Exhibit 3.1
TERRITORY OF THE BRITISH VIRGIN
ISLANDS THE BVI BUSINESS
COMPANIES ACT, 2004 AMENDED AND
RESTATED
ARTICLES OF
ASSOCIATION OF
Brilliant Acquisition Corporation
A COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
Amended and restated by a Resolution of Members passed on 20 April 2023 and filed on 21 April 2023
1. | REGISTERED SHARES |
1.1. | Every Member is entitled to a certificate signed by a director of the Company or under the Seal specifying the number of Shares held by him and the signature of a Director. |
1.2. | Any Member receiving a certificate shall indemnify and hold the Company and its Directors and officers harmless from any loss or liability which it or they may incur by reason of any wrongful or fraudulent use or representation made by any person by virtue of the possession thereof. If a certificate for Shares is worn out or lost it may be renewed on production of the worn out certificate or on satisfactory proof of its loss together with such indemnity as may be required by a Resolution of Directors. |
1.3. | If several Eligible Persons are registered as joint holders of any Shares, any one of such Eligible Persons may give an effectual receipt for any Distribution. |
2. | SHARES |
2.1. | Subject to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum (and to any direction that may be given by the Company in general meeting), the Act and, where applicable, the rules of the Designated Stock Exchange and/or any competent regulatory authority, and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing Shares, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other rights or restrictions, whether in regard to Dividend or other distribution, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper, and may also (subject to the Act and the Articles) vary such rights. |
2.2. | The Company may issue Securities to Eligible Persons conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company on such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
2.3. | Section 46 of the Act does not apply to the Company. |
2.4. | The Company may issue units of Securities in the Company, which may be comprised of whole or fractional Shares, rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other Securities in the Company, upon such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Securities comprising any such units which are issued pursuant to the IPO can only be traded separately from one another on the 90th day following the date of the prospectus relating to the IPO unless the representative of the Underwriters in the IPO determines that an earlier date is acceptable, subject to the Company having filed a current report on Form 8-K with the SEC and a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Prior to such date, the units can be traded, but the securities comprising such units cannot be traded separately from one another. |
2.5. | No Shares may be issued for a consideration other than money, unless a Resolution of Directors has been passed stating: |
(a) | the amount to be credited for the issue of the Shares; |
(b) | their determination of the reasonable present cash value of the non-money consideration for the issue; and |
(c) | that, in their opinion, the present cash value of the non-money consideration for the issue is not less than the amount to be credited for the issue of the Shares. |
2.6. | The Company shall keep a Register of Members, in compliance with section 41 of the Act, containing: |
(a) | the names and addresses of the persons who hold Shares; |
(b) | the number of each class and series of Shares held by each Member; |
(c) | the date on which the name of each Member was entered in the Register of Members; and |
(d) | the date on which any Eligible Person ceased to be a Member. |
2.7. | The Register of Members may be in any such form as the Directors may approve, but if it is in magnetic, electronic or other data storage form, the Company must be able to produce legible evidence of its contents. Until the Directors otherwise determine, the magnetic, electronic or other data storage form shall be the original share register. |
2.8. | A Share is deemed to be issued when the name of the Member is entered in the Register of Members. |
3. | FORFEITURE |
3.1. | Shares that are not fully paid on issue are subject to the forfeiture provisions set forth in this Regulation and for this purpose Shares and Securities issued for a promissory note or a contract for future services are deemed to be not fully paid. |
3.2. | A written notice (“Call Notice”) of call specifying the date for payment to be made shall be served on the Member who defaults in making payment in respect of the Shares and Securities. |
3.3. | The Call Notice referred to in Regulation 3.2 shall name a further date not earlier than the expiration of 14 days from the date of service of the Call Notice on or before which the payment required by the Call Notice is to be made and shall contain a statement that in the event of non-payment at or before the time named in the Call Notice, the Shares or Securities, or any of them, in respect of which payment is not made will be liable to be forfeited. |
2
3.4. | Where a Call Notice has been issued pursuant to Regulation 3.2 and the requirements of the Call Notice have not been complied with, the Directors may, at any time before tender of payment, forfeit and cancel the Shares and Securities to which the Call Notice relates. |
3.5. | The Company is under no obligation to refund any moneys to the Member whose Shares or Securities have been cancelled pursuant to Regulation 3.4 and that Member shall be discharged from any further obligation to the Company. |
4. | TRANSFER OF SHARES |
4.1. | Subject to the Memorandum shares may be transferred by a written instrument of transfer signed by the transferor and containing the name and address of the transferee, which shall be sent to the Company for registration, provided that such transfer also complies with applicable rules of the SEC and federal and state securities laws of the United States. If the Shares in question were issued in conjunction with rights, options or warrants issued on terms that one cannot be transferred without the other, the Directors shall refuse to register the transfer of any such Share without evidence satisfactory to them of the like transfer of such option or warrant. |
4.2. | Shares held by the Founders shall not be transferred (except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and shareholders) participating in the private placement of the private units, officers, directors, shareholders, employees and members of the Sponsor and its affiliates, (2) amongst initial holders or to the Company’s officers, directors and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its partners, shareholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of the Company’s securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the applicable securities were originally purchased or (9) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, in each case (except for clause 9) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the insider letter and by the same agreements entered into by the Sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described in the prospectus issued by the Company in respect of the IPO))) until the earlier of (i) one year after the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination; or (ii) the date on which the closing price of the Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period following the six month anniversary of the consummation of our initial Business Combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to the initial Business Combination, the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Members having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property. |
