Regulatory Filings • Jul 17, 2020
Regulatory Filings
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In accordance with rule 14.3.11A R and 14.3.11B R of the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), we describe below the rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares in accordance with the Company's Articles of Association, the Company's regulations and applicable Russian legislation and the rights attaching to the GDRs in accordance with deposit agreement dated February 20, 2008 and applicable Russian legislation, in each case, as at the date of these Particulars. The description of the applicable Russian legislation, however, does not purport to be a complete description of all applicable laws and should not be read as such.
Holders of the Company's Ordinary Shares have the right to vote at all general shareholders' meetings. As required by the Federal Law No. 208-FZ "On Joint Stock Companies" dated December 26, 1995, as amended (the "Joint Stock Companies Law") and the Company's Articles of Association, all Ordinary Shares have the same nominal value and grant identical rights to their holders.
Absent specific contractual undertakings by shareholders, each fully paid Ordinary Share, except for treasury shares, gives its holder the right to:
a. 1% or more of the Ordinary Shares, have free access to information about major transactions and interested party transactions (including appraisers' reports with respect to such transactions) and minutes of the Board of Directors' meetings;
b. 25% or more of the Ordinary Shares, have free access to accounting documents and minutes of the Management Board;
A voting right is the right of a shareholder to participate and cast a vote in decisions on certain corporate matters at a general shareholders' meeting. The Company shall provide equal opportunities for all shareholders to participate in the general shareholders' meeting.
The powers of the general shareholders' meeting are set forth in the Joint Stock Companies Law and in the Articles of Association. The scope of authority of the general shareholders' meeting is limited to the powers contemplated by the Joint Stock Companies Law and the Articles of Association. Among issues that the shareholders have the power to decide are:
(xix) making a decision on reimbursing, out of the Company's funds, expenses of any persons and bodies initiating an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting in connection with preparing and holding such meeting;
(xx) setting the list of additional documents to be kept by the Company;
Voting at a general shareholders' meeting is generally based on the principle of one vote per an Ordinary Share, with the exception of the election of the Board of Directors, which is done through cumulative voting.
Ordinarily, a majority vote of the voting shares present at a general shareholders' meeting is required for a decision of the general shareholders' meeting to be valid. However, Russian law requires a three-quarters qualified majority vote of the voting shares present at a general shareholders' meeting to approve the following:
The quorum requirement for a general shareholders' meeting is met if shareholders (or their representatives) accounting for more than 50% of the issued voting shares are present. If the 50% quorum requirement is not met, another general shareholders' meeting with the same agenda may (and, in case of an annual general shareholders' meeting, must) be convened and the quorum requirement is satisfied if shareholders (or their representatives) accounting for at least 30% of the issued voting shares are present at that meeting.
Under the Joint Stock Companies Law certain shareholders' resolutions may provide that they remain valid for a specific period of time, such as with respect to a reorganization or a spin-off, an increase or decrease in authorized capital or a subdivision or consolidation of shares (the "Validity Period"). In the event such shareholders' resolutions are not acted upon within the Validity Period and/or the effective Validity Period for such resolutions has expired, such resolutions become void and are generally no longer enforceable.
Unless otherwise provided by law, an annual general shareholders' meeting must be convened by the Board of Directors between March 1 and June 30 of each year, and the agenda must include among other issues the following:
A shareholder or shareholders owning in the aggregate at least 2% of the voting shares may introduce proposals for the agenda of an annual general shareholders' meeting and may nominate candidates for the Board of Directors. Any agenda proposals or nominations must be provided to the Company no later than 45 calendar days after the end of the preceding financial year.
Extraordinary general shareholders' meetings may be called by, amongst others, at the request of group of shareholders/a shareholder owning in the aggregate at least 10% of the shares as of the date of the request.
A shareholder or shareholders owning in the aggregate at least 2% of the voting shares may nominate candidates for the Board of Directors, if the election of the members of the Board of Directors is on the agenda of an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting. The number of such candidates may not exceed the overall number of members of the Board of Directors set forth in the Articles of Association. Such nominations must be submitted to the Company no later than 30 calendar days prior to relevant extraordinary general shareholders' meeting.
