additional working capital for the Company until such time as cash
flow is generated from the Palito mine. Furthermore, the Company
has a near-term requirement for additional funding for general
working capital purposes which the Loan Agreement provides and the
Directors believe that currently there are no other comparable or
acceptable alternative sources of short term funding. The Directors
believe that there is sufficient time to refinance the Loan
Agreement through the Placement prior to its maturity pursuant to
the Subscription Agreement, which is subject to Shareholder
approval in due course.
TSX
As a result of Fratelli's shareholding interest in Serabi, both
the Placement and the Loan Agreement are related party transactions
for Serabi under Canadian securities laws pursuant to Multilateral
Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in
Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). In
accordance with MI 61-101, the Placement must be approved by a
majority of the minority shareholders of Serabi. Serabi will be
relying on an exemption from the requirement under MI 61-101 to
obtain a formal valuation in respect of the Placement available for
distributions of securities by an issuer for cash consideration. In
respect of the Loan Agreement, Serabi will be relying on an
exemption from the requirement to obtain minority approval
available for loans provided on reasonable commercial terms and
that have no equity component.
5. Proposed General Meeting
The Circular containing full details of the Subscription
Agreement and the Loan Agreement and notice of a General Meeting of
Shareholders to approve, inter alia, the waiver to make a general
offer to shareholders will be prepared by the Company and sent to
shareholders as soon as practical, which the Board currently
expects to be during November.
Notes
1. Fratelli Investments Limited currently has the following
interests in the securities of the Company
- 17,616,000 Ordinary Shares (19.30%)
- 1,355,000 warrants exercisable at C$0.75 on or before 2
December 2012
- 2,270,833 warrants exercisable at UK£ 0.15 on or before 23
January 2014
2. About Fratelli Investments Limited
Fratelli is a private investment company managed by Megeve
Investments which is the family office of the Chilean family Solari
Donaggio. The Solari Donaggio family has significant business
interests in Chile and other parts of South America. They are
significant shareholders in the Falabella retail group, the second
largest retail chain in South America and have interests in a
variety of other sectors including mining, energy and real
estate.
Copies of this release are available from the Company's website
at www.serabigold.com.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any other securities
regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents
of this news release.
Qualified Persons Statement
The scientific and technical information contained within this
announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, CEO
of the Company. Mr. Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by training
with over 25 years' experience in the mining industry. He holds a
BSc (Hons) Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining Geology,
University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute of
Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the
Engineering Council of UK, recognizing him as both a Qualified
Person for the purposes of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and
by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies
dated June 2009.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All
statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities,
events or developments that the Company believes, expects or
anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without
limitation, statements regarding the estimation of mineral
resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential
mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are often identifiable by
the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", may",
"could", "would", "might" or "will", "estimates", "expect",
"intend", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts" and similar
expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such
words and phrases. Forward-looking statements are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties, many of differ materially from
those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that
could cause actual results or events to differ materially from
current expectations include, among other things, without
limitation, failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the
possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent
with the Company's expectations, the price of gold or copper and
other risks identified in the Company's most recent annual
information form filed with the Canadian securities regulatory
authorities on SEDAR.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only
as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required
by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or
obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
Appendix The Company has undertaken to
Fratelli under the Subscription Agreement to procure that each
member of the Serabi Group shall, prior to completion of the
Fratelli Subscription, except with the prior written consent of
Fratelli (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or
delayed):
1.1 Until the earlier of:
(a) the completion of the Fratelli Subscription;
(b) the voting down of the whitewash resolution in the Circular;
and
(c) such date that the Board of the Company reasonably believes
that the whitewash resolution in the Circular will be voted
down
not create, allot or issue (or enter into any negotiations or
reach any agreement (legally or otherwise) to create, allot or
issue) any shares or securities or grant any option, warrant or
right to subscribe or convert any securities into shares, or
require the allotment or issue of any such shares or securities
whether conditional or otherwise at an issue price of less than £
0.06 per ordinary share;
1.2 Not dispose of the whole or part of its undertaking or enter
into any negotiations, or reach any agreement, with regard to any
such disposal (whether conditional or otherwise). For the avoidance
of doubt, this shall include not entering into or agreeing to enter
into any off-take or other agreement relating to any future
production of the Group;
1.3 Not enter into any contract or arrangement that is not on an
arm's length basis;
1.4 Not vary or allow the term of any licence or permission
relating to the Palito mine and the Group's other mining concession
in Brazil to be altered in a material way or allowed to lapse;
1.5 Save for intra-group arrangements, not incur any
indebtedness or borrowings of any description other than to
Fratelli;
1.6 To notify Fratelli immediately by email if there is any
material adverse change in the financial condition of any member of
the Serabi Group;
1.7 To notify Fratelli immediately by email if an event of
default occurs under the Loan Agreement; and
1.8 To comply with the AIM Rules for Companies published by
London Stock Exchange plc and the Companies Act 2006.
Enquiries: Serabi Gold plc Michael Hodgson Tel:
020 7246 6830 Mobile: 07799 473621 Clive Line Finance
Director Tel: 020 7246 6830 Mobile: 07710 151692 Email:
contact@serabigold.com Website: www.serabigold.com Beaumont
Cornish Limited Nominated Adviser Roland Cornish Tel: 020 7628
3396 Michael Cornish Tel: 020 7628 3396 Fox Davies Capital
Limited UK Broker Simon Leathers Tel: 020 3463 5010 Jonathan
Evans Tel: 020 3463 5010
Serabi Gold (TSX:SBI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2024 to Dec 2024
Serabi Gold (TSX:SBI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Dec 2023 to Dec 2024