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• | annually thereafter affirm to the Board that he or she has complied with the requirements of the Code; |
• | annually disclose affiliations and other relationships related to conflicts of interest; |
• | not retaliate against any other Covered Officer or any employee of the Funds or their affiliated persons for reports of potential violations that are made in good faith; and |
• | notify the CCO promptly if he knows of any violation of this Code (failure to do so is itself a violation of this Code). |
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In rendering decisions and interpretations and in conducting investigations of potential violations under the Code, the CCO may, at his discretion, consult with such persons as he determines to be appropriate, including, but not limited to, a senior legal officer of the Company or its investment adviser or its affiliates, independent auditors or other consultants, subject to any requirement to seek pre-approval from the Company’s audit committee for the retention of independent auditors to perform permissible non-audit services. The Funds will follow these procedures in investigating and enforcing the Code: |
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• | the CCO will take all appropriate action to investigate any potential violation of which he becomes aware; |
• | if, after investigation the CCO believes that no violation has occurred, the CCO is not required to take any further action; |
• | any matter that the CCO believes is a violation will be reported to the Directors of the Fund who are not “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act the (“Non-interested Directors”) |
• | if the Non-interested Directors of the Board concur that a violation has occurred, it will consider appropriate action, which may include review of, and appropriate modifications to, applicable policies and procedures; notification to appropriate personnel of the investment adviser or its board; or a recommendation to dismiss the Covered Officer; and |
• | any changes to or waivers of this Code will, to the extent required, be disclosed as provided by SEC rules. |
The CCO shall submit an annual report to the Board describing any waivers granted.
A Covered Officer may request a waiver of any of the provisions of the Code by submitting a written request for such waiver to the CCO, setting forth the basis of such request and explaining how the waiver would be consistent with the standards of
conduct described herein. The CCO shall review such request and make a determination thereon in writing, which shall be binding.
In determining whether to waive any provisions of this Code, the CCO shall consider whether the proposed waiver is consistent with honest and ethical conduct and other purposes of this Code.
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VII. | Other Policies and Procedures |
This Code shall be the sole code of ethics adopted by the Funds for purposes of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and forms applicable to registered investment companies thereunder. Insofar as other policies or procedures of the Funds, the Funds’ investment advisers, principal underwriters, or other service providers govern or purport to govern the behavior or activities of the Covered Officers who are subject to this Code, they are superseded by this Code to the extent that they overlap or conflict with the provisions of this Code. The codes of ethics of the funds and the investment advisers and principal underwriters under Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act and the Legg Mason Code of Conduct as well as other policies of the Fund’s investment advisers or their affiliates are separate requirements applying to the Covered Officers and others, and are not part of this Code.
Any amendments to this Code must be approved or ratified by a majority vote of the Board, including a majority of Non-interested Directors.
All reports and records prepared or maintained pursuant to this Code will be considered confidential and shall be maintained and protected accordingly. Except as otherwise required by law or this Code, such matters shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the appropriate Board and Company and their respective counsel, counsel to the non-Interested Directors or independent auditors or other consultants referred to in Section V above.
The Code is intended solely for the internal use by the Funds and does not constitute an admission, by or on behalf of any Company, as to any fact, circumstance, or legal conclusion.
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