4.3. | In addition to the above, the instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing in the usual or common form or in a form prescribed by the Designated Stock Exchange or in any other form approved by the officers of the Company and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if the Directors so require, signed by or on behalf of the transferee) and may be under hand or, if the transferor or transferee is a clearing house or its nominee(s), by hand or by machine imprinted signature or by such other manner of execution as the Directors may approve from time to time. |
3
4.4. | The transfer of a Share is effective when the name of the transferee is entered on the share register. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members. |
4.5. | If the Directors of the Company are satisfied that an instrument of transfer relating to Shares has been signed but that the instrument has been lost or destroyed, they may resolve by Resolution of Directors: |
(a) | to accept such evidence of the transfer of Shares as they consider appropriate; and |
(b) | that the transferee’s name should be entered in the Register of Members notwithstanding the absence of the instrument of transfer. |
4.6. | Subject to the Memorandum, the personal representative of a deceased Member may transfer a Share even though the personal representative is not a Member at the time of the transfer. |
5. | DISTRIBUTIONS |
5.1. | The Company may by Resolution of Directors, authorize a distribution at a time and of an amount they think fit if they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that, immediately after the distribution, the value of the Company’s assets will exceed its liabilities and the Company will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due. |
5.2. | Dividends may be paid in money, shares, or other property. |
5.3. | The Company may, by Resolution of Directors, from time to time pay to the Members such interim dividends as appear to the Directors to be justified by the profits of the Company, provided always that they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that, immediately after the distribution, the value of the Company’s assets will exceed its liabilities and the Company will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due. |
5.4. | Notice in writing of any dividend that may have been declared shall be given to each Member in accordance with Regulation 20 and all dividends unclaimed for three years after such notice has been given to a Member may be forfeited by Resolution of Directors for the benefit of the Company. |
5.5. | No dividend shall bear interest as against the Company. |
6. | REDEMPTION OF SHARES AND TREASURY SHARES |
6.1. | Subject to these Articles, the Company may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire and hold its own Shares save that the Company may not purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire its own Shares without the consent of the Member whose Shares are to be purchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired unless the Company is permitted by the Act or any other provision in the Memorandum or Articles to purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire the Shares without such consent. |
6.2. | The purchase redemption or other acquisition by the Company of its own Shares is deemed not to be a distribution where: |
(a) | The Company purchases, redeems or otherwise acquires the Shares pursuant to a right of a Member to have his Shares redeemed or to have his shares exchanged for money or other property of the Company; or |
(b) | The Company purchases, redeems or otherwise acquires the Shares by virtue of the provisions of section 176of the Act. |
4
6.3. | Sections 60, 61 and 62 of the Act shall not apply to the Company. |
6.4. | Shares that the Company purchases, redeems or otherwise acquires pursuant to this Regulation may be cancelled or held as Treasury Shares except to the extent that such Shares are in excess of 50 percent of the issued Shares in which case they shall be cancelled but they shall be available for reissue. |
6.5. | All rights and obligations attaching to a Treasury Share are suspended and shall not be exercised by the Company while it holds the Share as a Treasury Share. |
6.6. | Treasury Shares may be disposed of by the Company on such terms and conditions (not otherwise inconsistent with the Memorandum and Articles) as the Company may by Resolution of Directors determine. |
6.7. | Where Shares are held by another body corporate of which the Company holds, directly or indirectly, shares having more than 50 per cent of the votes in the election of directors of the other body corporate, all rights and obligations attaching to the Shares held by the other body corporate are suspended and shall not be exercised by the other body corporate. |
7. | MEETINGS AND CONSENTS OF MEMBERS |
7.1. | Any director of the Company may convene meetings of the Members at such times and in such manner and places within or outside the British Virgin Islands as the director considers necessary or desirable. |
7.2. | Upon the written request of the Members entitled to exercise thirty per cent (30%) or more of the voting rights in respect of the matter for which the meeting is requested the Directors shall convene a meeting of Members. |
7.3. | The Director convening a meeting shall give at least ten (10) days’ written notice of a meeting of Members to: |
(a) | those Members whose names on the date the notice is given appear as Members in the Register of Members and are entitled to vote at the meeting; and |
(b) | the other Directors. |
7.4. | The director convening a meeting of Members may fix as the record date for determining those Members that are entitled to vote at the meeting the date notice is given of the meeting, or such other date as may be specified in the notice, being a date not earlier than the date of the notice. |
7.5. | A meeting of Members held in contravention of the requirement to give notice is valid if Members holding at least 90 per cent of the total voting rights on all the matters to be considered at the meeting have waived notice of the meeting and, for this purpose, the presence of a Member at the meeting shall constitute waiver in relation to all the Shares which that Member holds. |
7.6. | The inadvertent failure of a director who convenes a meeting to give notice of a meeting to a Member or another director, or the fact that a Member or another director has not received notice, does not invalidate the meeting. |
5
7.7. | A Member may be represented at a meeting of Members by a proxy who may speak and vote on behalf of the Member. |
7.8. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be produced at the place designated for the meeting before the time for holding the meeting at which the person named in such instrument proposes to vote. |
7.9. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in substantially the following form or such other form as the chairman of the meeting shall accept as properly evidencing the wishes of the Member appointing the proxy. |
To: [●]
I/We, being a Member of the above Company HEREBY APPOINT ...................... of ..............................or failing him ................ of ................................. to be my/our proxy to vote for me/us at the meeting of Members to be held on the ............... day of ....., 20.... and at any adjournment thereof.
