Private Placement Subscription Agreement between McEwen Copper Inc. and FCA Argentina S.A. dated as of February 23, 2023
Exhibit 10.15
McEWEN COPPER INC.
(the “Issuer”)
PRIVATE PLACEMENT SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
(COMMON SHARES)
INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBSCRIBER
1. | You must complete all the information in the boxes on page ii and sign where indicated with an “X”. |
2. | You must complete and sign Exhibit “A” - “Canadian Investor Questionnaire” that starts on page A-1. The purpose of this form is to determine whether you meet the standards for participation in a private placement under applicable Canadian securities laws. In order for the Issuer to satisfy its obligations under applicable Canadian securities laws, you may be required to provide additional evidence to verify the information you have provided in Exhibit “A” - “Canadian Investor Questionnaire” that starts on page A-1. |
3. | A completed and signed copy of the Subscription Agreement must be delivered to: |
McEwen Copper Inc.
150 King Street West, S. 2800
Toronto, ON M5H 1J9
Attention:Carmen Diges
Email:[*]
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McEWEN COPPER INC.
PRIVATE PLACEMENT SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
The undersigned (the “Subscriber”) hereby subscribes for the number of common shares in the capital of McEwen Copper Inc. (the “Issuer”) set out below, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the attached “Terms and Conditions of Subscription for Common Shares” (the “Terms and Conditions”), which are hereby agreed between the Subscriber and the Issuer.
Subscriber Information | | Common Shares to be Issued to the Subscriber |
| | |
FCA Argentina S.A. | | Number of Common Shares: 2,850,000 |
| | (the “Common Shares”) |
(Name of Subscriber) | | |
| | Subscription Amount: US$108,015,000 |
/s/ Francisco Bellucci (Attorney-in-fact) | | (the “Subscription Amount”) |
(Signature of Authorized Signatory – if the Subscriber is not an Individual) | | |
| | |
/s/ German Federico Penelas (Attorney-in-fact) | | If the Subscriber is subscribing as an agent on behalf of a |
(Name and Title of Authorized Signatory – if the Subscriber is not an Individual) | | beneficial purchaser (check the appropriate box): |
| | ☐ the Subscriber is a trust company or trust corporation or a registered adviser acting on behalf of a fully managed account and deemed under applicable securities laws to be purchasing as principal, or ☐ the following information is true and correct and, as applicable, Exhibit “A” hereto has been completed for each beneficial purchaser: |
Carlos María Della Paolera 265, 22nd floor | | |
C1001ADA, Buenos Aires, Argentina | | |
| | |
(Subscriber’s Address, including postal or zip code) | | |
(Telephone Number) | | |
| | (Name of Beneficial Purchaser) |
***@***; ***@*** | | |
(Email Address) | | (Address of Beneficial Purchaser) |
| | |
| | (Beneficial Purchaser’s Telephone Number) |
| | |
| | (Beneficial Purchaser’s E-Mail Address) |
| | |
| | |
Register the Common Shares as set forth below: | | Deliver the Common Shares as set forth below: |
| | |
FCA Argentina S.A. | | McCarthy Tétrault LLP |
| | Attention: Grant Szelewicki |
(Name to Appear on Share Certificate) | | |
| | (Attention - Name) |
(Account Reference, if applicable) | | |
| | (Account Reference, if applicable) |
| | McCarthy Tétrault LLP |
Carlos María Della Paolera 265, 22nd floor | | Suite 4000 |
C1001ADA, Buenos Aires, Argentina | | 421 - 7th Avenue SW |
| | Calgary AB T2P 4K9 |
(Address, including postal or zip code) | | |
| | (Street Address, including postal or zip code – no PO Boxes permitted) |
| | 403 ###-###-#### |
| | (Telephone Number) |
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ACCEPTANCE
The Issuer hereby accepts the Subscription (as defined herein) on the terms and conditions contained in this private placement subscription agreement (this “Agreement”) as of the 23rd day of February, 2023.
McEWEN COPPER INC. | | |
| | |
| | |
Per: | /s/ Robert McEwen | |
| Authorized Signatory | |
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF
SUBSCRIPTION FOR COMMON SHARES
1. | SUBSCRIPTION |
1.1On the basis of the representations and warranties, and subject to the terms and conditions, set forth in this Agreement, the Subscriber hereby subscribes for the Common Shares for the Subscription Amount shown on page ii of this Agreement (such subscription of the Common Shares being the “Subscription”) by way of a private placement offering (the “Offering”), and the Issuer agrees to issue and deliver the Common Shares to the Subscriber, effective upon the Closing Date.
2. | CONSIDERATION |
2.1Subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Subscription Amount shall be paid and satisfied by the assignment by the Subscriber to the Issuer of all of the Subscriber’s rights, title and interest to the ICC (as defined below), and the following six steps shall occur in sequence, with each step immediately following the preceding step, at the Closing:
(a) | the Subscriber shall deliver an offer to Andes Corporacion Minera S.A. (“ACM”) in the form attached as Exhibit “B” hereto (the “ICC Agreement”), duly executed by the Subscriber, pursuant to which the Subscriber will offer to make an irrevocable capital contribution (aporte irrevocable) (“ICC”) on account of future capital subscription to ACM of an amount in Argentine Pesos equal to the Subscription Amount, converted by applying the Exchange Rate (such converted amount, the “ICC Amount”), |
(b) | the Issuer shall cause ACM to deliver to the Subscriber an acceptance to the Subscriber’s offer to enter into the ICC Agreement, duly executed by ACM; |
(c) | the Subscriber shall contribute the ICC Amount by delivering to ACM an e-cheque (cheque electrónico) duly endorsed in favour of ACM; |
(d) | ACM shall deliver to the Subscriber a letter acknowledging receipt of the ICC Amount; |
(e) | the Subscriber shall deliver an offer to the Issuer in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “C” (the “ICC Assignment Agreement”), duly executed by the Subscriber, and the Issuer shall deliver an acceptance to such offer to enter into the ICC Assignment Agreement, duly executed by the Issuer; |
(f) | the Subscriber shall deliver a notice to ACM informing ACM of the ICC Assignment Agreement; and |
(g) | the number of Common Shares shown on page ii of this Agreement shall be issued to the Subscriber |
(together, the “Closing”). The Closing shall take place concurrently with the closing of the transactions described in the Share Purchase Agreement.
3. | DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FROM SUBSCRIBER |
3.1The Subscriber must complete, sign and return to the Issuer the following documents:
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(a) | this Agreement; |
(b) | the Canadian Investor Questionnaire (the “Questionnaire”) attached as Exhibit “A” that starts on page A-1, along with any additional evidence that may be requested by the Issuer to verify the information provided in the Questionnaire; and |
(c) | such other supporting documentation that the Issuer may request to establish the Subscriber’s eligibility to participate in the Offering. |
The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that the Issuer will not consider the Subscription for acceptance unless the Subscriber has provided all of such documents to the Issuer.
3.2As soon as practicable upon any request by the Issuer, the Subscriber will complete, sign and return to the Issuer any additional documents, questionnaires, notices and undertakings the Issuer may reasonably require or otherwise, may be required by any Governmental Authority or Applicable Laws.
4. | CLOSING DATE AND CONDITIONS TO CLOSING |
4.1Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth below in Section 4.2, the date of the Closing (the “Closing Date”) shall be February 24, 2023, or such other date as may be determined by mutual agreement between the Issuer and the Subscriber.
