Annexure
A new Condition 9.3A (“Early repurchase at the option of Noteholders (Change of Control)”) is added as follows:
9.3A Early repurchase at the option of Noteholders (Change of Control)
If a Change of Control Repurchase Event occurs, unless the Issuer shall have exercised its rights to redeem the Notes in full, the Issuer shall make an offer to each Noteholder to repurchase all or some of the Notes of a Series held by that Noteholder at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount of the Note repurchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes repurchased to, but not including, the Redemption Date. Within 30 days following any Change of Control Repurchase Event or, at the Issuer’s option, prior to any Change of Control, but after the public announcement of the Change of Control, the Issuer will send notice to the Registrar (and the Registrar will promptly provide a copy of such notice to the Noteholders) describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control Repurchase Event and offering to repurchase the Notes on the date specified in the notice, which date is no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is sent. The notice shall, if sent prior to the date of consummation of the Change of Control, state that the offer to purchase is conditioned on the Change of Control Repurchase Event occurring on or prior to the payment date specified in the notice. The Issuer shall comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the U.S. Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Notes as a result of a Change of Control Repurchase Event.
To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with this Condition, the Issuer shall comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to have breached its obligations under this Condition by virtue of such conflict.
On the Change of Control Repurchase Event payment date, subject to extension if necessary to comply with the provisions of the U.S. Investment Company Act, the Issuer shall, to the extent lawful:
| (a) | accept for payment all Notes properly tendered pursuant to its offer; |
| (b) | deposit with the Issuing and Paying Agent an amount equal to the aggregate purchase price in respect of all Notes properly tendered; and |
| (c) | arrange for the Noteholder to deliver to the Registrar the Notes properly accepted together with a certificate signed by an authorised officer of the Issuer stating the aggregate amount of Notes being purchased by the Issuer. |
The Issuer will not be required to make an offer to repurchase the Notes upon a Change of Control Repurchase Event if a third party makes an offer in respect of the Notes in the manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements for an offer made by the Issuer and such third party purchases all Notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under its offer.
The following definitions apply to this Condition 9.3A (“Early repurchase at the option of Noteholders (Change of Control)”):
Below Investment Grade Rating Event means the Notes are downgraded below Investment Grade Rating by both Rating Agencies on any date from the date of the public notice of an arrangement that results in a Change of Control until the end of the 60-day period following public notice of the occurrence of a Change of Control (which period shall be extended so long as the rating of the Notes is under publicly announced consideration for possible downgrade by either Rating Agency); provided that a Below Investment Grade Rating Event otherwise arising by virtue of a particular reduction in rating shall not be deemed to have occurred in respect to a particular Change of Control (and thus shall not be deemed a Below Investment Grade Rating Event for purposes of the definition of Change of Control Repurchase Event hereunder) if the Rating Agencies making the reduction in rating to which this definition would otherwise apply do not announce or publicly confirm or inform the Issuer in writing that the reduction was the result, in whole or in part, of any event or circumstance comprised of or arising as a result of, or in respect of, the applicable Change of Control (whether or not the applicable Change of Control shall have occurred at the time of the Below Investment Grade Rating Event);
Change of Control means the occurrence of any of the following:
| (a) | the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the assets of the Issuer and its Controlled Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any “person” or “group” (as those terms are used in Section 13(d)(3) of the U.S. Exchange Act) other than to any Permitted Holders; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, a pledge of assets pursuant to any secured debt instrument of the Company or its Controlled Subsidiaries shall not be deemed to be any such sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or disposition; |
| (b) | the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any “person” or “group” (as those terms are used in Section 13(d)(3) of the U.S. Exchange Act) (other than any Permitted Holders) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the U.S. Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the Issuer’s outstanding voting stock, measured by voting power rather than number of shares; or |
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