(Any restrictions on voting to be inserted here.)
Signed this ...... day of ............., 20....
............................................. Member
|
7.10. | The following applies where Shares are jointly owned: |
(a) | if two or more persons hold Shares jointly each of them may be present in person or by proxy at a meeting of Members and may speak as a Member; |
(b) | if only one of the joint owners is present in person or by proxy he may vote on behalf of all joint owners; and |
(c) | if two or more of the joint owners are present in person or by proxy they must vote as one and in the event of disagreement between any of the joint owners of Shares then the vote of the joint owner whose name appears first (or earliest) in the Register of Members in respect of the relevant Shares shall be recorded as the vote attributable to the Shares. |
7.11. | A Member shall be deemed to be present at a meeting of Members if he participates by telephone or other electronic means and all Members participating in the meeting are able to hear each other. |
7.12. | A meeting of Members is duly constituted if, at the commencement of the meeting, there are present in person or by proxy Members representing not less than thirty per cent (30%) of the votes of the Shares entitled to vote on Resolutions of Members to be considered at the meeting. If the Company has two or more classes of shares, a meeting may be quorate for some purposes and not for others. A quorum may comprise a single Member or proxy and then such person may pass a Resolution of Members and a certificate signed by such person accompanied where such person holds a proxy by a copy of the proxy instrument shall constitute a valid Resolution of Members. |
6
7.13. | If within two hours from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Members, shall be dissolved; in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the next business day in the jurisdiction in which the meeting was to have been held at the same time and place, and if at the adjourned meeting there are present within one hour from the time appointed for the meeting in person or by proxy not less than one third of the votes of the Shares or each class or series of Shares entitled to vote on the matters to be considered by the meeting, those present shall constitute a quorum but otherwise the meeting shall be dissolved. |
7.14. | At every meeting of Members, the chairman of the Board shall preside as chairman of the meeting. If there is no chairman of the Board or if the chairman of the Board is not present at the meeting, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be the chairman. If the Members are unable to choose a chairman for any reason, then the person representing the greatest number of voting Shares present in person or by proxy at the meeting shall preside as chairman failing which the oldest individual Member or representative of a Member present shall take the chair. |
7.15. | The chairman may, with the consent of the meeting, adjourn any meeting from time to time, and from place to place. |
7.16. | At any meeting of the Members the chairman is responsible for deciding in such manner as he considers appropriate whether any resolution proposed has been carried or not and the result of his decision shall be announced to the meeting and recorded in the minutes of the meeting. If the chairman has any doubt as to the outcome of the vote on a proposed resolution, he shall cause a poll to be taken of all votes cast upon such resolution. If the chairman fails to take a poll then any Member present in person or by proxy who disputes the announcement by the chairman of the result of any vote may immediately following such announcement demand that a poll be taken and the chairman shall cause a poll to be taken. If a poll is taken at any meeting, the result shall be announced to the meeting and recorded in the minutes of the meeting. |
7.17. | Subject to the specific provisions contained in this Regulation for the appointment of representatives of Members other than individuals the right of any individual to speak for or represent a Member shall be determined by the law of the jurisdiction where, and by the documents by which, the Member is constituted or derives its existence. In case of doubt, the Directors may in good faith seek legal advice and unless and until a court of competent jurisdiction shall otherwise rule, the Directors may rely and act upon such advice without incurring any liability to any Member or the Company. |
7.18. | Any Member, other than an individual, may by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorize such individual as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of Members or of any class of Members, and the individual so authorized shall be entitled to exercise the same rights on behalf of the Member which he represents as that Member could exercise if it were an individual. |
7.19. | The chairman of any meeting at which a vote is cast by proxy or on behalf of any Member other than an individual may at the meeting but not thereafter call for a notarially certified copy of such proxy or authority which shall be produced within 7 days of being so requested or the votes cast by such proxy or on behalf of such Member shall be disregarded. |
7.20. | Directors of the Company may attend and speak at any meeting of Members and at any separate meeting of the holders of any class or series of Shares. |
7.21. | An action that may be taken by the Members at a meeting may also be taken by a Resolution of Members consented to in writing, without the need for any prior notice. If any Resolution of Members is adopted otherwise than by the unanimous written consent of all Members, a copy of such resolution shall forthwith be sent to all Members not consenting to, or not having signed, such resolution. The consent may be in the form of counterparts, each counterpart being signed by one or more Members. If the consent is in one or more counterparts, and the counterparts bear different dates, then the resolution shall take effect on the earliest date upon which Eligible Persons holding a sufficient number of votes of Shares to constitute a Resolution of Members have consented to the resolution by signed counterparts. |
7
8. | UNTRACEABLE MEMBERS |
8.1. | Where any Member is untraceable, the Company may sell any of their Shares provided that: |
(a) | no less than 3 checks for any sums payable in cash to such Member have remained uncashed for a period of 12 years from the date of issue of the check; |
(b) | the Company not having during that time or before the expiry of the three-month period referred to in (c) below received any indication of the existence of the Member or person entitled to such shares by death, bankruptcy or operation of law; and |
(c) | upon expiration of the 12-year period, an advertisement has been published in newspapers, giving notice of the Company’s intention to sell those Shares, and a period of three months or such shorter period has elapsed since the date of such advertisement. |
then, the net proceeds of any such sale shall be held in the Company, and the net proceeds shall be accounted as a debt due to that untraceable Member for an amount equal to such net proceeds.