4.2The Subscription is subject to the following conditions for the benefit of the Subscriber (any of which may be waived by the Subscriber in its sole discretion):
(a) | the Issuer having obtained all necessary approvals and consents for the Offering; |
(b) | the Issuer having delivered a notice on or about January 24, 2023 to the shareholders of the Issuer regarding the proposed issuance of common shares of the Issuer to the Subscriber and the shareholders’ pre-emptive rights to participate in such proposed issuance in accordance with the unanimous shareholder agreement of the Issuer dated August 20, 2021 (the “Shareholder Agreement”), and none of the shareholders having exercised their pre-emptive rights within the period set forth in such notice, except for Nuton LLC having exercised its pre-emptive rights and agreed to subscribe for 350,000 common shares of the Issuer; |
(c) | the Issuer having delivered to the Subscriber: |
(i) | an original share certificate representing the Common Shares (“Certificate”); |
(ii) | an investor rights agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “D” (the “Investor Rights Agreement”), duly executed by the Issuer, McEwen Mining Inc. (“MUX”), Minera Andes Inc. (“MAI”) and Robert McEwen; |
(iii) | a copper cathodes and concentrates purchase rights agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “E” (the “Copper Cathodes and Concentrates Purchase Rights Agreement”), duly executed by ACM; |
(iv) | an offer letter addressed to the Subscriber to enter into the Share Purchase Agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “F”, duly executed by the MUX, the Issuer, MAI and ACM; |
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(v) | an acknowledgment, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “I”, duly executed by the Issuer, MAI, Evanachan Limited and Nuton LLC; |
(vi) | a certificate of status for the Issuer dated no earlier than one business day prior to the Closing Date; and |
(vii) | a certificate of an officer of the Issuer certifying (A) the articles and by-laws of the Issuer, (B) the directors’ resolutions of the Issuer approving the appointment of the director nominated by the Subscriber to the Issuer’s board of directors, (C) the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 4.2(b), and (D) and the shareholders’ and directors’ resolutions of the Issuer approving the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; |
(d) | the Subscriber having received a legal opinion prepared by Vargas Galindez dated as of the Closing Date (the “Vargas Opinion”), in form and substance satisfactory to the Subscriber, acting reasonably; |
(e) | the Subscriber having received a legal opinion prepared by external counsel to the Cayman Subsidiaries dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Subscriber, acting reasonably, with respect to each of the Cayman Subsidiaries’ organizational status, good standing, share capitalization, no outstanding litigation and other matters customary in transactions similar to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; |
(f) | the issue and sale of the Common Shares being exempt from the requirement to file a prospectus and the requirement to deliver an offering memorandum under applicable securities laws relating to the sale of the Common Shares, or the Issuer having received such orders, consents or approvals as may be required to permit such sale without the requirement to file a prospectus or deliver an offering memorandum; |
(g) | the Subscriber having received written confirmation, in form and substance satisfactory to the Subscriber, acting reasonably, signed by Nuton LLC, acknowledging that the Issuer has met its obligations under the Shareholder Agreement and the Nuton Collaboration Agreement in connection with the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, the Share Purchase Agreement, the Investor Rights Agreement and the Copper Cathodes and Concentrates Purchase Rights Agreement; |
(h) | Juliano Almeida (or another person designated in writing by the Subscriber) shall have been duly appointed to the Issuer’s board of directors; |
(i) | a signed copy of the notice of change of directors of the Issuer’s in respect of the Subscriber’s nominee appointed to the board of directors of the Issuer, which the Issuer shall file with the Alberta corporate registry promptly (and in any event within two Business Days) following the Closing; |
(j) | all of the Conditions Precedent (as defined in the Share Purchase Agreement) under the Share Purchase Agreement having been satisfied or waived; |
(k) | the Subscriber having received evidence satisfactory to the Subscriber, acting reasonably, of Nuton LLC having agreed to subscribe for 350,000 common shares in the capital of the |
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Issuer by exercising its pre-emptive rights pursuant to the notice described in Section 4.2(b); and
(l) | the Subscriber having received evidence satisfactory to the Subscriber, acting reasonably, that all private placements of the Issuer undertaken in 2022 have been approved by the board of directors of the Issuer. |
5. | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND AGREEMENTS OF THE SUBSCRIBER |
5.1The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) | no prospectus has been filed by the Issuer with any securities commission or any other regulatory authority in connection with the issuance of the Common Shares; |
(b) | the Subscriber has not received, nor has the Subscriber requested nor had any need to receive, or been provided with a prospectus, offering memorandum or any document purporting to describe the business and affairs of the Issuer which has been prepared for review by prospective purchasers to assist in making an investment decision in respect of the Common Shares and that the Subscriber’s decision, or, if applicable, the decision of others for whom the undersigned is contracting hereunder, to enter into this Agreement and to subscribe for the Common Shares is based entirely upon this Agreement and publicly available information concerning the Issuer and not upon any other verbal or written representation as to fact or otherwise made by or on behalf of the Issuer; |
(c) | the Issuer’s constating documents contain restrictions on the transfer of the Common Shares, which provide that no Common Shares may be transferred without the prior approval of the board of directors of the Issuer; |
(d) | the Issuer is not a “reporting issuer” as that term is defined in applicable Canadian securities laws, nor will it become a reporting issuer in any jurisdiction in Canada or elsewhere upon completion of the Offering and, as a result: |
(i) | unless the Issuer becomes a reporting issuer at a later date, the Issuer will not be subject to the continuous disclosure requirements of any securities laws, including any requirement relating to the production and filing of audited financial statements or other financial information, and |
(ii) | any applicable hold periods under applicable securities laws may never expire, and the Common Shares may be subject to restrictions on resale for an indefinite period of time; |
(e) | the issuance of the Common Shares will be made pursuant to exemptions from the registration and prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws and therefore: |
(i) | the Subscriber is restricted from using those civil remedies which would otherwise be available to the Subscriber under applicable securities laws but for the fact that such issuance is being made pursuant to such exemptions; |
(ii) | the Subscriber may not receive information about the Issuer that would otherwise be required to be provided to it under applicable securities laws, |
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(iii) | the Issuer is relieved from certain obligations that would otherwise apply under applicable securities laws, |
(iv) | no securities commission or similar regulatory authority has reviewed or passed on the merits of the Common Shares, |
(v) | there is no government or other insurance covering the Common Shares, and |
(vi) | there are risks associated with the purchase of the Common Shares, including that the Subscriber may lose the Subscriber’s entire investment; |
(f) | an investment in the Issuer is highly speculative and only investors who can afford the loss of their entire investment should consider investing in the Issuer and the Common Shares; |
(g) | any subscription monies paid by the Subscriber for the Common Shares is being raised as “seed” or “risk” capital for the Issuer, which is in a speculative stage, and there is no market for the Common Shares whatsoever; |
(h) | none of the Common Shares have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), or under any securities or “blue sky” laws of any state of the United States, and, unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States or, directly or indirectly, to any U.S. Person (as defined in Section 6.2) except in accordance with the provisions of Regulation S under the 1933 Act (“Regulation S”), pursuant to an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, and in each case only in accordance with any other applicable state, provincial and foreign securities laws; |
(i) | the Issuer has not undertaken, and will have no obligation, to register any of the Common Shares under the 1933 Act or any other securities laws; |
(j) | the Issuer will refuse to register the transfer of any of the Common Shares to a U.S. Person not made pursuant to an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act or pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, and in each case will only register such transfer in accordance with Applicable Laws; |
(k) | it will hold harmless the Issuer from any loss or damage it may suffer as a result of the Subscriber’s failure to correctly complete this Agreement or the Questionnaire; |
(l) | it and its advisor(s) have had a reasonable opportunity to ask questions of, and receive answers from, the Issuer in connection with the distribution of the Common Shares hereunder, and to obtain additional information, to the extent possessed or obtainable by the Issuer without unreasonable effort or expense; |
(m) | the books and records of the Issuer were available upon reasonable notice for inspection, subject to certain confidentiality restrictions, by the Subscriber during reasonable business hours at the Issuer’s principal place of business, and all documents, records and books in connection with the distribution of the Common Shares hereunder have been made available by the Issuer for inspection by the Subscriber, its legal counsel and/or its advisor(s) if requested by the Subscriber; |
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(n) | any resale, assignment, transfer, hypothecation or pledge of any of the Common Shares by the Subscriber will be subject to: (i) resale restrictions contained in the securities laws applicable to the Issuer, the Subscriber and any proposed transferee; and (ii) the Issuer’s constating documents and it is the responsibility of the Subscriber to find out what those restrictions are and to comply with such restrictions before selling any of the Common Shares; |
(o) | it consents to the placement of a legend or legends on the Certificate and any other document evidencing any of the Common Shares setting forth the restrictions on transferability and sale thereof contained in this Agreement, including the following: |
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER CONTAINED IN THE CONSTATING DOCUMENTS OR UNANIMOUS SHAREHOLDER AGREEMENT OF THE COMPANY.
