IAMGOLD Corp.: IAMGOLD Announces Filing in France of Cash Bid for Euro Ressources
29 Agosto 2008 - 7:14AM
PR Newswire (US)
TORONTO, Canada, August 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IAMGOLD
Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or "the Company") announced today that it
has filed a draft tender offer in France that will provide for an
all cash offer of EUR1.20 per share to acquire all of the
outstanding shares of Euro Ressources S.A. ("EURO"). EURO currently
has a participation right royalty on production from IAMGOLD's
Rosebel gold mine that entitles EURO to payments of 10% of the gold
price above US$300/oz for production from soft rock and above
US$350/oz for production from hard rock. EURO reported royalty
revenue for the first six months of 2008 of EUR6.0 million (US$9.2
million). In addition, as at June 30, 2008 EURO had cash of less
than EUR100,000 (US$156,000), debt and deferred settlements of
EUR2.7 million (US$4.2 million) and a hedge position of 22,800
ounces at a gold price of US$458.50/oz having a negative mark to
market value of EUR6.9 million (US$10.9 million). Under the offer,
shareholders of EURO would receive EUR1.20 per share in cash which
represents a premium of 30% based on the closing price of EURO
shares on Euronext on August 28, 2008 and a premium of 27% based on
the one month weighted average share price of EURO on Euronext. The
offer is for all outstanding EURO shares and for any shares
issuable upon the exercise of options. Based on publicly available
information, EURO's capital structure currently consists of
approximately 60.6 million shares and up to 1.9 million shares
issuable upon the exercise of granted options. The offer is
conditional upon IAMGOLD holding a minimum of 50%+1 of the total
diluted EURO shares, including the 4.9% currently held by IAMGOLD,
upon closure of the offer. As set out in the indicative timetable
included in the draft information note filed with the French
Autorite des Marches Financiers (the "AMF"), the offer is expected
to open on or about September 17th, 2008. "The offer provides
compelling value and liquidity for the shareholders of EURO and
gives shareholders an opportunity to crystallize value now rather
than retain an interest in an entity with EURO's financial position
and asset base," stated Joseph Conway, President and CEO of
IAMGOLD. For EURO shareholders, the offer represents: - EUR1.20 per
share in cash representing a premium of 30% based on EURO's last
closing price on August 28, 2008; - immediate liquidity and
crystallization of value; and - elimination of the potential risks
of holding shares in what is effectively a single asset company.
The acquisition will effectively eliminate IAMGOLD's royalty
obligation to EURO on the Rosebel mine on consolidation and, based
on current gold prices, will result in a reduction in cash costs at
the mine of approximately US$50 per oz. "This transaction is
consistent with IAMGOLD's strategy of rationalizing our structure
and significantly reducing cash costs at all of our operations.
Completion of the transaction is a logical step towards this goal,
as was the recent acquisition of the Doyon royalty. We continue to
demonstrate our focus on operational efficiencies and costs at our
operations with the long term objective of reducing our cash costs
below the industry average," stated Joseph Conway, President and
CEO. The French version of the draft information note setting the
terms of the offer has been filed with the AMF on August 29th,
2008, as required by art. 231-13 and 231-18 of its reglement
general (general regulation). It is available on the AMF website
http://www.amf-france.org/. The offer and the draft information
note remain under review by the AMF. In addition, for information
purposes only, the French and English versions of the draft
Information Note are available on IAMGOLD's website at
http://www.iamgold.com/ and under IAMGOLD's profile on SEDAR at
http://www.sedar.com/. This news release does not constitute an
offer or a solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction in which
such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The offer referred to
herein is not being made or directed to, nor will deposits of
shares be accepted from or on behalf of, shareholders in any
jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of such offer would
not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. In
particular, pursuant to Canadian securities laws, IAMGOLD has
requested from EURO certain information relating to its
shareholders. Once IAMGOLD has received such information, it
expects to be in a position to assess how the offer may be made
available to Canadian shareholders. However, IAMGOLD may elect not
to make the offer available to Canadian shareholders, particularly
if EURO fails to provide IAMGOLD with the required information.
IAMGOLD expects to make a final decision in this respect on or
about the date on which the offer is opened in France. ABOUT
IAMGOLD IAMGOLD is the top mid-tier gold producer, with annual
production of close to 1 million ounces from eight different gold
operations located in North America, South America and Africa.
IAMGOLD also owns two non-gold assets that provide significant cash
flow and four development projects that provide a strong platform
for continual growth. IAMGOLD has delivered seven consecutive years
of annual dividends to its shareholders and the Company's Gold
Money Policy demonstrates IAMGOLD commitment and confidence in the
gold market. Forward Looking Statement 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
subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the
actual results of the Company to 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, failure to establish
estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future
exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's
expectations, changes in world gold markets and other risks
disclosed in IAMGOLD's most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information
Form on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and
Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities. 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. http://www.renmarkfinancial.com/ Please
note: This entire press release may be accessed via fax, e-mail,
IAMGOLD's website at http://www.iamgold.com/ and through
Marketwire's website at http://www.marketwire.com/. All material
information on IAMGOLD can be found at http://www.sedar.com/ or at
http://www.sec.gov/. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise
de ce communique, veuillez consulter le
http://www.iamgold.com/fr/accueil.html. For further information
please contact: IAMGOLD Corporation: Joseph F. Conway Carol T.
Banducci President & CEO Chief Financial Officer Tel:
+1-416-360-4712 Tel: +1-416-360-4742 Toll-free: 1-888-IMG-9999
Toll-free: 1-888-IMG-9999 Individual Shareholders (France):
Toll-Free: 0800-630-650 Financial Dynamics S.A.S. (France): Press
Contacts: Guillaume Foucault: Michelle Aubert: T:
+33(0)1-47-03-68-10 Investor contacts: Valery Lepinette: Laurence
Borbalan: T: +33(0)1-47-03-68-10 Renmark Financial Communications
Inc. (North America): John Boidman: Henri Perron: T:
+1-514-939-3989 F: +1-514-939-3717 DATASOURCE: IAMGOLD Corporation
CONTACT: For further information please contact: IAMGOLD
Corporation: Joseph F. Conway, President & CEO, Tel:
+1-416-360-4712, Toll-free: 1-888-IMG-9999; Carol T. Banducci,
Chief Financial Officer, Tel: +1-416-360-4742, Toll-free:
1-888-IMG-9999; Individual Shareholders (France): Toll-Free:
0800-630-650; Financial Dynamics S.A.S. (France): Press Contacts:
Guillaume Foucault: , Michelle Aubert: , T: +33(0)1-47-03-68-10;
Investor contacts: Valery Lepinette: , Laurence Borbalan: , T:
+33(0)1-47-03-68-10, Renmark Financial Communications Inc. (North
America): John Boidman: , Henri Perron: , T: +1-514-939-3989, F:
+1-514-939-3717
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