9. | DIRECTORS |
9.1. | The Director or Directors shall be elected by Resolution of Members or by Resolution of Directors for such term as the Members or Directors shall determine. |
9.2. | No person shall be appointed as a director of the Company unless he has consented in writing to act as a director. |
9.3. | Subject to Regulation 9.1, the minimum number of Directors shall be one (1) and there shall be no maximum number of Directors. |
9.4. | Each Director holds office for the term, if any, fixed by the Resolution of Members or Resolution of Directors appointing him, or until his earlier death, resignation or removal. If no term is fixed on the appointment of a Director, the Director shall serve indefinitely until his earlier death, resignation or removal. |
9.5. | A director may be removed from office with or without cause by: |
(a) | a Resolution of Members called for the purposes of removing the director or for purposes including the removal of the director or by a written resolution passed by a least seventy five per cent of the Members of the Company entitled to vote, provided that no director appointed from the closing of the IPO until consummation of the initial Business Combination may be removed by a Resolution of Members; or |
(b) | a Resolution of Directors. |
8
9.6. | A Director may resign his office by giving written notice of his resignation to the Company and the resignation has effect from the date the notice is received by the Company at the office of its registered agent or from such later date as may be specified in the notice. A director shall resign forthwith as a Director if he is, or becomes, disqualified from acting as a director under the Act. |
9.7. | The Directors may at any time appoint any person to be a Director either to fill a vacancy or as an addition to the existing Directors. Where the Directors appoint a person as Director to fill a vacancy, the term shall not exceed the term that remained when the Director being replaced ceased to hold office. |
9.8. | A vacancy in relation to Directors occurs if a Director dies or otherwise ceases to hold office prior to the expiration of his term of office. |
9.9. | The Company shall keep a register of directors complying with the Act containing: |
(a) | the names and addresses of the persons who are Directors; |
(b) | the date on which each person whose name is entered in the register of Directors was appointed as a Director of the Company; |
(c) | the date on which each person named as a Director ceased to be a Director of the Company; and |
(d) | such other information as may be prescribed by the Act. |
9.10. | The register of Directors may be kept in any such form as the Directors may approve, but if it is in magnetic, electronic or other data storage form, the Company must be able to produce legible evidence of its contents. Until a Resolution of Directors determining otherwise is passed, the magnetic, electronic or other data storage shall be the original register of Directors. |
9.11. | A Director is not required to hold a Share as a qualification to office. |
10. | REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS |
10.1. | The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine, provided that no remuneration shall be paid to any Director prior to the consummation of a Business Combination. The Directors shall also, whether prior to or after the consummation of a Business Combination, be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company or the discharge of their duties as a Director, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other. |
10.2. | The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services which in the opinion of the Directors go beyond his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel, attorney or solicitor to the Company (collectively an “Advisor”), or otherwise serves in his capacity as an Advisor shall be separately remunerated for services provided as an Advisor in addition to his remuneration as a Director. |
11. | POWERS OF DIRECTORS |
11.1. | The business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by, or under the direction or supervision of, the Directors. The Directors have all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, the business and affairs of the Company. The Directors may pay all expenses incurred preliminary to and in connection with the incorporation of the Company and may exercise all such powers of the Company as are not by the Act or by the Memorandum or the Articles required to be exercised by the Members. |
9
11.2. | If the Company is the wholly owned subsidiary of a holding company, a director of the Company may, when exercising powers or performing duties as a director, act in a manner which he believes is in the best interests of the holding company even though it may not be in the best interests of the Company. |
11.3. | If the Company is a subsidiary, but not a wholly owned subsidiary, of a holding company, and the Members other than the holding company agree in advance, a director of the Company may, when exercising powers or performing duties as a director in connection with the carrying out of the joint venture, act in a manner which he believes is in the best interests of a Member or some Members even though it may not be in the best interests of the Company. |
11.4. | If the Company is carrying out a joint venture between Members, a director of the Company may, when exercising powers or performing duties as a director, act in a manner which he believes is in the best interests of the holding company even though it may not be in the best interests of the Company. |
11.5. | Each Director shall exercise his powers for a proper purpose and shall not act or agree to the Company acting in a manner that contravenes the Memorandum, the Articles or the Act. Each Director, in exercising his powers or performing his duties, shall act honestly and in good faith in what the Director believes to be the best interests of the Company. |
11.6. | The Directors may by Resolution of Directors exercise all the powers of the Company to incur indebtedness, liabilities or obligations and to secure indebtedness, liabilities or obligations whether of the Company or of any third party. |
11.7. | All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and all receipts for moneys paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed, as the case may be, in such manner as shall from time to time be determined by Resolution of Directors. |
11.8. | Section 175 of the Act shall not apply to the Company. |
12. | PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS |
12.1. | Any one director of the Company may call a meeting of the Directors by sending a written notice to all other Directors. |