UNLESS PERMITTED UNDER SECURITIES LEGISLATION, THE HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY MUST NOT TRADE THE SECURITIES BEFORE THE DATE THAT IS FOUR MONTHS AND A DAY AFTER THE LATER OF (I) FEBRUARY 24, 2023 AND (II) THE DATE THAT THE COMPANY BECOMES A REPORTING ISSUER IN ANY PROVINCE OR TERRITORY IN CANADA.”;
(p) | it has been advised to consult its own legal, tax and other advisors with respect to the Offering and the risks of an investment in the Common Shares and with respect to applicable resale restrictions, and it is solely responsible (and the Issuer is not in any way responsible) for compliance with: |
(i) | any Applicable Laws of the jurisdiction in which the Subscriber is resident in connection with the distribution of the Common Shares hereunder, and |
(ii) | any applicable resale restrictions; |
(q) | there may be material tax consequences to the Subscriber of an acquisition or disposition of the Common Shares and the Issuer gives no opinion and makes no representation to the Subscriber with respect to the tax consequences to the Subscriber under federal, state, provincial, local or foreign tax laws that may apply to the Subscriber’s acquisition or disposition of any of the Common Shares; |
(r) | the Issuer is relying on one of the “Accredited Investor” exemption or the “Minimum Amount Investment” exemption from the prospectus requirements as set out in National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45-106”) adopted by the Canadian Securities Administrators or subsection 73.4(2) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable, which, among other restrictions, impose: (i) a transfer restriction on the Common Shares to the effect that, for so long as the Issuer is not a reporting issuer, the Common Shares are subject to restrictions on transfer that are contained in the Issuer’s constating documents; and (ii) a requirement to legend the Certificate representing the Common Shares to reflect such transfer restriction; |
(s) | there is no market for any of the Common Shares and no market for any of the Common Shares may ever exist; and |
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(t) | this Agreement is not enforceable by the Subscriber unless it has been accepted by the Issuer and the Issuer reserves the right to reject this Subscription for any reason. |
6. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE SUBSCRIBER |
6.1The Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Issuer (which representations and warranties will survive the Closing) that:
(a) | the Subscriber is not a U.S. Person; |
(b) | the Subscriber is resident in the jurisdiction set out on page ii of this Agreement; |
(c) | if the Subscriber is resident outside of Canada: |
(i) | the Subscriber is knowledgeable of, or has been independently advised as to, the applicable securities laws having application in the jurisdiction in which the Subscriber is resident (the “International Jurisdiction”) which would apply to the offer and sale of the Common Shares, |
(ii) | the Subscriber is acquiring the Common Shares pursuant to exemptions from prospectus or equivalent requirements under applicable securities laws or, if such is not applicable, the Subscriber is permitted to acquire the Common Shares under the Applicable Laws of the International Jurisdiction without the need to rely on any exemptions, |
(iii) | the Applicable Laws of the authorities in the International Jurisdiction do not require the Issuer to make any filings or seek any approvals of any kind from any securities regulator in the International Jurisdiction in connection with the offer, issue, sale or resale of any of the Common Shares, |
(iv) | the acquisition of the Common Shares by the Subscriber does not trigger: |
(A) | any obligation to prepare and file a prospectus or similar document, or any other report with respect to such purchase, in the International Jurisdiction, or |
(B) | any continuous disclosure reporting obligation of the Issuer in the International Jurisdiction, and |
(v) | the Subscriber will, if requested by the Issuer, deliver to the Issuer a certificate or opinion of local counsel from the International Jurisdiction which will confirm the matters referred to in subparagraphs (ii), (iii) and (iv), above, to the satisfaction of the Issuer, acting reasonably; |
(d) | the Subscriber has the legal capacity and competence to enter into and execute this Agreement and to take all actions required pursuant hereto and, if the Subscriber is a corporate entity, it is duly incorporated and validly subsisting under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and all necessary approvals by its directors, shareholders and others have been obtained to authorize execution and performance of this Agreement on behalf of the Subscriber; |
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(e) | the entering into of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby do not result in the violation of any of the terms and provisions of any law applicable to, or, if applicable, the constating documents of, the Subscriber or of any agreement, written or oral, to which the Subscriber may be a party or by which the Subscriber is or may be bound; |
(f) | the Subscriber has duly executed and delivered this Agreement and it constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Subscriber enforceable against the Subscriber in accordance with its terms; |
(g) | the Subscriber has received and carefully read this Agreement; |
(h) | the Subscriber acknowledges receipt of a copy of the unanimous shareholder agreement of the Issuer and acknowledges that it is a condition of becoming a shareholder of the Issuer that the Subscriber must become a party to such unanimous shareholder agreement; |
(i) | the Subscriber is aware that an investment in the Issuer is speculative and involves certain risks, including the possible loss of the entire investment; |
(j) | the Subscriber is not aware of any advertisement of any of the Common Shares and is not acquiring the Common Shares as a result of any form of general solicitation or general advertising, including advertisements, articles, notices or other communications published in any newspaper, magazine or similar media, or broadcast over radio or television, or any seminar or meeting whose attendees have been invited by general solicitation or general advertising; |
(k) | the Subscriber has made an independent examination and investigation of an investment in the Common Shares and the Issuer and agrees that the Issuer will not be responsible in any way for the Subscriber’s decision to invest in the Common Shares and the Issuer; |
(l) | no person has made to the Subscriber any written or oral representations: |
(i) | that any person will resell or repurchase any of the Common Shares, |
(ii) | that any person will refund the purchase price of any of the Common Shares, or |
(iii) | as to the future price or value of any of the Common Shares; and |
(m) | there is no person acting or purporting to act in connection with the Offering for or on behalf of the Subscriber who is entitled to any brokerage or finder’s fee payable by the Issuer. If any such person establishes a claim that any fee or other compensation is payable by the Issuer in connection with this subscription for the Common Shares, the Subscriber or any beneficial purchaser for whom the undersigned is acting covenants to indemnify and hold harmless the Issuer with respect thereto and with respect to all costs reasonably incurred in the defence thereof. |
6.2In this Agreement, the term “U.S. Person” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Regulation S, and for the purpose of this Agreement includes: (i) any person in the United States; (ii) any natural person resident in the United States; (iii) any partnership or corporation organized or incorporated under the laws of the United States; (iv) any partnership or corporation organized outside the United States by a U.S. Person principally for the purpose of investing in securities not registered under the 1933 Act, unless it is
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organized or incorporated, and owned, by accredited investors who are not natural persons, estates or trusts; or (v) any estate or trust of which any executor, administrator or trustee is a U.S. Person.
7. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES WILL BE RELIED UPON |
7.1The Subscriber acknowledges that its representations and warranties contained herein and in the Questionnaire are made by it with the intention that such representations and warranties will be relied upon by the Issuer in determining the Subscriber’s eligibility to subscribe for the Common Shares under Applicable Laws, or (if applicable) the eligibility of others on whose behalf the Subscriber is contracting hereunder to subscribe for the Common Shares under Applicable Laws. The Subscriber further agrees that, as at the Closing, it will be representing and warranting that its representations and warranties contained herein and in the Questionnaire are true and correct as at the Closing with the same force and effect as if they had been made by the Subscriber on the Closing, and that they will survive the subscription by the Subscriber of the Common Shares and will continue in full force and effect notwithstanding any subsequent disposition by the Subscriber of the Common Shares.
8. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE ISSUER |
8.1The Issuer hereby represents and warrants to the Subscriber (which representations and warranties will survive the Closing) that:
(a) | each of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries (as defined herein) is validly subsisting under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, licensed, registered or qualified as an extra-provincial or foreign corporation in all jurisdictions where the character of its properties owned or leased or the nature of the activities conducted by it make such licensing, registration or qualification necessary and carries and shall carry on its business in the ordinary course and in compliance in all material respects with all Applicable Laws of each such jurisdiction; |
(b) | on the Closing Date, the Issuer will have taken all corporate steps and proceedings necessary to duly approve the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, including its execution and delivery, and the execution and delivery of the Investor Rights Agreement, the Share Purchase Agreement and each other agreement contemplated by this Agreement; |
(c) | on the Closing Date the Issuer will have caused ACM to have taken, all corporate steps and proceedings necessary to duly approve the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, including the execution and delivery of the Copper Cathodes and Concentrates Purchase Rights Agreement, the Share Purchase Agreement and each other agreement contemplated by this Agreement to which ACM is a party; |
(d) | the Issuer is not in breach of any securities laws; |
(e) | at the time of closing on the Closing Date, the Common Shares will be duly and validly created, authorized and issued; will be validly issued as fully paid as non-assessable Common Shares in the capital of the Issuer; |
(f) | the issuance and delivery of the Common Shares by the Issuer to the Subscriber does not and will not constitute a breach of or default under the constating documents of the Issuer |
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or any law, regulation, order or ruling applicable to the Issuer or any agreement, contract or indenture to which the Issuer is a party or by which it is bound;
(g) | for the purposes of the transactions contemplated herein, the Issuer has obtained waivers from the shareholders of the Issuer in respect of the pre-emptive rights set out in the Shareholder Agreement, or the Issuer has provided notice to the shareholders of the Issuer under the pre-emptive rights provisions of the Shareholder Agreement and the relevant exercise period has expired, or the Issuer has provided notice in writing to the Subscriber outlining in reasonable detail the extent to which the shareholders of the Issuer have exercised such pre-emptive rights, as applicable; |
(h) | the Issuer is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Common Shares and an unlimited number of Class B common shares; and as of the date of this Agreement, 25,685,000 Common Shares are issued and outstanding and no Class B common shares are issued and outstanding; |
(i) | as of the Closing Date, there exist no options, warrants, rights of conversion or other rights, contracts or commitments that could require the Issuer to issue any Common Shares or other securities other than the pre-emptive rights set out in the Shareholder Agreement and the 40,000 options that the Issuer has agreed to grant to Michael Meding upon the completion of an initial public offering of the Issuer, pursuant to the employment agreement between the Issuer and Michael Meding dated February 7, 2022; |
(j) | except for Michael Meding and Sharry Wang, the Issuer has no employees or independent contractors, and neither of such employees are entitled to any bonus, increase in compensation or other benefit that is contingent on the Closing. The Issuer has provided copies of the employment agreements between the Issuer and each of Michael Meding and Sharry Wang, and there are no other agreements, whether written or oral, between either of such employees and the Issuer; |
(k) | the issuance and sale of the Common Shares by the Issuer and the fulfilment of the terms hereof does not and will not conflict with or constitute a breach of or default under (i) the constating documents of the Issuer or its Material Subsidiaries (as defined below), (ii) any Applicable Laws, order or ruling or (ii) any agreement, contract or indenture, including any covenants or provisions respecting the Issuer’s right to issue additional equity, or any pre-emptive right or similar rights therein, to which the Issuer or any of its Material Subsidiaries (as defined below) is a party or by which it is bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Issuer or any of its Material Subsidiaries (as defined below) is subject; |
(l) | each of this Agreement, the Investor Rights Agreement, the Share Purchase Agreement and the Copper Cathodes and Concentrates Purchase Rights Agreement and each other agreement of the Issuer and its affiliates contemplated hereby, when signed by the Issuer or such affiliates, as the case may be, constitutes a binding and enforceable obligation of the Issuer or such affiliates, as applicable, enforceable in accordance with its respective terms; |
(m) | Exhibit “G” accurately shows (i) each direct and indirect subsidiary of the Issuer (collectively, “Material Subsidiaries”); (ii) the registered and beneficial holders of all of the issued and outstanding shares in the capital of each of the Material Subsidiaries; and (iii) the numbers and classes of shares currently held by each such holder and the |
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percentage in the outstanding capital of each Material Subsidiary. The Issuer has no assets other than the holding of the shares of each of the Material Subsidiaries;
(n) | International Copper Mining Inc. has no assets other than the holding of the shares of each of Los Azules Mining Inc. and San Juan Copper Inc., and neither of Los Azules Mining Inc. and San Juan Copper Inc. has assets other than shares of ACM; and none of International Copper Mining Inc., Los Azules Mining Inc. and San Juan Copper Inc. (together, the “Cayman Subsidiaries”) operated or engaged in, or operates or engages in, any business activities, operations or management other than business activities, operations or management related to the Los Azules Project; |
(o) | the Issuer has not operated or engaged in, and is not operating or engaged in, any business activities or operations other than those related to the Los Azules Project and the Elder Creek Project; |
(p) | except for the Shareholder Agreement and the Nuton collaboration agreement dated August 30, 2022 (the “Nuton Collaboration Agreement”) by and among the Issuer, MUX, Robert McEwen and Nuton LLC, none of the shareholders of the Issuer have any agreements or side letters with the Issuer granting such shareholders any rights in respect of the Issuer, including the right to nominate directors for appointment to the board of directors of the Issuer or any approval rights with respect to any transactions of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries (including, without limitation, granting of offtake, royalty, stream or similar rights with respect to the Los Azules Project); |
(q) | there are no circumstances, developments or events that would constitute or reasonably be expected to constitute a material adverse effect in respect of any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries; |
(r) | there are no: (i) Claims pending or, to the knowledge of the Issuer, threatened against any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries before or by any governmental authority; and (ii) outstanding judgments, orders, decrees, writs, injunctions, decisions, rulings or awards against any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries or affecting any of the Issuer, the Material Subsidiaries, the Los Azules Project or the Elder Creek Project; |
(s) | a complete copy of the articles, bylaws, minute books, share registers and other corporate records of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries have been provided to the Subscriber. Such books and records have been maintained in accordance with Applicable Laws and contain complete and accurate records of all matters required to be dealt with in such books and records, in each case, in all material respects; |
(t) | the Issuer owns all of the issued and outstanding securities of the Material Subsidiaries, free and clear of any encumbrances and defects, and has no other subsidiaries. All of the outstanding equity interests in the Material Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued and all of such equity interests are outstanding as fully paid and non-assessable shares. There exist no options, warrants, purchase rights, or other contracts or commitments that would require the Issuer or any other person to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any equity interests of the Material Subsidiaries or for the issue or allotment of any unissued shares in the capital of the Material Subsidiaries or any other security convertible into or exchangeable for any such shares. None of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries has any obligations (including any obligation to provide any guarantee, security, support, indemnification, assumption or endorsement of or any similar |
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commitment with respect to the obligations, liabilities or indebtedness of any other person) including, without limitation, the obligations of MUX under the amended and restated credit agreement dated April 1, 2022 among MUX, Sprott Private Resource Lending II (Collector), LP as lender and as Administrative Agent, and Evanachan Limited;