A general shareholders' meeting may be held in a form of a joint attendance or by absentee voting. The form of a meeting contemplates the adoption of resolutions by a general shareholders' meeting through the attendance of the shareholders or their authorized representatives for the purpose of discussing and voting on issues on the agenda, provided that if the ballot is mailed to shareholders for participation at a meeting convened in such form, the shareholders may complete and mail the ballot back to the Company without personally attending the meeting. A general shareholders' meeting by absentee voting means collecting shareholders' votes on issues on the agenda by means of a written poll. Where shareholder exercises rights attaching to shares through a nominee holder, the shareholder shall vote by sending electronic documents (instructions) through a nominee holder if the contract with the nominee holder provides for it.
Unless otherwise provided by the law, the following issues cannot be decided by a general shareholders' meeting by absentee voting:
All shareholders entitled to participate in a general shareholders' meeting must be notified of the meeting, whether the meeting is to be held in the form of joint attendance (meeting) or by absentee voting, by no less than 30 days' notice. However, if it is an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting to elect the Board of Directors or to reorganize the Company through a merger, spin off or split up or to elect the board of directors of a newly established company in connection with the Company's reorganization the shareholders must be notified of the meeting by no less than 50 days' notice. Only those items that were set out in the agenda to shareholders may be voted upon at a general shareholders' meeting.
The list of persons entitled to participate in a general shareholders' meeting is compiled from the Company's shareholders register and the information received from the nominee holders as of the date set forth by the Board of Directors, which may not be earlier than 10 days from the date of the adoption of the Board of Directors resolution to hold a general shareholders' meeting or later than 25 days before the date of the meeting (or, in certain circumstances, i.e. in case of a general shareholders' meeting to elect the Board of Directors, later than 55 days before the date of the meeting).
Information (materials) shall be made available to the persons entitled to participate in a general shareholders' meeting no later than 20 days, or, in case the agenda contains a decision approving the Company's reorganization, no later than 30 days before the date of the general shareholders' meeting.
Generally, the right to participate in a general shareholders' meeting may be exercised by a shareholder as follows:
The Joint Stock Companies Law and the Company's Articles of Association provide existing shareholders with a pre-emptive right to purchase additional or newly issued shares or securities convertible into shares during an open subscription in the amount proportionate to their existing shareholdings. In addition, the Joint Stock Companies Law provides shareholders with a pre-emptive right to purchase additional or newly issued shares or securities convertible into shares in the amount proportionate to their existing shareholdings during a closed subscription if the shareholders voted against or did not participate in the voting on the decision approving such closed subscription. This statutory pre-emptive right does not apply to the closed subscription for shares or securities convertible into shares by the existing shareholders, provided that in the course of such closed subscription each such shareholder may acquire a whole number of shares or securities convertible into shares being placed, in proportion to its existing shareholding.
The Company must notify shareholders if they are entitled to exercise their pre-emptive rights. As a general rule, shareholders can exercise their preemptive rights within at least 45 days upon the relevant notification was delivered or published. The Joint Stock Companies Law also provides that under certain circumstances the minimal term for exercising pre-emptive rights can be shortened to 20, 12 or 8 business days.
The Joint Stock Companies Law, the Company's Articles of Association and the dividend policy set forth the procedure for determining the dividends that the Company distributes to the Company's shareholders. The Company may declare dividends based on its three-month, six-month, nine-month and/or annual results. The decision to pay (declare) dividends shall be adopted by the general shareholders' meeting. A decision on three-month, six-month and nine-month dividends shall be made at the general shareholders' meeting within three months of the end of the respective period, and a decision on annual dividends must be taken at the annual general shareholders' meeting. The dividends approved at the general shareholders' meeting may not exceed the amount recommended by the Board of Directors.
Dividends, if declared, are payable within 10 business days to the nominee holders and trustee holders, being a professional participant of the securities market, recorded in the Company's share register, and within 25 business days to other persons recorded in the Company's share register, in each case from the date when the list of shareholders eligible to receive dividends is drawn up (the "dividend record date"). The dividend record date must be set forth in the decision of the general shareholders' meeting approving the dividend and may not be earlier than 10 days and later than 20 days following the date of such decision.
Dividends should be paid only out of the net profits calculated under Russian accounting standards (the "RAS"), which may not necessarily correspond to the net profits calculated under IFRS.
Under Russian legislation, liquidation of the Company results in the Company ceasing to exist without rights and obligations being transferred to other persons as legal successors.