12.2. | The Directors or any committee thereof may meet at such times and in such manner and places within or outside the British Virgin Islands as the notice calling the meeting provides. |
12.3. | A Director is deemed to be present at a meeting of Directors if he participates by telephone or other electronic means and all Directors participating in the meeting are able to hear each other. |
12.4. | A Director shall be given not less than three days’ notice of meetings of Directors, but a meeting of Directors held without three days’ notice having been given to all Directors shall be valid if all the Directors entitled to vote at the meeting waive notice of the meeting, and for this purpose the presence of a Director at a meeting shall constitute waiver by that director. The inadvertent failure to give notice of a meeting to a Director, or the fact that a Director has not received the notice, does not invalidate the meeting. |
10
12.5. | A meeting of Directors is duly constituted for all purposes if at the commencement of the meeting there are present in person not less than one-half of the total number of Directors, unless there are only two Directors in which case the quorum is two. |
12.6. | If the Company has only one Director the provisions herein contained for meetings of Directors do not apply and such sole Director has full power to represent and act for the Company in all matters as are not by the Act, the Memorandum or the Articles required to be exercised by the Members. In lieu of minutes of a meeting the sole Director shall record in writing and sign a note or memorandum of all matters requiring a Resolution of Directors. Such a note or memorandum constitutes sufficient evidence of such resolution for all purposes. |
12.7. | At meetings of Directors at which the chairman of the Board is present, he shall preside as chairman of the meeting. If there is no chairman of the Board or if the chairman of the Board is not present, the Directors present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. If the Directors are unable to choose a chairman for any reason, then the longest standing Director present shall take the chair. |
12.8. | An action that may be taken by the Directors or a committee of directors at a meeting may also be taken by a Resolution of Directors or a resolution of a committee of Directors consented to in writing by all Directors or by all members of the committee, as the case may be, without the need for any notice. The consent may be in the form of counterparts each counterpart being signed by one or more Directors. If the consent is in one or more counterparts, and the counterparts bear different dates, then the resolution shall take effect on the date upon which the last director has consented to the resolution by signed counterparts. |
13. | COMMITTEES |
13.1. | The Directors may, by Resolution of Directors, designate one or more committees, each consisting of one or more Directors, and delegate one or more of their powers, including the power to affix the Seal, to the committee. |
13.2. | The Directors have no power to delegate to a committee of directors any of the following powers: |
(a) | to amend the Memorandum or the Articles: |
(b) | to designate committees of directors; |
(c) | to delegate powers to a committee of Directors; |
(d) | to appoint Directors; |
(e) | to appoint an agent; |
(f) | to approve a plan of merger, consolidation or arrangement; or |
(g) | to make a declaration of solvency or to approve a liquidation plan. |
13.3. | Regulations 13.2(b) and 13.2(c) do not prevent a committee of Directors, where authorized by the Resolution of Directors appointing such committee or by a subsequent Resolution of Directors, from appointing a sub-committee and delegating powers exercisable by the committee to the sub-committee. |
11
13.4. | The meetings and proceedings of each committee of Directors consisting of 2 or more Directors shall be governed mutatis mutandis by the provisions of the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors so far as the same are not superseded by any provisions in the Resolution of Directors establishing the committee. |
14. | OFFICERS AND AGENTS |
14.1. | The Company may by Resolution of Directors appoint officers of the Company at such times as may be considered necessary or expedient. Such officers may consist of a chairman of the Board of Directors, a Chief Executive Officer, one or more vice- presidents, secretaries and treasurers and such other officers as may from time to time be considered necessary or expedient. Any number of offices may be held by the same person. |
14.2. | The officers shall perform such duties as are prescribed at the time of their appointment subject to any modification in such duties as may be prescribed thereafter by Resolution of Directors. In the absence of any specific prescription of duties it shall be the responsibility of the chairman of the Board to preside at meetings of Directors and Members, the Chief Executive Officer to manage the day to day affairs of the Company, the vice-presidents to act in order of seniority in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer but otherwise to perform such duties as may be delegated to them by the Chief Executive Officer, the secretaries to maintain the share register, minute books and records (other than financial records) of the Company and to ensure compliance with all procedural requirements imposed on the Company by applicable law, and the treasurer to be responsible for the financial affairs of the Company. |
14.3. | The emoluments of all officers shall be fixed by Resolution of Directors. |
14.4. | The officers of the Company shall hold office until their death, resignation or removal. Any officer elected or appointed by the Directors may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by Resolution of Directors. Any vacancy occurring in any office of the Company may be filled by Resolution of Directors. |
14.5. | The Resolution of Directors appointing an agent may authorize the agent to appoint one or more substitutes or delegates to exercise some or all of the powers conferred on the agent by the Company. The Directors may remove an agent appointed by the Company and may revoke or vary a power conferred on him. |
15. | FINANCIAL YEAR |
15.1. | Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1st January in each year. |
16. | TRANSFER BY WAY OF CONTINUATION |
16.1. | The Company may by Resolution of the Directors have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the British Virgin Islands and to be deregistered in the British Virgin Islands. |
17. | MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATIONS |
17.1. | The Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more other constituent companies upon such terms as the Directors may determine by a Resolution of the Directors subject as may be permitted by the Act. |
12
18. | BUSINESS COMBINATION |
18.1. | Notwithstanding any other Regulations of the Articles, this Regulation 18 shall apply during the period commencing upon the adoption of the Articles and terminating upon the first to occur of the consummation of any Business Combination and the distribution of the Trust Fund pursuant to Regulation 18.6. In the event of a conflict between this Regulation 18 and any other Regulation, the provisions of this Regulation 18 shall prevail, and this Regulation may not be amended prior to the consummation of a Business Combination without the approval of a Resolution of Members. |
18.2. | Prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, the Company shall either: |
(a) | submit such Business Combination to its Members for approval; or |
(b) | provide Members with the opportunity to have their Shares repurchased by means of a tender offer for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the Trust Fund, provided that the Company shall not repurchase Shares in an amount that would cause the Company’s net tangible assets to be less than US$5,000,001. |
18.3. | The Company shall initiate any tender offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and shall file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about such Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, to repurchase Public Shares. |
18.4. | At a general meeting called for the purposes of approving a Business Combination pursuant to this Regulation, in the event that a majority of the Shares voted are voted for the approval of the Business Combination, the Company shall be authorised to consummate the Business Combination, provided that the Company shall not consummate any Business Combination unless the Company has net tangible assets of at least US$5,000,001 upon such consummation or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to the Business Combination. |
18.5. | Any Member holding Shares issued to persons who are not a Founder, officer of the Company or Director may, contemporaneously with any vote on a Business Combination, elect to have their Public Shares redeemed for cash (the “IPO Redemption”), provided that the Member follows the applicable procedures for redemption specified in the applicable disclosure documents. If so demanded, the Company shall pay any such redeeming Member, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed Business Combination, a per Share redemption price equal to their pro rata share of the Trust Fund (such redemption price being referred to herein as the “Redemption Price”). The Redemption Price shall be paid promptly following the consummation of the relevant Business Combination. If the proposed Business Combination is not approved or completed for any reason then such redemptions shall be cancelled and share certificates (if any) returned to the relevant Members as appropriate. |
18.6. | (A) The Company shall consummate an initial Business Combination on or before April 23, 2023 (the “Deadline”), which Deadline may be extended by the Company by Resolution of Directors in up to three (3) separate instances (each, an “Extension”) by an additional one (1) month each, for a total of up to three (3) months (each period as extended an “Extension Period”) without another shareholder vote, provided that if the Company exercises the Extension, then the Founders, or their affiliates or designees, shall, upon five (5) days advance notice prior to the Deadline, deposit into the Trust Fund, US$0.04 per Public Share outstanding (the “Top-up Amount”) on or prior to the Deadline or the Deadline as extended by any Extension Period validly exercised under this Article 18.6(A). |
(B) If the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination on or before the earlier of (i) the Deadline, where no Extension is validly exercised under Article 18.6(A), or (ii) the Deadline, as extended by any Extension Period validly exercised under Article 18.6(A), or (iii) July 23, 2023 (the “Extended Deadline”), or if any Top-Up Amount is not paid in full by the Founders as required under Article 18.6(A), the Company shall, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the Trust Fund, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned, but excluding all expenses paid and reserves for expenses and taxes payable. |
13
18.7. | A holder of Public Shares shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Fund only in the event of an IPO Redemption, a repurchase of Shares by means of a tender offer pursuant to Regulation 18.2(b), or a distribution of the Trust Fund pursuant to Regulation 18.6. In no other circumstance shall a holder of Public Shares have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Fund. |
18.8. | After the issue of Public Shares, and prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Directors shall not issue additional Shares or any other Securities that participate in any manner in the Trust Fund or that vote as a class with Public Shares on any Business Combination. |
18.9. | The uninterested independent Directors shall approve any transaction or transactions between the Company and any of the following parties: |
(a) | any Member owning an interest in the voting power of the Company that gives such Member a significant influence over the Company; and |
(b) | any Director or executive officer of the Company and any affiliate or relative of such Director or executive officer. |
18.10. | A Director may vote in respect of any Business Combination in which such Director has a conflict of interest with respect to the evaluation of such Business Combination. Such Director must disclose such interest or conflict to the other Directors. |
18.11. | The Audit Committee shall monitor compliance with the terms of the IPO and, if any non-compliance is identified, the Audit Committee shall be charged with the responsibility to take all action necessary to rectify such non-compliance or otherwise cause compliance with the terms of the IPO. |
18.12. | The Company may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with the Sponsor, the Directors or executive officers of the Company and in such event the Company will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm that the Business Combination is fair to the Shareholders from a financial point of view. |
18.13. | The Company will not enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is a blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
19. | CONFLICT OF INTERESTS |