(u) | each of the Material Subsidiaries has been duly incorporated or established and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization with all requisite corporate power and authority to own, use, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business in the manner currently conducted, and is duly qualified to transact business in each jurisdiction where it carries its business; |
(v) | the Issuer and its Material Subsidiaries (i) are conducting their business operations in material compliance with Applicable Laws, including without limitation those of the country, state, province, municipality or other local or foreign jurisdiction in which such entity carries on business or conducts its activities; (ii) have received and hold all material permits, by-laws, licenses, waivers, exemptions, consents, certificates, registrations, rights, rights of way, entitlements and other approvals which are required from any governmental or regulatory authority or any other person necessary to the conduct of their business and activities as currently conducted, and to the conduct of their business as proposed to be conducted pursuant to the use of funds proposal underlying the proposed placement, including but not limited to those required under applicable mining and environmental laws (“Authorizations”); and (iii) are in material compliance with all terms and conditions of such Authorizations, and such Authorizations are in full force and effect in all material respects; and (iv) have not received any notice of the modification, suspension, revocation, cancellation or non-renewal of, or any intention to modify, suspend, revoke, cancel or not renew or any proceeding relating to the modification, suspension, revocation, cancellation or non-renewal of any such Authorizations, and no Authorizations will be subject to modification, suspension, revocation, cancellation or non-renewal as a result of the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Closing; |
(w) | except to the extent qualified by the Vargas Opinion, which the Subscriber acknowledges having received, the Issuer and each of its Material Subsidiaries (i) own, hold or lease all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of their respective businesses as currently operated, and to the conduct of their business as proposed to be conducted pursuant to the use of funds proposal underlying the proposed placement; and (ii) have good and marketable title under Applicable Laws to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them that constitute the Los Azules Project and the Elder Creek Project and to all material personal property owned by them in the conduct of their business on the Los Azules Project and the Elder Creek Project, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects; and any real property and buildings to be held under lease or sublease by the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases; (A) the “Los Azules Project” means the Los Azules project owned by ACM and located in the San Juan Province, Argentina, which involves exploration, development and other operations on the mineral properties, claims and any other mineral rights listed in, and depicted by the map in, Exhibit “H” hereto, and which includes the project described in the technical report entitled “SEC S-K ###-###-#### Initial Assessment Individual Disclosure for the Los Azules Project, Argentina” with an effective reporting date of September 1, 2017 prepared by Mining Plus; and (B) the “Elder Creek Project” means the project commonly known as the Elder Creek project, which is owned by NPGUS LLC and located near Elder Creek, Nevada, USA, which involves exploration, |
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development and other operations on the mineral properties, claims and any other mineral rights comprising such project;
(x) | except to the extent qualified by the opinion of Vargas Opinion, all interests in material mining claims, concessions, exploration, reconnaissance, exploitation or extraction rights, surface rights, subsurface rights or similar rights, (“Mining Claims”) that are held by the Issuer or any of the Material Subsidiaries, held by way of Authorizations or otherwise, are in good standing, are valid and enforceable, are free and clear of any encumbrances and no royalty is payable in respect of any of them, except as disclosed in the Vargas Opinion; |
(y) | no other material property rights are necessary for the conduct of the business as currently conducted, or for the conduct of the business as proposed to be conducted pursuant to the use of funds proposal underlying the proposed placement, in each case by the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries; |
(z) | except as provided in the Vargas Opinion, there are no material restrictions on the ability of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries to use, transfer or otherwise exploit any such property rights; |
(aa) | except as set out in the Vargas Opinion, there are no Claims to which the Issuer or any of its Material Subsidiaries is a party or of which any property, including Authorizations and Mining Claims, of the Issuer or any of its Material Subsidiaries is the subject; and, no such proceedings are threatened or pending by governmental authorities or any other person; there is no agreement, judgment, injunction, order or decree binding upon the Issuer or its Material Subsidiaries that has or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting, restricting or materially impairing any business practice of the Issuer or its Material Subsidiaries; |
(bb) | no dispute between the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries and any local, native or indigenous group exists or to the knowledge of the Issuer is threatened or reasonably likely with respect to the Los Azules Project and the Elder Creek Project or the business activities of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries; |
(cc) | the Issuer’s draft unaudited financial statements for the periods ending December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, copies of which the Issuer has provided to the Subscriber, have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and present fairly the consolidated financial position and results of operation and changes in the financial position of the Issuer and its Material Subsidiaries and such accounts fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, financial performance and cash flows of the Issuer for the periods ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022; neither the Issuer nor the Material Subsidiaries have any material liabilities, obligations, indebtedness or commitments, whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise required to be disclosed under IFRS, which are not disclosed in the Issuer’s financial statements, and the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses in the ordinary course since December 31, 2022 until the Closing Date; |
(dd) | the audited consolidated financial statements for ACM for the period ending December 31, 2021, a copy of which has been provided to the Subscriber, are prepared in accordance with Argentine GAAP and present fairly the consolidated financial position and results of operation and changes in the financial position of ACM and its subsidiaries and such accounts fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, financial |
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performance and cash flows of ACM for the periods indicated; as at the Closing Date, neither ACM nor its subsidiaries have any material liabilities, obligations, indebtedness or commitments, whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise required to be disclosed under Argentine GAAP, which are not disclosed in ACM’s financial statements and each of ACM and its subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses in the ordinary course since December 31, 2021 until the Closing Date;
(ee) | the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries have filed all Tax Returns required to be filed under Applicable Laws when due and all such Tax Returns were correct and complete in all respects; |
(ff) | any deductions taken or claimed in computing the income of any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries for Tax purposes have been taken or claimed in accordance with Applicable Law; |
(gg) | there are no Encumbrances on any of the assets of the Issuer or of the Material Subsidiaries that arose in connection with any failure (or any alleged failure) to pay any Tax when due; |
(hh) | all Taxes required to be paid under Applicable Laws have been paid by each of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries or an adequate reserve under IFRS has been recorded in respect thereof in the accounting records of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries, and each of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries has made adequate and timely installments of all Taxes required to be made by it under Applicable Laws. Neither the Issuer nor any of the Material Subsidiaries has incurred any liability, whether actual or contingent, for Taxes or engaged in any transaction or event that would result in any liability, whether actual or contingent, for Taxes or realized any income or gain for Tax purposes otherwise than in the usual and ordinary course of its business; |
(ii) | there are no notices of assessment or reassessment of, or notices of audits, investigations or Claims with respect to, unpaid liabilities for Taxes issued by any Tax Authority which have been received by any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries. There are no assessments, proceedings, investigations, audits or Claims now pending or, to the knowledge of the Issuer, threatened against any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries in respect of any Taxes and there are no matters under discussion, investigation, audit or appeal with any Tax Authority in respect of any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries. The Issuer is not aware of any contingent liability of any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries for Taxes or any grounds that could prompt an assessment or reassessment for Taxes; |
(jj) | each of the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries has deducted, withheld, collected and remitted within the time limits required by Applicable Laws all amounts required by Applicable Laws to have been deducted, withheld, collected and remitted in connection with amounts paid or owing to any employee, independent contractor, creditor, shareholder or other third party; |
(kk) | none of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries are party to any agreement, waiver or arrangement with any Tax Authority that relates to any extension of time with respect to the filing of any Tax Return, any payment of Taxes or any assessment; |