The assets of the Company remaining after satisfaction of creditors' claims are distributed among the shareholders in the following order of priority:
Subject to certain limitations, the Joint Stock Companies Law provides that the Company's shareholders may demand the repurchase by the Company of all or some of their shares, where such shareholders voted against, or did not participate in the voting on, the decision approving, or consenting to, any of the following actions:
The amount of money that the Company may spend to repurchase the shares is limited to the value of 10 per cent of the Company's net assets, calculated according to RAS as of the date of the general shareholders' meeting which approved the relevant decision triggering the share repurchase rights. If the total price that has to be paid for the shares in respect of which the shareholders have exercised their right to demand repurchase, exceeds the value of 10 per cent of the Company's net assets, the Company will repurchase shares from each such shareholder on a pro rata basis up to the 10 per cent threshold.
The repurchased shares owned by the Company (treasury shares) do not confer any voting rights, are disregarded in the counting of votes, bear no dividends, and must be resold at the price which is not less than the market price within one year of their repurchase, failing which the shareholders at the general shareholders' meeting must vote on the cancellation of such shares and decrease in the Company's authorized capital.
The Civil Code and the Joint Stock Companies Law expressly permit Shareholders' Agreement in respect of Russian joint stock companies. Shareholders of the Company may enter into an agreement or agreements under which they undertake to exercise their shareholder rights in a certain manner or to refrain from exercising their shareholder rights, including, inter alia:
(iii) to acquire or dispose of shares at a pre-determined price or upon occurrence of certain circumstances;
(iv) to refrain from disposing of shares until occurrence of certain circumstances; and
A Shareholders' Agreement shall bind only the parties thereto. The shareholders are required to disclose the fact of existence of the Shareholders' Agreement, but not the terms thereof.
In accordance with applicable Russian securities regulations, the GDR holders do not have the same rights as the shareholders of the Company. The GDR holders may instruct the depositary to vote with the deposited shares underlying the GDRs held by the GDR holders only if information about such shares, including the identity of the GDR holders and the number of deposited shares underlying the GDRs held by each such GDR holder, has been provided to the issuer in accordance with the requirements specified in the Russian securities regulations.
Other shareholders rights, such as share repurchase rights, preemptive rights, rights to receive information about the Company, right to nominate candidates to the Board of Directors of the Company and to propose agenda items for the general shareholders' meeting, as well as rights to bring claims against the management and the Board of Directors and challenge the decisions of the Company's bodies, belong solely to the shareholders of the Company and may not be exercised, as a matter of the Joint Stock Companies Law or Russian securities regulations, by the GDR holders or by the depositary bank on behalf of the GDR holders.
Dividends payable by the Company on the deposited shares are payable to the depositary and subsequently distributed by the depositary among the GDR holders in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement (for further details, see sections "Cash Distributions", "Distribution of Shares" and "Distributions Other than in Cash or Shares" below).
Subject to limitations on rights of GDR holders under Russian Law, as described above, the below description outlines key terms and conditions with respect to the rights of GDR holders, where any references to the "depositary" are references to the JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and references to the "deposit agreement" are references to the deposit agreement between the Company and the depositary, dated February 20, 2008.
provided that (a) during any period prior to the depositary being notified in writing by the Company that either (I) the placement report with respect to the new shares has been registered with the Central Bank of Russia or (II) a valid notice on placement of the new shares (the "Placement Notice") has been filed with the Central Bank of Russia or (b) at any time between the deposit of any subsequent issue of new shares and the depositary being notified in writing by the Company that either (I) (x) the placement report with respect to such new shares has been registered with the Central Bank of Russia or (y) a valid Placement Notice has been duly and timely filed with the Central Bank of Russia or (II) if later, the Moscow business day next following the due and timely filing of a valid Placement Notice with the Central Bank of Russia, GDR holders shall not be entitled to request withdrawal of any deposited shares, GDR holders shall not be entitled to give voting instructions, and the depositary shall not vote or cause to be voted any such new shares.
The certificate to be provided in the form established for the GDRs offered and sold outside of the United States in off-shore transactions in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act (as defined below) (the "Regulation S GDRs") contains:
The certificate to be provided in the form established for the GDRs offered and sold in the United States in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act (the "Rule 144A GDRs") contains:
OR
(b) such person is located outside the United States (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act); such person acquired or have agreed to acquire and at or prior to the time of the withdrawal will have acquired, the Rule 144A GDRs or the shares outside the United States (within the meaning of Regulation S); and such person is, or upon acquisition thereof will be, the beneficial owner of the Rule 144A GDRs or shares;
relating to those shares has been registered with the Central Bank of Russia.
For the avoidance of doubt, in the absence of any such notification from the Company, the depositary is not under any obligation to ascertain or determine whether or not any such delivery should be refused (including monitoring ownership levels amongst beneficial owners) and the depositary shall not be liable for any loss, damage or other consequences arising from any such delivery. Also, for the avoidance of doubt, provided that it is complying with a written notification from the Company pursuant to these provisions, the depositary shall not be liable for any loss, damage or other consequences arising from its refusal or delivery. The depositary shall only be obliged to deliver shares or other deposited property to the extent that shares or such other deposited property are then held by the custodian or the depositary or by their respective agents pursuant to the provisions of the deposit agreement.
Neither the depositary nor the custodian shall deliver shares, by physical delivery, book entry or otherwise (other than to the Company or its agent), or otherwise permit shares to be withdrawn from the Regulation S Facility (meaning the separate account created in the books and records of the custodian in the name of the depositary in which the shares represented by Regulation S GDRs (the "Regulation S Shares") and other deposited property corresponding to Regulation S Shares are deposited) or from the Rule 144A Facility (meaning the separate account created in the books and records of the custodian in the name of the depositary in which the shares represented by Rule 144A GDRs (the "Rule 144A Shares") and other deposited property corresponding to Rule 144A Shares are deposited), except upon the receipt and cancellation of Regulation S GDRs or Rule 144A GDRs, respectively or as set out under deposit agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each GDR holder and owner of Rule 144A GDRs acknowledges that at any time (a) the Company maintains an unrestricted depositary receipt facility with respect to the shares in the United States (including, without limitation, the Regulation S Facility) and (b) any of the Rule 144A Shares are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, and each of the depositary and the custodian agrees that, neither the custodian nor the depositary will make any actual delivery of Rule 144A Shares to any GDR holder or beneficial owner at an address within the United States.
The GDRs are in registered form, with five GDRs issued in respect of one share. Title to the GDRs passes by registration in the register of GDR holders maintained, or caused to be maintained by, the depositary and, accordingly, transfer of title to a GDR is effective only upon such registration in the records of the depositary. The depositary will refuse to accept for transfer any GDRs if it reasonably believes that such transfer would result in a violation of any applicable laws. The GDR holder will (except as otherwise required by law) be treated by the depositary and the Company as its absolute owner for all purposes (whether or not any payment or other distribution in respect of such GDR is overdue and regardless of any notice of ownership, trust or any interest in it or any writing on, or theft or loss of, any certificate issued in respect of it) and no person will be liable for so treating the GDR holder.
So long as Rule 144A GDRs are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act, interests in such Rule 144A GDRs corresponding to the Rule 144A Master GDR may be transferred to a person whose interest in such Rule 144A GDRs is to be represented by the Master Regulation S Global Depositary Receipt Certificate (the "Regulation S Master GDR") only upon receipt by the depositary of written certifications (in the forms provided in the deposit agreement) from the transferor and the transferee to the effect that such transfer is being made in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 of Regulation S under the Securities Act. Issuance of Rule 144A GDRs, including in connection with the transfer of an interest in Regulation S GDRs to a person whose interest is to be represented by the Master Rule 144A GDR, shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the deposit agreement, including delivery of the duly executed and completed written certificate and agreement required under the deposit agreement by or on behalf of each person who will be the beneficial owner of such Rule 144A GDRs certifying that such person is a qualified institutional buyer and agreeing that it will comply with the restrictions on transfer set forth therein and to payment of the fees, charges and taxes provided therein.