19.1. | A director of the Company shall, forthwith after becoming aware of the fact that he is interested in a transaction entered into or to be entered into by the Company, disclose the interest to all other Directors. |
14
19.2. | For the purposes of Regulation 19.1, a disclosure to all other Directors to the effect that a Director is a member, director or officer of another named entity or has a fiduciary relationship with respect to the entity or a named individual and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction which may, after the date of the entry or disclosure, be entered into with that entity or individual, is a sufficient disclosure of interest in relation to that transaction. |
19.3. | Subject to any rules or regulations of the Designated Exchange or any laws or regulations governing companies listed on the Designated Exchange, a Director who is interested in a transaction entered into or to be entered into by the Company may: |
(a) | vote on a matter relating to the transaction; |
(b) | attend a meeting of Directors at which a matter relating to the transaction arises and be included among the Directors present at the meeting for the purposes of a quorum; and |
(c) | sign a document on behalf of the Company, or do any other thing in his capacity as a Director, that relates to the transaction, and, subject to compliance with the Act shall not, by reason of his office be accountable to the Company for any benefit which he derives from such transaction and no such transaction shall be liable to be avoided on the grounds of any such interest or benefit. |
20. | INDEMNIFICATION |
20.1. | Subject to the limitations hereinafter provided the Company shall indemnify against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or investigative proceedings any person who: |
(a) | is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director of the Company; or |
(b) | is or was, at the request of the Company, serving as a director of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another company or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. |
20.2. | The indemnity in Regulation 20.1 only applies if the person acted honestly and in good faith with a view to what that person believed were the best interests of the Company and, in the case of criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful. |
20.3. | The decision of the Directors as to whether the person acted honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the Company and as to whether the person had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful is, in the absence of fraud, sufficient for the purposes of the Articles, unless a question of law is involved. |
20.4. | The termination of any proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement, conviction or the entering of a nolle prosequi does not, by itself, create a presumption that the person did not act honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the Company or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. |
20.5. | The Company may purchase and maintain insurance in relation to any person who is or was a director, officer or liquidator of the Company, or who at the request of the Company is or was serving as a director, officer or liquidator of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another company or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against the person and incurred by the person in that capacity, whether or not the Company has or would have had the power to indemnify the person against the liability as provided in the Articles. |
15
21. | RECORDS |
21.1. | The Company shall keep the following documents at the office of its registered agent: |
(a) | the Memorandum and the Articles; |
(b) | the Register of Members, or a copy of the Register of Members; |
(c) | the register of Directors, or a copy of the register of Directors; and |
(d) | copies of all notices and other documents filed by the Company with the Registrar of Corporate Affairs in the previous 10 years. |
21.2. | If the Company maintains only a single copy of the Register of Members or a copy of the register of Directors at the office of its registered agent, it shall: |
(a) | within 15 days of any change in either register, notify the registered agent in writing of the change; and |
(b) | provide the registered agent with a written record of the physical address of the place or places at which the original Register of Members or the original register of Directors is kept. |
21.3. | The Company shall keep the following records at the office of its registered agent or at such other place or places, within or outside the British Virgin Islands, as the Directors may determine: |
(a) | minutes of meetings and Resolutions of Members and classes of Members; |
(b) | minutes of meetings and Resolutions of Directors and committees of Directors; and |
(c) | an impression of the Seal, if any. |
21.4. | Where any original records referred to in this Regulation are maintained other than at the office of the registered agent of the Company, and the place at which the original records is changed, the Company shall provide the registered agent with the physical address of the new location of the records of the Company within 14 days of the change of location. |
21.5. | The records kept by the Company under this Regulation shall be in written form or either wholly or partly as electronic records. |
22. | REGISTERS OF CHARGES |
22.1. | The Company shall maintain at the office of its registered agent a register of charges in which there shall be entered the following particulars regarding each mortgage, charge and other encumbrance created by the Company: |
(a) | the date of creation of the charge; |
(b) | a short description of the liability secured by the charge; |
(c) | a short description of the property charged; |
(d) | the name and address of the trustee for the security or, if there is no such trustee, the name and address of the chargee; |
(e) | unless the charge is a security to bearer, the name and address of the holder of the charge; and |
(f) | details of any prohibition or restriction contained in the instrument creating the charge on the power of the Company to create any future charge ranking in priority to or equally with the charge. |
16
23. | SEAL |
23.1. | The Company may have more than one Seal and references herein to the Seal shall be references to every Seal which shall have been duly adopted by Resolution of Directors. The Directors shall provide for the safe custody of the Seal and for an imprint thereof to be kept at the registered office. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein the Seal when affixed to any written instrument shall be witnessed and attested to by the signature of any one director or other person so authorized from time to time by Resolution of Directors. Such authorization may be before or after the Seal is affixed, may be general or specific and may refer to any number of sealings. The Directors may provide for a facsimile of the Seal and of the signature of any director or authorized person which may be reproduced by printing or other means on any instrument and it shall have the same force and validity as if the Seal had been affixed to such instrument and the same had been attested to as hereinbefore described. |
24. | ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT |
24.1. | The Company shall keep records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company’s transactions and that will, at any time, enable the financial position of the Company to be determined with reasonable accuracy. |
24.2. | The Company may by Resolution of Members call for the Directors to prepare periodically and make available a profit and loss account and a balance sheet. The profit and loss account and balance sheet shall be drawn up so as to give respectively a true and fair view of the profit and loss of the Company for a financial period and a true and fair view of the assets and liabilities of the Company as at the end of a financial period. |
24.3. | The Company may by Resolution of Members call for the accounts to be examined by auditors. |
24.4. | The first auditors shall be appointed by Resolution of Directors; subsequent auditors shall be appointed by a Resolution of Members or a Resolution of Directors. |
24.5. | The Directors may establish and maintain an audit committee (the “Audit Committee”) as a committee of the Directors and shall adopt a formal written Audit Committee charter and review and assess the adequacy of the formal written charter on an annual basis. The composition and responsibilities of the Audit Committee shall comply with the rules and regulations of the SEC and the Designated Stock Exchange. Once formed, the Audit Committee shall meet at least once every financial quarter, or more frequently as the circumstances dictate. |
24.6. | The auditors may be Members, but no director or other officer shall be eligible to be an auditor of the Company during their continuance in office. |
24.7. | The remuneration of the auditors of the Company: |
(a) | in the case of auditors appointed by the Directors, may be fixed by Resolution of Directors; and |
(b) | subject to the foregoing, shall be fixed by Resolution of Members or in such manner as the Company may by Resolution of Members determine. |
24.8. | The auditors shall examine each profit and loss account and balance sheet required to be laid before a meeting of the Members or otherwise given to Members and shall state in a written report whether or not: |
(a) | in their opinion the profit and loss account and balance sheet give a true and fair view respectively of the profit and loss for the period covered by the accounts, and of the assets and liabilities of the Company at the end of that period; and |
(b) | all the information and explanations required by the auditors have been obtained. |
17
24.9. | The report of the auditors shall be annexed to the accounts and shall be read at the meeting of Members at which the accounts are laid before the Company or shall be otherwise given to the Members. |
24.10. | Every auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books of account and vouchers of the Company, and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanations as he thinks necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors. |
24.11. | The auditors of the Company shall be entitled to receive notice of, and to attend any meetings of Members at which the Company’s profit and loss account and balance sheet are to be presented. |
25. | TAX FILINGS |
25.1. | Each Tax Filing Authorized Person and any such other person, acting alone, as any Director shall designate from time to time, are authorized to file tax forms SS-4, W-8 BEN, W-8 IMY, W-9, 8832 and 2553 and such other similar tax forms as are customary to file with any US state or federal governmental authorities or foreign governmental authorities in connection with the formation, activities and/or elections of the Company and such other tax forms as may be approved from time to time by any Director or officer of the Company. The Company further ratifies and approves any such filing made by any Tax Filing Authorized Person or such other person prior to the date of the Articles. |
26. | NOTICES |
26.1. | Any notice, information or written statement to be given by the Company to Members may be given by personal service by mail, facsimile or other similar means of electronic communication, addressed to each Member at the address shown in the share register. |
26.2. | Any summons, notice, order, document, process, information or written statement to be served on the Company may be served by leaving it, or by sending it by registered mail addressed to the Company, at its registered office, or by leaving it with, or by sending it by registered mail to, the registered agent of the Company. |
26.3. | Service of any summons, notice, order, document, process, information or written statement to be served on the Company may be proved by showing that the summons, notice, order, document, process, information or written statement was delivered to the registered office or the registered agent of the Company or that it was mailed in such time as to admit to its being delivered to the registered office or the registered agent of the Company in the normal course of delivery within the period prescribed for service and was correctly addressed and the postage was prepaid. |
27. | VOLUNTARY WINDING UP |
27.1. | The Company may by a Resolution of Members or by a Resolution of Directors appoint a voluntary liquidator. |
27.2. | If the Company does not commence its Business Combination on or before the earlier of (i) the Deadline, where no Extension is validly exercised under Article 18.6(A), or (ii) the Deadline, as extended by any Extension Period validly exercised under Article 18.6(A), or (iii) the Extended Deadline, such event shall terminate the existence of the Company and the Company shall appoint a voluntary liquidator to commence the liquidation of the Company. |
18
We, CONYERS TRUST COMPANY (BVI) LIMITED, registered agent of the Company, of Commerce House, Wickhams Cay 1, PO Box 3140, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands VG1110 for the purpose of incorporating a BVI Business Company under the laws of the British Virgin Islands hereby sign these Articles of Association on the 24 May 2019.
Incorporator | |
CONYERS TRUST COMPANY (BVI) LIMITED | |
Per: Andrew Swapp | |
For and on behalf of | |
Conyers Trust Company (BVI) Limited |
19