(ll) | no facts, circumstances or events exist or have existed that have resulted in, or may result in, the application of any of sections 15, 17, 67, 78 to 80.04 of the Tax Act (or any similar |
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provision of an Applicable Law of any province or territory of Canada) to any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries;
(mm) | none of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries are subject to liability for Taxes of any other person. None of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries have acquired property from any person in circumstances where any such company could become liable for Taxes of such person. None of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries have entered into any agreement with, or provided any undertaking to, any person pursuant to which it has assumed liability for the payment of income Taxes owing by such person; |
(nn) | none of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries has ever been required to file any Tax Return with, and has never been liable to pay any Taxes to, any Tax Authority in any jurisdiction in which it is not currently filing any Tax Returns. No Claim has ever been made by a Tax Authority in a jurisdiction where any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries does not file Tax Returns that the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries is or may be subject to the imposition of any Tax by that jurisdiction; |
(oo) | any of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries that are required to be registered (i) with the Canada Revenue Agency under Subdivision d of Division V of Part IX of the Excise Tax Act (Canada) for the purposes of goods and services sales tax and the harmonized sales tax (“GST/HST”), or (ii) under any Applicable Law of a province in respect of sales tax are so registered, and any such registration numbers have been provided to the Subscriber. Any input tax credits, rebates and similar refunds claimed by the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries for GST/HST or provincial sales tax purposes were calculated in accordance with Applicable Laws; |
(pp) | the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries have complied with all information reporting and record keeping requirements under Applicable Laws, including retention and maintenance of required records with respect thereto; |
(qq) | neither the Issuer nor any of the Material Subsidiaries have owned any (i) real or immovable property situated in Canada (as defined in the Tax Act), (ii) Canadian resource properties (as defined in the Tax Act), (iii) timber resource properties (as defined in the Tax Act), or (iv) options in respect or, or interests in, or for civil law, a right in, property described in any of (i) to (iii), whether or not the property exists; |
(rr) | none of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries have engaged in any “reportable transaction” as defined in subsection 237.3(1) of the Tax Act or any “notifiable transaction” as defined in proposed subsection 237.4(1) of the Tax Act (as such provisions are proposed to be amended or introduced), as applicable, by the legislative proposals released by the Minister of Finance (Canada) on August 9, 2022; |
(ss) | all transactions entered into by the Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries have been entered into on an arm’s length basis and the consideration (if any) charged, received or paid by the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries, as the case may be, on all transactions entered into by it has been equal to the consideration which might have been expected to be charged, received or paid, as applicable, been independent persons dealing at arm’s length and no notice or inquiry by any Tax Authority has been made in connection with any such transactions. The Issuer and the Material Subsidiaries have complied in all material respects with relevant transfer pricing laws (including section 247 of the Tax Act), |
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including preparing contemporaneous documentation and other documents contemplated thereby;
(tt) | none of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries have applied for, filed for, or otherwise claimed any COVID-19 Relief; |
(uu) | none of the Issuer or the Material Subsidiaries will be required to include any item of income in, or exclude any item or deduction from, taxable income for any taxation year or portion thereof ending after the Closing Date as a result of the use of an improper method of accounting for a taxation year ending before the Closing Date; |
(vv) | neither the Issuer nor any of its Material Subsidiaries are insolvent or in liquidation or administration or subject to any other insolvency procedure and no receiver, manager, trustee, custodian or analogous officer has been appointed in respect of all or any part of its property, undertaking or assets; neither steps have been taken nor legal, legislative or administrative proceedings have been started or threatened to wind up, dissolve, make dormant, or eliminate the Issuer or any of its Material Subsidiaries; and the Issuer does not have any knowledge of any event or circumstance that could reasonably be expected to lead to or result in the winding up, liquidation, dissolution, elimination or insolvency of the Issuer or any Material Subsidiary; and |
(ww) | neither the Issuer nor its subsidiaries and, to the Issuer’s knowledge, none of their respective directors, officers, supervisors, managers, employees, or agents has: (A) violated any Applicable Laws relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption, including the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (Canada), the Criminal Code (Canada), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (United States) or any other applicable anti-corruption laws of any relevant jurisdiction (“Anti-Corruption Laws”) or Applicable Laws relating to export control, or economic and financial sanctions laws (“Sanctions Laws”), (B) made, given, authorized, made, or offered anything of value, including any payment, facilitation payment, loan, reward, gift, contribution, expenditure or other advantage, directly or indirectly, (i) to any person in violation of the Anti-Corruption Laws, or (ii) to or for the benefit of a government official in order to improperly influence any act or decision of a government official, induce a government official to do or omit to do any act in violation of their lawful duty or secure any improper advantage, or (C) used any corporate funds, or made any direct or indirect unlawful payment from corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; |
(xx) | the operations of the Issuer and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental authority (“Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court of governmental authority or any arbitrator nongovernmental authority involving the Issuer or its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Issuer, threatened; |
(yy) | neither the Issuer nor its subsidiaries nor any of their respective directors, officers, supervisors, managers, employees, or agents is (i) a person currently identified, listed or designated under the Sanctions Laws, (ii) a person located, organized, resident, doing business or operating in a country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of Sanctions Laws which prohibit a person resident in, or a national of, Canada, the United |
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States, the United Kingdom, or the European Union from doing business with or in that jurisdiction, or (iii) a person directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, or acting for the benefit or on behalf of, a person described in clause (i) or (ii) (a “Sanctioned Person”). Neither the Issuer nor any of its subsidiaries (i) has assets or operations located in a jurisdiction in violation of Sanctions Laws, or (ii) directly or indirectly derives revenues from or engages in investments, dealings, activities or transactions with any Sanctioned Person or which otherwise violate Sanctions Laws;
(zz) | the data or information with respect to the business and activities of the Issuer and Material Subsidiaries disclosed on the EDGAR system by MUX is complete and correct in all material respects and does not contain any untrue statement of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statement contained therein not misleading in the circumstances. |
(aaa) | the data or information made available to Subscriber by or on behalf of the Issuer: (i) does not, when taken as a whole, create a false impression of the development and operations of the Los Azules Project and the Elder Creek Project as at the date of this Agreement, (ii) was, to the knowledge of the Issuer at the time when such data or information was created by or for the Issuer, accurate in all material respects, and (iii) was prepared in good faith for the purposes of informing the Subscriber about the business and activities of the Issuer and Material Subsidiaries and in doing so, the Issuer has not: |
(i) | omitted anything that the Issuer, acting reasonably, considers is material from such data or information; or |
(ii) | included anything that the Issuer, acting reasonably, considers is materially misleading in such data or information. |
9. | INDEMNITY |
9.1The Issuer shall indemnify and hold harmless the Subscriber and its officers, directors, employees and other representatives (the “Subscriber Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all Claims asserted against any of them, or any Losses incurred or suffered by any of them, or any Losses of the Issuer which result in a decrease in the value of the Common Shares held by the Subscriber, and directly or indirectly arising from or in connection with:
(a) | any breach or inaccuracy of any representation or warranty made by the Issuer in this Agreement; and |
(b) | any failure of the Issuer to perform or observe any covenant or agreement to be performed or observed by it under this Agreement. |
If the Issuer indemnifies the Subscriber Indemnified Parties pursuant to this Agreement, or MAI or MUX indemnifies the Subscriber Indemnified Parties pursuant to the Share Purchase Agreement, in respect of any matter the Issuer shall not subsequently be liable to indemnify the other Subscriber Indemnified Parties for the same matter, to the extent that doing so would result in a duplicate recovery.
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10. | WAIVER |
10.1The Subscriber hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any rights of withdrawal, rescission or compensation for damages to which the Subscriber may be entitled in connection with the distribution of any of the Common Shares.
