NOT
FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO
DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR
REGULATIONS OF THAT JURISDICTION.
RECOMMENDED CASH
ACQUISITION
of
Trinity Exploration & Production Plc
("Trinity")
by
Lease Operators Limited ("Lease
Operators")
effected by means of a scheme
of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act
2006
5 November 2024
Scheme of Arrangement becomes
Effective
On 2 August 2024, the boards of
directors of Trinity and Lease Operators announced that they had
reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash acquisition
for the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of Trinity
by Lease Operators at a price of 68.05 pence per Trinity Share (the
"Acquisition"), to be
effected by means of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under
Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme").
Following the Court Sanction Hearing
on 4 November 2024, Trinity and Lease Operators are pleased to
announce that earlier today the Court Order was delivered to the
Registrar of Companies. As such, all of the conditions set out in
in the Scheme Document in respect of the Acquisition have now been
satisfied or waived and, accordingly, the Scheme has now become
Effective in accordance with its terms and the entire issued
ordinary share capital of Trinity is now owned by Lease
Operators.
Admission to trading of Trinity
shares on AIM will be cancelled with effect from 7.00 a.m. on 6
November 2024.
As a result of the Scheme becoming
Effective, share certificates in respect of Trinity Shares have
ceased to be valid and of value and entitlements to Trinity Shares
held in uncertificated form in CREST will be cancelled.
A Scheme Shareholder on the register
of members of Trinity at the Scheme Record Time, being 6.00 p.m. on
4 November 2024, will be entitled to receive for each Trinity Share
held 68.05 pence per share in cash (the "Consideration").
In the case of Scheme Shareholders
who held their Scheme Shares at the Scheme Record Time in
certificated form, settlement of the Consideration payable to them
pursuant to the Scheme will be effected by means of cheques which
will be despatched as soon as practicable and in any event no later
than 14 days after the date of this announcement, being 19 November
2024.
In the case of Scheme Shareholders
who held their Scheme Shares at the Scheme Record Time in
uncertificated form, settlement of the Cash Consideration payable
to them pursuant to the Scheme will be effected by way of the
crediting of CREST accounts as soon as practicable and in any event
no later than 19 November 2024.
Each of the Trinity Directors has
resigned as a director of Trinity with effect from the Scheme
becoming Effective.
Charles Anthony Brash Snr, Charles
Anthony Brash Jr, David Brash and Daniel Brash have been appointed
as directors of Trinity with effect from the Scheme becoming
Effective.
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited, the
Company's Nominated Adviser will step down with effect from
cancellation of admission to trading of Trinity shares on
AIM.
Full details of the Acquisition are
set out in the Scheme Document. Defined terms used but not defined
in this announcement have the meaning given to them in the
shareholder circular relating to the Scheme on 8 October 2024 (the
"Scheme
Document").
For
further information
Trinity
|
|
Jeremy Bridglalsingh, Chief
Executive Officer
Julian Kennedy, Chief Financial
Officer
Nick Clayton, Non- Executive
Chairman
|
Via Vigo
Consulting
|
|
|
Houlihan Lokey UK Limited (Financial Adviser to
Trinity)
|
|
Tom Hughes
Tim Richardson
|
+44
(0)20 7839 3355
|
|
|
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (Nominated
Adviser to Trinity)
|
|
Mark Brady
James Keeshan
|
+44
(0)20 3368 3550
|
|
|
Vigo Consulting Limited (PR Adviser to
Trinity)
|
|
Finlay Thompson
Patrick D'Ancona
|
+44 (0)20
7390 0230
|
|
|
Lease Operators
|
+1
(868) 6773056
|
Charles Anthony Brash Jr.
|
|
|
|
Zeus (Financial Adviser to Lease
Operators)
|
+44
(0)20 3829 5000
|
James Joyce
Antonio Bossi
James Bavister
Isaac Hooper
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pinsent Masons LLP is acting as
legal adviser to Trinity in connection with the Acquisition. Memery
Crystal is acting as legal adviser to Lease Operators.
Important
notices
Houlihan Lokey UK Limited ("Houlihan Lokey"), which is authorised
and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting
exclusively for Trinity as financial adviser and Rule 3 Adviser and
no one else in connection with the Acquisition and will not be
responsible to anyone other than Trinity for providing the
protections afforded to clients of Houlihan Lokey or for
providing advice in relation to the Acquisition or any other
matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Houlihan Lokey
nor any of its affiliates 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 Houlihan Lokey in connection with the matters
referred to in this announcement, any statement contained herein or
otherwise.
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited ("SPARK"), which is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting as nominated
advisor to Trinity and no one else in connection with the
Acquisition and will not be responsible to anyone other than
Trinity for providing the protections afforded to clients of SPARK
or for providing advice in relation to the Acquisition or any other
matters referred to in this announcement. Neither SPARK nor any of
its affiliates 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 SPARK in connection with the matters referred to in
this announcement, any statement contained herein or
otherwise.
Zeus Capital Limited ("Zeus"), which is authorised and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively
for Lease Operators as financial adviser and no one else in
connection with the Acquisition and matters referred to in this
announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Lease
Operators for providing the protections afforded to clients of
Zeus, or for providing advice in relation to the Acquisition and
matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Zeus nor any of
its affiliates 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 Zeus in connection with the matters referred to in
this announcement, any statement contained herein or
otherwise.
Further
information
This
announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with
the laws of England and Wales and the Code and the information
disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been
disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with
the laws of jurisdictions outside of England and Wales. Nothing in
this announcement should be relied on for any other
purpose.
This
announcement does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus
exempted document.
Overseas
Shareholders
The
availability of the Acquisition to Trinity Shareholders who are not
resident in the United Kingdom may be affected by the laws of the
relevant jurisdictions in which they are resident. Any person
outside the United Kingdom or who are subject to the laws
and/regulations of another jurisdiction should inform themselves
of, and should observe, any applicable legal and/or regulatory
requirements.
The release,
publication or distribution of this announcement in or into or from
jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by
law and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws of any
jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom should inform themselves
about, and observe, such restrictions. Any failure to comply with
the applicable restrictions may constitute a violation of the
securities laws of such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in
the Acquisition disclaim any responsibility or liability for the
violation of such restrictions by any person.
Publication on Website and
Availability of Hard Copies
This
announcement and the documents required to be published pursuant to
Rule 26.1 of the Code and pursuant to Rule 26 of the AIM Rules for
Companies will be available free of charge, subject to certain
restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted
Jurisdictions, on the investor relations section of Trinity's
website at https://trinityexploration.com/investors/lease-operators-offer/
by no later than 12.00 noon
(London time) on 6 November 2024.
Neither the
content of any website referred to in this announcement nor the
content of any website accessible from hyperlinks is incorporated
into, or forms part of, this announcement.
In accordance
with Rule 30.3 of the Code, Trinity Shareholders,
persons with information rights and participants in the Trinity
Share Plan may request a hard copy of this announcement by: (i)
contacting Trinity's Registrar, Link Group, during business
hours on 0371 664 0321 if calling
from the United Kingdom, or +44 (0) 371
664 0321 if calling from outside the United
Kingdom (lines are open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.,
Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays
in England and Wales)); or (ii) by submitting a
request in writing to Link Group, Central Square, 29
Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL. A person so entitled
may also request that all future documents, announcements and
information in relation to the Acquisition be sent to them in hard
copy form.
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.