Whenever the depositary shall receive from the Company any cash dividend or other cash distribution on or in respect of the deposited shares (including any amounts received in the liquidation of the Company and amounts received pursuant to provisions of the deposit agreement) or otherwise in connection with the deposited property in a currency other than United States dollars, the depositary, its agent or custodian shall as soon as practicable convert the same into United States dollars. The depositary shall, if practicable in the opinion of the depositary, give notice to the GDR holders of its receipt of such payment, specifying the amount per deposited share payable in respect of such dividend or distribution and the date, determined by the depositary, for such payment to GDR holders and shall as soon as practicable distribute any such amounts to the GDR holders in proportion to the number of deposited shares represented by the GDRs so held by them respectively, provided that:
Whenever the depositary shall receive from the Company any distribution in respect of deposited shares which consists of a dividend in, or free distribution or bonus issue of, shares, the depositary shall cause to be distributed to the GDR holders entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of deposited shares represented by the GDRs held by them respectively, additional GDRs representing an aggregate number of shares received pursuant to such dividend or distribution by an increase in the number of GDRs evidenced by the Master GDRs or an issue of certificates in definitive registered form in respect of GDRs, according to the manner in which the GDR holders hold their GDRs; provided that, if and in so far as the depositary deems any such distribution to all or any GDR holders not to be reasonably practicable (including, without limitation, owing to the fractions which would otherwise result or to any requirement that the Company, the custodian or the depositary withhold an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges) or to be unlawful, the depositary shall sell such shares so received (either by public or private sale and otherwise at its discretion, subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations) and distribute the resulting net proceeds of such sale as a cash distribution to the GDR holders entitled thereto.
Whenever the depositary shall receive from the Company any dividend or distribution in securities (other than shares) or in other property (other than cash) on or in respect of the deposited property, the depositary shall distribute or cause to be distributed such securities or other property to the GDR holders entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of deposited shares represented by the GDRs held by them respectively, in any manner that the depositary may deem equitable and practicable for effecting such distribution; provided that, if and in so far as the depositary deems any such distribution to all or any GDR holders not to be reasonably practicable (including, without limitation, due to the fractions which would otherwise result or to any requirement that the Company, the custodian or the depositary withhold an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges) or to be unlawful, the depositary shall deal with the securities or property so received, or any part thereof in such manner as the depositary may determine to be equitable and practicable, including, without limitation, by way of sale of the securities or property so received, or any part thereof (either by public or private sale and otherwise at its discretion, subject to applicable laws and regulations), and distribute the net proceeds of such sale as a cash distribution to the GDR holders entitled thereto.
If and whenever the Company announces its intention to make any offer or invitation to the holders of shares to subscribe for or to acquire shares, securities or other assets by way of rights, the Company shall give timely notice thereof to the depositary and, thereafter, the depositary shall as soon as practicable give notice to the GDR holders of such offer or invitation specifying, if applicable, the earliest date established for acceptance thereof, the last date established for acceptance thereof and the manner by which and time during which GDR holders may request the depositary to exercise such rights as provided below or, if such be the case, give details of how the depositary proposes to distribute the rights or the proceeds of any sale thereof. The depositary will deal with such rights in the manner described below:
charges) or is so satisfied that it is unlawful, the depositary will, provided that GDR holders, have not taken up rights through the depositary as provided in (i) above endeavor to sell such rights (either by public or private sale and otherwise at its discretion subject to applicable laws and regulations) and distribute the net proceeds of such sale as a cash distribution to the GDR holders entitled thereto except to the extent prohibited by applicable law.
If at the time of the offering of any rights, at its discretion, the depositary shall be satisfied that it is not lawful or practicable (for reasons outside its control) to dispose of the rights in any manner provided in (i), (ii) or (iii) above the depositary shall permit the rights to lapse. In the absence of its own willful default, gross negligence or bad faith the depositary will not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or practicable to make rights available to GDR holders or owners of GDRs in general or to any GDR holder or owner of GDRs in particular.
The Company has agreed in the deposit agreement that it will, unless prohibited by any applicable law or regulation, give its consent to, and, if requested, use all reasonable endeavors to facilitate any such distribution, sale or subscription by the depositary or the GDR holders, including the obtaining of legal opinions from counsel reasonably satisfactory to the depositary concerning such matters as the depositary may reasonably specify.
If the Company notifies the depositary that registration is required in any jurisdiction under any applicable law of the rights, securities or other property to be distributed or the securities to which such rights relate, in order for the depositary to offer such rights or distribute such securities or other property to the GDR holders or owners of GDRs and to sell the securities represented by such rights, the depositary will not offer such rights or distribute such securities or other property to GDR holders or sell such rights unless and until the Company procures at the Company's expense, the receipt by the depositary of an opinion from counsel satisfactory to the depositary that the necessary registration has been effected or that the offer and sale of such rights, securities or property to GDR holders or owners of GDRs are exempt from registration under the provisions of such law. Neither the Company nor the depositary shall be liable to register such rights, securities or other property or the securities to which such rights relate and neither the Company nor the depositary shall be liable for any losses, damages or expenses resulting from any failure to do so.