11. | ESCROW OR LOCK-UP OF COMMON SHARES |
11.1The Subscriber acknowledges that the Issuer is not currently a reporting issuer in any jurisdiction. If the Issuer completes an initial public offering that results in the Common Shares or other securities in the capital of the Issuer becoming listed on a stock exchange in Canada or the United States of America, or the Issuer completes a reverse takeover, statutory merger or amalgamation, arrangement, share exchange, business combination or other similar transaction which results in a class of shares of the issuer resulting from such transaction being listed (the “Resulting Issuer”) on a stock exchange in Canada or the United States of America and the shareholders of the Issuer receiving such listed securities of the Resulting Issuer and/or cash in exchange for their Common Shares (in each case, a “Liquidity Event”), the Common Shares may be required to be escrowed or locked-up, either at the request of the Issuer’s selling agent or underwriter for a period not to exceed 180 days in connection with the Liquidity Event, or otherwise pursuant to the rules of any stock exchange, securities commission or other securities regulatory authority having jurisdiction, and the Subscriber agrees to sign any such escrow or lock-up agreement and abide by any such restrictions as may be so imposed, provided such restrictions are the same as those imposed on the other shareholders of the Resulting Issuer who hold more than 2% of the shares of the Resulting Issuer.
11.2In furtherance of the covenant in Section 11.1, the Subscriber hereby irrevocably appoints the Chief Executive Officer or the President of the Issuer, as exists at the applicable time (in any case, the “President”), as the Subscriber’s attorney-in-fact, and authorizes the President as the Subscriber’s attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority in the Subscriber’s place and stead, to approve and sign any pooling or escrow agreement, or any other document, on behalf of the Subscriber as the Issuer advises may be required to provide for pooling or escrow of the Common Shares, or the approval and completion of any Liquidity Event, as the case may be, in the event of a Liquidity Event or other transaction pursuant to which the Issuer may become listed, directly or indirectly, on any stock exchange. This power of attorney is irrevocable, is coupled with an interest and has been given for valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are acknowledged by the Subscriber. This power of attorney and other rights and privileges granted hereunder will survive any legal or mental incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or death of the Subscriber. This power of attorney extends to the heirs, executors, administrators, other legal representatives and successors, transferees and assigns of the Subscriber. Any person dealing with the Issuer may conclusively presume and rely upon the fact that any document, instrument or agreement executed by the President pursuant to this power of attorney is authorized and binding on the Subscriber, without further inquiry. The Subscriber (on its own behalf and, if applicable, on behalf of each beneficial purchaser on whose behalf it is contracting) agrees to be bound by any representations or actions made or taken by the President pursuant to this power of attorney, and waives any and all defences that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the President taken in good faith under this power of attorney.
12. | COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION |
12.1The Subscriber acknowledges and consents to the fact that the Issuer is collecting the Subscriber’s personal information for the purpose of fulfilling this Agreement and completing the Offering. The Subscriber acknowledges that its personal information (and, if applicable, the personal information of any person on whose behalf the Subscriber is contracting hereunder) may be included in record books in connection with the Offering and may be disclosed by the Issuer to: (i) stock exchanges or securities
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regulatory authorities; (ii) the Issuer’s registrar and transfer agent; (iii) Canadian Tax Authorities; (iv) authorities pursuant, among other legislation, to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (Canada); and (v) any other parties involved in the Offering, including the Issuer’s counsel. By executing this Agreement, the Subscriber is deemed to be consenting to the foregoing collection, use and disclosure of the Subscriber’s personal information (and, if applicable, the personal information of any other person on whose behalf the Subscriber is contracting hereunder) for the foregoing purposes and to the retention of such personal information for as long as permitted or required by Applicable Laws. Notwithstanding that the Subscriber may be purchasing the Common Shares as agent on behalf of an undisclosed principal, the Subscriber agrees to provide, on request, particulars as to the nature and identity of such undisclosed principal, and any interest that such undisclosed principal has in the Issuer, all as may be required by the Issuer in order to comply with the foregoing. Furthermore, the Subscriber is hereby notified that:
(a) | the Issuer may deliver to any securities commission having jurisdiction over the Issuer, the Subscriber or this Subscription, including any Canadian provincial securities commissions, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any state securities commissions (collectively, the “Commissions”), certain personal information pertaining to the Subscriber, including the Subscriber’s full name, residential address and telephone number, the number of securities of the Issuer owned by the Subscriber, the number of Common Shares purchased by the Subscriber, the total Subscription Amount paid, the prospectus exemption relied on by the Issuer and the date of distribution of the Common Shares; |
(b) | such information is being collected indirectly by the Commissions under the authority granted to them in applicable securities laws; |
(c) | such information is being collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of applicable securities laws; and |
(d) | in Ontario, the Administrative Support Clerk, Suite 1903, Box 55, 20 Queen Street West, Toronto ON, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-3684 is the public official who can answer questions about the collection of personal information. |
13. | COSTS |
13.1The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that all costs and expenses incurred by the Subscriber (including any fees and disbursements of any legal counsel or tax or financial advisors retained by the Subscriber) relating to the subscription of the Common Shares will be paid by the Subscriber.
14. | DELIVERY OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT |
14.1The Issuer and the Issuer’s counsel will be entitled to rely on delivery by DocuSign or other means of electronic communication of an executed copy of this Agreement, and acceptance by the Issuer of such copy will be equally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the Subscriber and the Issuer in accordance with the terms hereof. If less than a complete copy of this Agreement is delivered to the Issuer or the Issuer’s counsel prior to or at Closing, the Issuer and the Issuer’s counsel are entitled to assume that the Subscriber accepts and agrees to all of the terms and conditions of the pages not delivered prior to or at Closing as written herein, unaltered.
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15. | GOVERNING LAW |
15.1This Agreement and all matters related hereto or arising herefrom are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Each of the Issuer and the Subscriber irrevocably attorns to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario in all matters related to, or arising from, this Agreement.
16. | SURVIVAL |
16.1This Agreement, including the representations, warranties and covenants contained herein, will survive and continue in full force and effect and be binding upon the Issuer and the Subscriber, notwithstanding the completion of the subscription of the Common Shares by the Subscriber.
17. | ASSIGNMENT |
17.1This Agreement is not transferable or assignable.
18. | SEVERABILITY |
18.1The invalidity or unenforceability of any particular provision of this Agreement will not affect or limit the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement.
19. | ENTIRE AGREEMENT |
19.1This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents (as defined in the Share Purchase Agreement) constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, negotiations and discussions, whether oral or written, of the parties and their respective affiliates, as applicable, related to such matters, including the Letters of Intent. The parties have not relied and are not relying on any other information, discussion or understanding in entering into this Agreement.
20. | NOTICES |
20.1All notices and other communications hereunder will be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication, including DocuSign, electronic mail or other means of electronic communication capable of producing a printed copy. Notices to the Subscriber will be directed to the address of the Subscriber set forth on page ii of this Agreement and notices to the Issuer will be directed to the address of the Issuer set forth on the first page of this Agreement.
21. | COUNTERPARTS AND ELECTRONIC MEANS |
21.1This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which, when so executed and delivered, will constitute an original and all of which together will constitute one instrument. Delivery of an executed copy of this Agreement by DocuSign or other means of electronic communication capable of producing a printed copy will be deemed to be execution and delivery of this Agreement as of the Closing Date.
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22. | SCHEDULES, EXHIBITS AND APPENDICES |
22.1The schedules, exhibits and appendices attached hereto form part of this Agreement.
23. | INDEMNITY |
23.1The Subscriber will indemnify and hold harmless the Issuer and, where applicable, its directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors and shareholders, from and against any and all Claims asserted against any of them, or any Losses incurred or suffered by any of them, and directly or indirectly arising from or in connection with any representation or warranty of the Subscriber contained in this Agreement, the Questionnaire, or in any document furnished by the Subscriber to the Issuer in connection herewith being untrue in any material respect of any breach or failure by the Subscriber to comply with any covenant or agreement made by the Subscriber to the Issuer in connection therewith.