Whenever the depositary shall receive any currency other than United States dollars by way of dividend or other distribution or as the net proceeds from the sale of securities, other property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the currency so received can in the judgment of the depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into United States dollars and distributed to the GDR holders entitled thereto, the depositary shall as soon as practicable itself convert or cause to be converted, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine, the currency so received into United States dollars. If such conversion or distribution can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the depositary, with the assistance of the Company, may make reasonable efforts to apply, or procure that an application be made, for such approval or license, if any, as it may consider desirable. If at any time the depositary shall determine that in its judgment any currency other than United States dollars is not convertible on a reasonable basis into United States dollars and distributable to the GDR holders entitled thereto, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof which is required for such conversion is denied or, in the opinion of the depositary, is not obtainable, or if any such approval or license is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the depositary, the depositary may distribute such other currency received by it (or an appropriate document evidencing the right to receive such other currency) to the GDR holders entitled thereto to the extent permitted under applicable law, or the depositary may in its discretion hold such other currency (without liability to any person for interest thereon) for the benefit of the GDR holders entitled thereto. If any conversion of any such currency can be effected in whole or in part for distribution to some (but not all) GDR holders entitled thereto, the depositary may in its absolute discretion make such conversion and distribution in United States dollars to the extent possible to the GDR holders entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of such other currency received by the depositary to, or hold such balance on non-interest bearing accounts for the account of, the GDR holders entitled thereto and notify the GDR holders accordingly.
Any distribution set forth under these provisions will be made by the depositary to those GDR holders who are holders of record on the record date established by the depositary for that purpose (which shall be the same date as the corresponding record date set by the Company or as near as practicable to any record date set by the Company) and, if practicable in the opinion of the depositary, notice shall be given promptly to GDR holders, in each case subject to any laws or regulations applicable thereto and distributions will be made in United States dollars by check drawn upon a bank in New York City or, in the case of the Master GDRs, according to usual practice between the depositary and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, Euroclear S.A./N.V. or the Depository Trust Company, as operator of the Euroclear System, as the case may be. The depositary or the agent, as the case may be, may deduct and retain from all moneys due in respect of such GDR in accordance with the deposit agreement all fees, taxes, duties, charges, costs and expenses which may become or have become payable under the deposit agreement or under applicable law in respect of such GDR or the relevant deposited property.
Delivery of any securities or other property or rights other than cash shall be made to the entitled GDR holder, subject to any laws or regulations applicable thereto.
Upon any change in the nominal value, sub-division, consolidation or other reclassification of deposited shares or any other part of the deposited property or upon any reduction of capital or upon any reorganization, merger or consolidation of the Company or to which it is a party (except where the Company is the continuing corporation), the depositary shall as soon as practicable give notice of such event to the GDR holders and, at its discretion, may treat such event as a distribution and comply with these provisions with respect thereto or may execute and deliver additional GDRs in respect of shares or may call for the surrender of outstanding GDRs to be exchanged for new GDRs which reflect the effect of such change or to be stamped in the appropriate manner so as to indicate the new number of shares and/or the new securities evidenced by such outstanding GDRs or may adopt more than one of these courses of action.
The Company agrees to provide timely notice to the depositary, which will enable the timely notification of GDR holders as to any change in its Company's Articles of Association resulting in limitations on the ability of the depositary to vote a particular GDR according to the voting instructions received in regard to such GDR.
(C) Notwithstanding anything else contained in the deposit agreement, the depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of deposited property if the taking of such action would violate U.S. legal prohibitions, English legal prohibitions (including, without limitation, the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority and the admission and disclosure standards of the London Stock Exchange) or Russian legal prohibitions (including without limitation the rules of the Russian stock exchange(s) on which the shares are listed). In particular, prior to the depositary being notified in writing by the Company that the placement report in respect of the new shares has been registered with the Central Bank of Russia, the depositary shall have no obligation to take any such action. The Company agrees that it shall not establish internal procedures that would prevent the depositary from complying with, or that are inconsistent with, the terms and conditions of the deposit agreement.
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