24. | PUBLIC DISCLOSURE |
Neither party shall not issue any press release or make any other public statement or disclosure with respect to this Agreement without the consent of the other party (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); provided, however, that the foregoing shall be subject to each party’s overriding obligation to make any disclosure or filing in accordance with Applicable Laws, including applicable securities laws, and if, in its reasonable opinion, such disclosure or filing is required and the other party has not reviewed or commented on the disclosure or filing, the party proposing to make such disclosure shall use its reasonable best efforts to give the other party prior oral or written notice and a reasonable opportunity to review or comment on the disclosure or filing (other than with respect to confidential information contained in such disclosure or filing). The party making such disclosure shall give reasonable consideration to any comments made by the other party or its counsel, and if such prior notice is not possible, shall give such notice immediately following the making of such disclosure or filing.
SCHEDULE “A”
DEFINITIONS
The terms defined in this Schedule “A” shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the following meanings:
“Applicable Laws” means all applicable domestic or foreign national, federal, provincial, territorial, state, regional and local laws (whether statutory or common law or equity), rules, ordinances (including zoning and mineral removal ordinances), regulations, grants, concessions, franchises, licences, orders, directives, judgments, decrees, and other governmental restrictions, including permits and other similar requirements, whether legislative, municipal, administrative or judicial in nature and in any case, issued, enacted, promulgated, enforced or entered by any Governmental Authority (including environmental laws, mining laws and any applicable securities laws and any applicable rules of any stock exchange imposing disclosure requirements);
“Business Day” means any day that is not a weekend or a holiday in Toronto, Ontario or Buenos Aires, Argentina;
“Claim” means any material actual or threatened civil, criminal, administrative, regulatory, arbitral or investigative inquiry, action, suit or proceeding and any notice, demand or claim resulting therefrom or any other claim or demand of whatever nature or kind;
“COVID-19 Relief” means any support payments, loans, benefits, wage or other subsidies or other incentives provided, in each case, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from any Governmental Authority or financial institution;
“Exchange Rate” means ratio of U.S. dollars to Argentine Pesos using the rate calculated at as the average of the AR$ official rates for the five (5) days preceding the date of the ICC to be made by the Subscriber, as published by the Central Bank of Argentina under the heading Wholesale Exchange Rate (ARS/USD) Com. A 3500 (https://www.bcra.gob.ar/varios/english_information.asp), or any other source as agreed to by the parties in writing;
“Encumbrance” means any encumbrance, mortgage, lien, charge, pledge or security interest, whether fixed or floating, or any assignment, lease, option, right of pre-emption, privilege, usufruct, easement, encroachment, hypothec, pledge, title retention agreement, reservation of title, servitude, right of way, restrictive covenant, restriction on transfer, right of occupation or other adverse claim or restriction on use, in any case, regardless of form, whether or not registered or registrable and whether or not consensual or arising by Applicable Laws, including any or any matter capable of registration, or any other right or claim of any kind or nature whatever which affects ownership or possession of, or title to, any interest in, or the right to use or occupy, property or assets;
“Governmental Authority” means any (i) domestic or foreign government, whether national, federal, provincial, territorial, regional, county, state, municipal or local or other governmental or public department, (ii) any central bank, court, individual arbitrator or arbitration panel, commission, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality, domestic or foreign, (iii) subdivision or authority of any of the foregoing, (iv) securities regulatory authority or stock exchange, and (v) quasi-governmental, self-regulatory organization or private body exercising any regulatory, expropriation or taxing authority under or for the account of any of the foregoing; in each case, having jurisdiction in the relevant circumstances;
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“Letters of Intent” means, collectively, the non-binding letter of intent dated December 23, 2022 made by the Subscriber to MUX and the Issuer and the non-binding letter of intent dated November 17, 2022 made by Peugeot Citroën Argentina S.A. and FCA Automobiles Argentina S.A. to MUX;
“Liabilities” means, with respect any person, any and all indebtedness, liabilities, commitments and obligations of any kind of such person, whether fixed, contingent or absolute, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, accrued or not accrued, asserted or not asserted, known or unknown, determined, determinable or otherwise, whenever or however arising (including whether arising out of any contract, tort based on negligence or strict liability or Applicable Laws);
“Losses” means, with respect to any person, any and all losses, Liabilities, Claims, obligations, judgments, fines, settlement payments, awards or damages of any kind actually suffered or incurred by such person (together with all reasonably incurred cash disbursements, costs and expenses, costs of investigation, defence and appeal and reasonable legal fees and expenses), whether or not involving any Third Party Claim;
“person” means a natural person, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, corporation, limited liability company, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated association, joint venture, juridical person or Governmental Authority, and related personal pronouns have a similarly extended meaning, as the context requires;
“Share Purchase Agreement” means the share purchase agreement entered into through an offer dated February 23, 2023 made by the Issuer, MUX, MAI and ACM to the Subscriber, and accepted by the Subscriber on February 23, 2023;
“Tax Act” means the Income Tax Act (Canada) as amended from time to time, including the regulations promulgated thereunder;
“Tax Authority” means any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the assessment, determination, collection, administration or imposition of any Taxes;
“Tax Returns” means all returns, elections, claims for refunds, designations, reports, declarations, statements, bills, schedules, estimates, information returns, forms, or other written information (whether in tangible electronic or other form) made, prepared or filed or required to be made, prepared or filed in respect of Taxes under Applicable Laws, including any schedule or attachment thereto, and including any amendment thereof;
“Taxes” means all federal, national, state, provincial, territorial, county, municipal, or local taxes, whether domestic or foreign, and all duties, imposts, levies, assessments, tariffs and other charges imposed, assessed or collected by a Tax Authority, including (i) any income, gross income, net income, gross receipts, net worth, business, royalty, capital, capital gains, goods and services, harmonized sales, value added, severance, stamp, franchise, occupation, premium, capital stock, sales and use, real property, land transfer, personal property, ad valorem, transfer, licence, profits, windfall profits, payroll, environmental, employment, employer health, pension plan, anti-dumping, countervail, excise, severance, stamp, occupation or premium tax, (ii) all withholdings on amounts paid to or by the relevant person, (iii) all employment insurance premiums, pension plan contributions or premiums, (iv) any fine, penalty, interest, surcharge or addition to tax, (v) any tax imposed, assessed, or collected or payable pursuant to any tax-sharing agreement or any other contract relating to the sharing or payment of any such tax, levy, assessment, tariff, duty, deficiency or fee, (vi) claw-backs, repayments, obligations or other liabilities under or in respect of any COVID-19 Relief and (vii) any tax of a type referred to in this paragraph that is payable by a person as a result of being a member of an affiliated, consolidated, combined or unitary group, or as a result of
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succeeding to such liability as a result of merger, conversion or asset transfer or as a result of any obligation under any tax sharing arrangement or indemnity agreement;
“Third Party” means any person other than a party hereto or an affiliate of a party hereto; and
“Third Party Claim” means any Claim for which the Issuer may have liability to any Subscriber Indemnified Party hereunder is asserted against or sought to be collected from any Subscriber Indemnified Party by a Third Party.
A-4
EXHIBIT “A”
CANADIAN INVESTOR QUESTIONNAIRE
EXHIBIT “B”
ICC AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT “C”
ICC ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
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EXHIBIT “D”
INVESTOR RIGHTS AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT “E”
COPPER CATHODES AND CONCENTRATES PURCHASE RIGHTS AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT “F”
SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT “G”
STRUCTURE CHART
EXHIBIT “H”
LOS AZULES PROJECT
EXHIBIT “I”
FORM OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT