Exhibit 10.9
Allego N.V.
Dealer Manager and Solicitation Agent Agreement (the “Agreement”)
New York, New York
August 25, 2023
BofA Securities, Inc.,
as Dealer Manager
c/o BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Allego N.V., a public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) governed by the laws of the Netherlands (the “Company” or “we”), plans to make an offer (such offer as described in the Prospectus (as defined below), together with the related Consent Solicitation (as defined below), the “Exchange Offer”), for any and all of its outstanding Warrants (as defined below), in exchange for consideration consisting of 0.23 Ordinary Shares (as defined below), par value €0.12 per share (the “Exchange Shares”) for each Warrant tendered, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offering Documents (as defined below). Certain terms used herein are defined in Section 21 hereof.
Concurrently with making the Exchange Offer, the Company plans to solicit consents (the “Consents”) from the holders of Warrants (as described in the Offering Documents, the “Consent Solicitation”) to make certain amendments to the terms of the Warrants. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offering Documents, if Consents are received from the holders of at least 50% of the number of the then outstanding Warrants (which is the minimum number required to amend the Warrant Agreement), the Warrant Amendment set forth in the Offering Documents shall be adopted.
Any reference herein to the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 11 of Form F-4, if applicable, which were filed under the Exchange Act on or before the filing of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Effective Date or the issue date of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the initial filing of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Effective Date or the issue date of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference.
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1. Appointment as Dealer Manager and Solicitation Agent.
(a) BofA Securities, Inc. will act as the exclusive dealer manager and solicitation agent for the Exchange Offer (the “Dealer Manager” or “you”) in accordance with your customary practices, including without limitation to use commercially reasonable efforts to solicit tenders pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the solicitation of Consents pursuant to the Consent Solicitation and assisting in the distribution of the Offering Documents and to perform such services as are customarily performed by investment banking firms acting as dealer managers and solicitation agents of an exchange offer of like nature.
(b) You agree that all actions taken by you as Dealer Manager have complied and will comply in all material respects with all applicable laws, regulations and rules of the United States, including, without limitation, the applicable rules and regulations of the registered national securities exchanges of which you are a member and of FINRA.
(c) The Dealer Manager, in its sole discretion, may continue to own or dispose of, in any manner it may elect, any Warrants it may beneficially own at the date hereof or hereafter acquire, in any such case, subject to applicable law. The Dealer Manager has no obligation to the Company, pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, to tender or refrain from tendering Warrants beneficially owned by it in any Exchange Offer (or to deliver Consents in any related Consent Solicitation). The Dealer Manager acknowledges and agrees that if any Exchange Offer is not consummated for any reason, the Company shall have no obligation, pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, to acquire any Warrants from the Dealer Manager or otherwise to hold the Dealer Manager harmless with respect to any losses it may incur in connection with the resale to any third parties of any Warrants.
(d) The Company agrees that it will not file, use or publish any material in connection with the Exchange Offer, use the name BofA or BofA Securities, Inc. or refer to you or your relationship with the Company, without your prior written consent to the form of such use or reference. There shall be no fee for any such permitted use or reference other than as set forth herein.
2. Compensation. The Company shall pay to you, promptly after the Expiration Date, or as otherwise set forth in that certain engagement letter dated as of August 21, 2023, between the Company and the Dealer Manager such fee contained in such letter (the “Fee”), as well as reimburse you for certain reasonable and documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses contemplated in such engagement letter.
3. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, you as set forth below in this Section 3:
(a) Form F-4. The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission the Pre-Effective Registration Statement on Form F-4, including a related Preliminary Prospectus, for registration under the Securities Act of the Exchange Shares in connection with the Exchange Offer. The Pre-Effective Registration Statement will have been declared effective by the Commission prior to the Expiration Date and any request on the part of the Commission or any other federal, state or local or other governmental or regulatory agency, authority or instrumentality or court or arbitrator for the amending or supplementing of the Offering Documents or for additional information has been complied with. The Company meets the conditions for the use of Form F-4 with respect to the Pre-Effective Registration Statement and the Registration Statement in connection with the Exchange Offer as contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Pre-Effective Registration Statement, Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus. (i) The Pre-Effective Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, as of the Commencement Date, the Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date, the Expiration Date and the Exchange Date, and the Preliminary Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto, as of its date, the Commencement Date and the Exchange Date, comply, and will comply, in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including Rule 13e-4 and Rule 14e under the Exchange Act), (ii) the Prospectus (together with any supplement and amendment thereto), as of the date it is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (if it is so filed) and the Exchange Date, will comply, in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including Rule 13e-4 and Rule 14e under the Exchange Act), (iii) the Pre-Effective Registration Statement and any amendment thereto as of the Commencement Date, and the Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date, the Expiration Date and the Exchange Date, did not contain, and will not contain, any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit, and will not omit, to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (iv) the Preliminary Prospectus as of its date did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (v) the Prospectus (together with any supplement or amendment thereto), as of the date it is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) (if required), the Expiration Date and the Exchange Date, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and will not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any supplement or amendment thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of the Dealer Manager expressly for inclusion therein (the “Dealer Manager Information”), it being understood that the Dealer Manager Information shall include only the name and the contact information of the Dealer Manager.
(c) Documents Incorporated by Reference. The documents incorporated by reference in the Schedule TO (as defined below), when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Dealer Manager Information.
(d) Schedule TO. (i) On the Commencement Date, the Company will duly file with the Commission the Schedule TO pursuant to Rule 13e-4 promulgated by the Commission under the Exchange Act, a copy of which Schedule TO (including the documents required by Item 12 thereof to be filed as exhibits thereto) in the form in which it is to be so filed has been or will be furnished to the Dealer Manager; (ii) any amendments to the Schedule TO and the final form of all such documents filed with the Commission or published, sent, or given to holders of Warrants will be furnished or otherwise made available to you prior to any such amendment, filing, publication, or distribution; (iii) the Schedule TO as so filed and as amended or supplemented from time to time will comply in all material respects with the provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; and (iv) the Schedule TO as filed or as amended or supplemented from time to time will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statement contained in, or any matter omitted from, the Schedule TO and in conformity with the Dealer Manager Information.
(e) [Reserved].
(f) No Stop Orders. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act are pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission.
(g) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement to the Commission through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
(h) Testing-the-Waters Materials. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication with any person other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Dealer Manager with entities that are reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are reasonably believed to be accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Dealer Manager to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Dealer Manager has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed or approved for distribution any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) or Rule 163B of the Securities Act.
(i) Financial Statements. The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The other financial information included or incorporated by reference in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate and such data is consistent with the sources from which they are derived, in each case in all material respects.
(j) No Material Adverse Change. There has not occurred any Material Adverse Change, or any development involving a prospective Material Adverse Change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the Commission Reports, except as disclosed in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(k) Organization and Good Standing. The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a public limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation (to the extent the concept of good standing or any functional equivalent is applicable in such jurisdiction), has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(l) Significant Subsidiaries. Each “significant subsidiary” (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) of the Company (the “Significant Subsidiaries”) has been duly incorporated, organized or formed, is validly existing as a corporation or other business entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, organization or formation (to the extent the concept of good standing or any functional equivalent is applicable in such jurisdiction), has the corporate or other business entity power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; all of the issued share capital or other equity interests of each Significant Subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except for such liens, encumbrances, equities or claims that would not be, singly or in the aggregate, material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(m) Capitalization. All the outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable (meaning that a holder of any such Ordinary Shares shall not by reason of merely being such a holder be subject to assessment or calls by the Company or its creditors for further payment on such Ordinary Shares) and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and other than the Warrants, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any Ordinary Shares or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any Ordinary Shares of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the share capital of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (meaning, with respect to shares of any Dutch subsidiaries of the Company, that the holder of such shares shall not by reason of merely being a shareholder be subject to assessment or calls by the relevant subsidiary or its creditors for further payment on such shares) (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors’ qualifying Ordinary Shares) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party other than as described in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Exchange Shares will, prior to their issuance, have been duly authorized for issuance by the Company, and, when issued and delivered as contemplated therein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable (meaning that a holder of any such Exchange Shares shall not by reason of merely being such a holder be subject to assessment or calls by the Company or its creditors for further payment on such Exchange Shares); neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the issuance of the Exchange Shares as contemplated by the Offering Documents will give rise to any preemptive or similar rights, other than those which have been waived or satisfied.
(n) Required Filings. The Company has filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)(1) under the Exchange Act (or Rule 425 under the Securities Act) or otherwise all written communications made by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company in connection with or relating to the Exchange Offer that are required to be filed with the Commission, in each case on the date of their first use.
(o) Compliance. The Company has complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder in connection with the Exchange Offer, the Offering Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The Company is subject to and in full compliance with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company has not received from the Commission any written comments, questions or requests for modification of disclosure in respect of any Commission Reports, except for comments, questions or requests (i) that have been satisfied by the provision of supplemental information to the staff of the Commission, or (ii) in respect of which the Company has agreed with the staff of the Commission to make a prospective change in future Commission Reports, of which agreement the Dealer Manager and its counsel have been made aware.
(p) Options. Except as described in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any Ordinary Shares during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding restricted stock units, options, rights or warrants.
(q) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been or, in respect of the issuance of the Exchange Shares and the exclusion of pre-emption rights in respect of such issuance, will ultimately on the Exchange Date have been duly and validly taken.
(r) Dealer Manager and Solicitation Agent Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(s) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under), nor has the Company or any of its subsidiaries received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in the case of each of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the conduct and consummation of the Exchange Offer and the consummation by the Company of any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Allego Articles, (ii) conflict with or violate any provision of any of the Company’s subsidiaries’ certificates or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, (iii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, anti-dilution or similar adjustments, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or affected, or (iv) conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), such as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(u) No Consents Required. The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement will not contravene any provision of applicable law or the Allego Articles or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body, agency or court is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states or the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. in connection with the offer and issuance of the Exchange Shares.
(v) No Legal Proceedings. There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and proceedings that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and are not so
described; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.
(w) Independent Accountants. Ernst & Young Accountants LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, for the applicable periods, and delivered their report with respect to the audited financial statements and schedules filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(x) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property, if any, and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as now conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries, except to the extent that the failure to have good and marketable title to any real or personal property would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all Liens and defects except such Liens and defects would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries.
(y) Intellectual Property. Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries own or have a valid license to all patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names and all other worldwide intellectual property rights (including all registrations and applications for registration of, and all goodwill associated with, any of the foregoing) (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) used or held for use in any material respect by the Company or such subsidiary of the Company, or reasonably necessary to the conduct of their respective businesses as now conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries; (ii) the applications and registrations of Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its subsidiaries are subsisting and, to the Company’s knowledge, the registrations of Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its subsidiaries are valid and enforceable, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, scope or enforceability of, or any rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in, any such Intellectual Property Rights; (iii) in the past three years, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights of any Person; (iv) to the
Company’s knowledge, no Person is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating, or, in the last year, has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (v) to the Company’s knowledge, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or, in the past three years, has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights of any Person, and (B) the conduct of each of the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries as described in Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus does not infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate any Intellectual Property Rights of any Person; (vi) all employees or contractors engaged in the development of any material Intellectual Property Rights on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property Rights to the Company or its applicable subsidiary, and to the Company’s knowledge no such agreement has been breached or violated by any such employee or contractor; and (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries use, and have used, commercially reasonable efforts to appropriately maintain the confidentiality of all material Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its subsidiaries, including the maintenance and protection of all information intended to be maintained as a trade secret.
(z) Data Privacy. (i) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have complied during the past three years and are presently in compliance, in all material respects, with all internal and external privacy policies, contractual obligations, applicable laws, statutes, judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or other governmental or regulatory authority and any other legal obligations, in each case, relating to the collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, protection, disposal and disclosure by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of Personal Information (“Data Security Obligations”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any written notification of or written complaint regarding and are unaware of any other facts that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably indicate non-compliance in any material respect with any Data Security Obligation by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened alleging non-compliance in any material respect with any Data Security Obligation by the Company or any of its subsidiaries. “Personal Information” shall mean any information that identifies, could be used to identify or is otherwise related to an individual person, in addition to any definition for “personal information” or any similar term provided by applicable law.
(aa) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, shareholders or other Affiliates of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in each of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents.
(bb) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and after giving effect to the consummation of the Exchange Offer will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).
(cc) Taxes. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to pay would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by IFRS have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, singly or in the aggregate, has had (nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(dd) Licenses and Permits. The Company and each of its subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as now conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries (“Permits”), except to the extent that the failure to possess such Permits would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(ee) No Labor Disputes. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that could, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(ff) Certain Environmental Matters. Except as described in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any applicable federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any legally binding judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, applicable laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum
or petroleum products, or asbestos-containing materials (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements and (C) there are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation or proceedings or, to the knowledge of the Company, investigations, by any private party or any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency alleging non-compliance with or liability under any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
(gg) Compliance with ERISA. (i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any entity, whether or not incorporated, that is under common control with the Company within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA or any entity that would be regarded as a single employer with the Company under Section 414(b),(c),(m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no Plan has failed (whether or not waived), or is reasonably expected to fail, to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) applicable to such Plan; (iv) no Plan is, or is reasonably expected to be, in “at risk status” (within the meaning of Section 303(i) of ERISA) and no Plan that is a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA is in “endangered status” or “critical status” (within the meaning of Sections 304 and 305 of ERISA); (v) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (vi) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations promulgated thereunder) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (vii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is subject to a favorable determination letter or advisory opinion, as applicable, from the Internal Revenue Service, and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, that, to the best knowledge of the Company, is reasonably likely to result in the revocation of any such determination or opinion, as applicable; and (viii) none of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (A) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans by the Company or its Controlled Group affiliates in the current fiscal year of the Company and its Controlled Group affiliates compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s and its Controlled Group affiliates’ most recently completed fiscal year; or (B) a material increase in the Company and its subsidiaries’ “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715-60) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year, except in each case with respect to the events or conditions set forth in (i) through (viii) hereof, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(hh) Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus (A) the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder that are effective, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications, as of the date hereof, as of the Commencement Date and as of the Exchange Date; (B) the Company and its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (C) the Company and its subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and its subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the Commission Reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated), except as disclosed in the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act and in the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(ii) Insurance. The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(jj) No Unlawful Payments. (i) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any director or officer thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee, agent or representative while acting on behalf of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; and (ii) the Company and each of its subsidiaries have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein.
(kk) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act 2010. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, directors, officers or, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee, Affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, as amended, and the rules thereunder (the “UK Act”), or similar applicable law of any other jurisdiction or the rules and regulations under the FCPA, UK Act or similar applicable law of any other jurisdiction including, without limitation, (i) using any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity or (ii) making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA, the UK Act or similar applicable law of any other jurisdiction and the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its Affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA, the UK Act or similar applicable law of any other jurisdiction and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(ll) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and each of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(mm) OFAC. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, directors, officers or, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee, Affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is an individual or entity (“Person”) currently the subject or target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (currently, the Crimea region of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, Cuba, Iran, Syria or North Korea) (each a “Sanctioned Country”). For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with a country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of Sanctions that broadly prohibit dealings with that country or territory, except as would be permissible under relevant Sanctions.
(nn) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, Affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are: (i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or (ii) located, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not knowingly engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, in violation of Sanctions.
(oo) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except as described in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s share capital or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or form transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.
(pp) No Solicitation. The Company has not paid or agreed to pay to any person any compensation for (i) soliciting another to purchase any of its securities or (ii) soliciting tenders or Consents by holders of Warrants pursuant to the Exchange Offer (except as contemplated in this Agreement).
(qq) No Registration Rights. Except as described in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, no person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement or the Registration Statement with the Commission.
(rr) No Stabilization. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the Exchange Offer.
(ss) PFIC Status. To the Company’s knowledge, the Company was not a “passive foreign investment company” (as defined in Section 1297 of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder) (“PFIC”) for its taxable year ended December 31, 2022 and does not expect to be a PFIC for the taxable year ending December 31, 2023 or the foreseeable future.
(tt) Dividend Restrictions. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, (A) all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the share capital of the Company, now or in the future, may, under the current laws and regulations of the Netherlands, be paid in United States Dollars that (subject to any applicable Sanctions) may be freely transferred out of the Netherlands; (B) all such dividends and other distributions made to the beneficial owners of such dividends and other distributions that are non-residents of the Netherlands for tax purposes are not or will not be, as the case may be, subject to withholding or other taxes under the current laws and regulations of the Netherlands, except that the beneficial owners that are non-residents of the Netherlands for tax purposes will be subject to Dutch income tax in respect of income derived from the Ordinary Shares and gains realized upon the redemption or disposal of the Ordinary Shares if such beneficial owner is (i) an individual and holds a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang) or deemed substantial interest (fictief aanmerkelijk belang) in the Company both within the meaning of chapter 4 of the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001 (Wet inkomstenbelasting 2001) or (ii) a corporate body (lichaam) and holds a substantial interest or deemed substantial interest in the Company with the main purposes or one of the main purposes of avoiding Dutch personal income tax of another person as part of an artificial arrangement or transaction (or series of artificial arrangements or transactions); and (C) all such dividends and other distributions may under such current laws and regulations be made without the necessity of obtaining any consent, approval, authorization or order in the Netherlands. For the avoidance of doubt, all dividends and other distributions made by the Company on the Ordinary Shares to residents and non-residents of the Netherlands for tax purposes will be subject to withholding under the laws and regulations of the Netherlands as disclosed in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, unless an exemption, reduction or refund can be obtained as disclosed in Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(uu) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act (a “Foreign Private Issuer”).
(vv) No Transfer Taxes or Other Similar Documentary Taxes. There are no transfer, stamp, issue, registration, or other similar documentary taxes or charges under the laws of the Netherlands, U.S. federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement or the exchange by the Company of the Warrants.
(ww) No Right of Immunity. Under the current laws of the Netherlands, the Company would not be entitled to invoke immunity from jurisdiction or immunity from execution in respect of any action arising out of its obligations under this Agreement.
(xx) Choice of Law. The choice of law of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Netherlands and courts of the Netherlands should give effect to this choice of law, subject to (i) mandatory choice of law rules and constitutional limitations (including the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 relating to the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I)) and (ii) the restrictions described under the caption “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” in the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(yy) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included in any of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(zz) Registration Fees. The Company has paid the registration fee for Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 456(a) under the Securities Act or will pay such fee within the time period required by such rule and in any event prior to the Exchange Date.
(aaa) No Ratings. There are (and prior to the Exchange Date, will be) no debt securities or preferred shares issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined under Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Dealer Manager or counsel for the Dealer Manager in connection with the Exchange Offer shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company as to matters covered thereby to the Dealer Manager. The Company acknowledges that, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 6 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Dealer Manager will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
4. Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Dealer Manager. The Dealer Manager hereby represents, warrants and agrees that the Dealer Manager will not (1) cause to be disseminated to holders, dealers or the public any written material for or in connection with the Exchange Offer other than one or more of the Offering Documents, or (2) make any public oral communications relating to the Exchange Offer that have not been previously approved by the Company except as contemplated in the penultimate sentence of Section 6 of this Agreement.
5. Agreements. The Company agrees with the Dealer Manager that:
(a) The Company will furnish to the Dealer Manager and to counsel for the Dealer Manager, without charge, during the period beginning on the Commencement Date and continuing to and including the Exchange Date, copies of the Offering Documents and any amendments and supplements thereto in such quantities as the Dealer Manager may reasonably request.
(b) Prior to the termination or consummation of the Exchange Offer, the Company will not file any amendment to the Pre-Effective Registration Statement or the Registration Statement or supplement to the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus unless the Company has furnished the Dealer Manager a copy of such proposed amendment or supplement, as applicable, for its review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Dealer Manager reasonably objects. Subject to the foregoing sentence, if the Registration Statement has become or becomes effective, or filing of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus is otherwise required under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, the Company will cause the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and any supplement thereto to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) or in an amendment to the Registration Statement, whichever is applicable, within the time period prescribed. The Company will promptly advise the Dealer Manager (i) when the Registration Statement, and any amendment thereto, shall have become effective, (ii) when the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission, (iii) when, prior to termination of the Exchange Offer, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective, (iv) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Pre-Effective Registration Statement or the Registration Statement or supplement to the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or for any additional information, (v) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, and (vi) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Exchange Shares for sale in any jurisdiction within the United States or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. In the event of the issuance of any such stop order or of any such order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain its withdrawal. The Company agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to become effective as soon as practicable and as much in advance of the Expiration Date as practicable.
(c) The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Exchange Shares issued in the Exchange Offer, as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Exchange Offer is required to be delivered under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, any event occurs as a result of which the Offering Documents, as then amended or supplemented, would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it should be necessary to amend or supplement the Offering Documents to
comply with applicable law, the Company will promptly: (i) notify the Dealer Manager of any such event or non-compliance at which time the Dealer Manager shall be entitled to cease soliciting tenders until such time as the Company has complied with clause (iii) of this sentence; (ii) subject to the requirements of the first sentence of the above paragraph (b), prepare an amendment or supplement that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and (iii) supply any such amendment or supplement to the Dealer Manager and counsel for the Dealer Manager without charge in such quantities as the Dealer Manager may reasonably request. The Company will also promptly inform the Dealer Manager of any litigation or administrative action with respect to the Exchange Offer.
(d) The Company agrees to advise the Dealer Manager promptly of (i) any proposal by the Company to withdraw, rescind or modify the Offering Documents or to withdraw, rescind or terminate the Exchange Offer or the exercise by the Company of any right not to exchange the Warrants pursuant to the Exchange Offer, (ii) its awareness of the issuance of a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice objecting to its use by the Commission or any other regulatory authority, or the institution or threatening of any proceedings for that purpose (and will promptly furnish the Dealer Manager with a copy of any such order), (iii) its awareness of the occurrence of any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change relating to or affecting the Exchange Offer and (iv) any other non-privileged information relating to the Exchange Offer, the Offering Documents or this Agreement which the Dealer Manager may from time to time reasonably request.
(e) The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Dealer Manager as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
(f) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Exchange Shares for offer or issuance in connection with the Exchange Offer under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Dealer Manager may reasonably designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for such offer or issuance; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or issuance of the Exchange Shares in connection with the Exchange Offer, in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so subject. The Company will promptly advise the Dealer Manager of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Exchange Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose.
(g) Prior to the termination or consummation of the Exchange Offer, the Company will not, and will not permit any of its Affiliates to, resell any Exchange Shares that have been acquired by them. The Company will cause all Warrants accepted in the Exchange Offer to be cancelled.
(h) The Company will cooperate with the Dealer Manager to permit the Exchange Shares to be eligible for clearance and settlement through The Depository Trust Company.
(i) The Company agrees not to exchange any Warrants during the period beginning on the Commencement Date and ending on the Exchange Date except pursuant to and in accordance with the Exchange Offer or as otherwise agreed to in writing by the parties hereto and permitted under applicable laws and regulations.
(j) None of the Company, its Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf will take, directly or indirectly, any action that is designed to cause or result, or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the Exchange Offer or the tender of Warrants in the Exchange Offer.
(k) The Company has arranged for D.F. King & Co., Inc. to serve as Information Agent and for Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, to serve as Exchange Agent and authorizes the Dealer Manager to communicate with each of the Information Agent and the Exchange Agent to facilitate the Exchange Offer.
(l) The Company will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, including Rule 13e-4 and Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act (including taking the actions necessary to ensure that the procedural requirements of Rule 14e-1 are satisfied), in connection with the Exchange Offer, the Offering Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The Company will file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)(1) under the Exchange Act (or Rule 425 under the Securities Act) or otherwise all written communications made by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company in connection with or relating to the Exchange Offer that are required to be filed with the Commission, in each case on the date of their first use.
(m) The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses relating to the transactions contemplated hereunder, including without limitation the following: (i) the preparation of this Agreement, the issuance of the Exchange Shares and the fees of the Information Agent and the Exchange Agent; (ii) the preparation, printing or reproduction of the Offering Documents and each amendment or supplement thereto; (iii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Offering Documents (and all amendments or supplements thereto) as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the Exchange Offer; (iv) the preparation, authentication, issuance and delivery of the Exchange Shares, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance of the Exchange Shares; (v) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the Exchange Offer; (vi) any registration or qualification of the Exchange Shares for offer under the blue sky laws of the several states or any non-U.S. jurisdiction; (vii) transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in
connection with presentations to prospective participants in the Exchange Offer; (viii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; (ix) fees and expenses incurred in connection with listing the Exchange Shares on the New York Stock Exchange; (x) the fees, documented fees, costs and out-of-pocket expenses of counsel for the Dealer Manager as provided for in Section 2 hereof; and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the Exchange Offer.
(n) The Company will promptly notify the Dealer Manager if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company or Foreign Private Issuer at any time prior to the Exchange Date.
6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Dealer Manager. The obligations of the Dealer Manager under this Agreement shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein at the Commencement Date, any date on which Offering Documents are distributed to holders of the Warrants, the Effective Date, the Expiration Date and the Exchange Date, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Registration Statement shall have become effective on or prior to the Expiration Date.
(b) As of the Exchange Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission; and the Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Dealer Manager.
(c) At the Commencement Date and the Exchange Date, the Company shall have requested and caused an opinion and negative assurance letter of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, U.S. counsel to the Company, together with an opinion of NautaDutilh N.V., Dutch counsel for the Company, dated the Commencement Date or Exchange Date, as applicable, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Dealer Manager to have been delivered to the Dealer Manager, in each case addressed to the Dealer Manager.
(d) At the Commencement Date and the Exchange Date, the Dealer Manager shall have received from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Dealer Manager, such opinion and negative assurance letter, in each case addressed to the Dealer Manager with respect to the Exchange Offer, as the Dealer Manager may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably request for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(e) At the Exchange Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Dealer Manager a certificate of the Company, signed by the chief executive officer and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated as of the Exchange Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Offering Documents, any amendment or supplement to the Offering Documents and this Agreement and that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Exchange Date with the same effect as if made on the Exchange Date, and the Company has complied in all material respects with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Exchange Date;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or threatened by the Commission; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Offering Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), there has been no Material Adverse Change, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Offering Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
(f) At each of the Commencement Date and the Exchange Date, the Company shall have requested and caused Ernst & Young Accountants LLP to furnish to the Dealer Manager letters, dated respectively as of the Commencement Date and the Exchange Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Dealer Manager.
(g) Subsequent to the Commencement Date or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Offering Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letters referred to in paragraph (f) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Offering Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii)
above, is, in the reasonable judgment of the Dealer Manager, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to market or deliver the Exchange Shares or solicit tenders of Warrants as contemplated by the Offering Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
(i) Prior to the Exchange Date, the Company shall have obtained all consents, approvals, authorizations and orders of, and shall have duly made all registrations, qualifications and filing with, any court or regulatory authority or other governmental agency or instrumentality required in connection with the making and consummation of the Exchange Offer and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.
(j) Prior to the Exchange Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Dealer Manager and its counsel such further information, certificates and documents as they may reasonably request.
(k) Prior to the Exchange Date, the Exchange Shares shall have been approved for listing, subject to notice of issuance, on the New York Stock Exchange.
If (i) any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or (ii) any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Dealer Manager and its counsel, this Agreement and all obligations of the Dealer Manager hereunder may be cancelled by the Dealer Manager at, or at any time prior to, the Exchange Date. In such event, the Dealer Managers shall be entitled to publicly disclose the cancellation of its participation in the Exchange Offer via press release, subject to prior notification of the Company. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Dealer Manager, the directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates of the Dealer Manager and each person who controls the Dealer Manager within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Dealer Manager may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal, state or foreign statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) relate to, arise out of, or are based upon (1) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, (2) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Schedule TO, the notice of guaranteed delivery, and all other documents filed or to be filed with any federal, state or local government or regulatory agency or authority in connection with the Exchange Offer, each as prepared or approved by the
Company, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (3) the Company’s failure to make or consummate the Exchange Offer or the withdrawal, rescission, termination, amendment or extension of the Exchange Offer or any failure on the Company’s part to comply with the terms and conditions contained in the Offering Documents, (4) any action or failure to act by the Company or its respective directors, officers, agents or employees or by any indemnified party at the request or with the consent of the Company, or (5) otherwise related to or arising out of the Dealer Manager’s engagement hereunder or any transaction or conduct in connection therewith, except that clauses (3), (4) and (5) shall not apply with respect to the portion of any losses that are determined to have resulted primarily from the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of such indemnified party, and in the case of clause (1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this sentence, the Company agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by it in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Offering Documents, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Dealer Manager Information or, in the case of reimbursement of expenses, to the extent such expense constitutes VAT that is recoverable by the indemnified party (or the representative member of any VAT group of which the indemnified party is a member).This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have.
(b) The Dealer Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Dealer Manager, but only with reference to the Dealer Manager Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Dealer Manager may otherwise have.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel (including local counsel) of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel, other than one local
counsel in any material relevant jurisdiction if not appointed by the indemnifying party, retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint counsel (including local counsel) to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable and documented fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest; (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party; (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action; or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to an admission of fault, culpability or failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified person.
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 7 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Dealer Manager agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending same) (collectively, the “Losses”) to which the Company and the Dealer Manager may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Dealer Manager on the one hand and the Company on the other from the Exchange Offer. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Dealer Manager shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Dealer Manager on the other in connection with the statements, omissions, actions or failure to act that resulted in such Losses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Dealer Manager on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total value paid or proposed to be paid to holders of Warrants pursuant to the Exchange Offer (whether or not consummated) bears to the fees actually received by the Dealer Manager pursuant to Section 2 hereof (exclusive of amounts paid for reimbursement of expenses or paid under this Agreement). For purposes of the
preceding sentence, the total value paid or proposed to be paid to holders of Warrants pursuant to the Exchange Offer shall equal (i) if the Exchange Offer is consummated, the total market value of the Exchange Shares (as of the Expiration Date) issued in the Exchange Offer, or (ii) if the Exchange Offer is not consummated, the total market value (as of the date when the Exchange Offer is terminated or otherwise withdrawn by the Company) of the Exchange Shares issuable in the Exchange Offer, based on the maximum number of Warrants that could be exchanged in the Exchange Offer as described in the Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus immediately before the termination or withdrawal of the Exchange Offer. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact or any other alleged conduct relates to information provided by the Company or other conduct by the Company on the one hand or the Dealer Manager on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Dealer Manager agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary above (other than with respect to uncovered losses), in no event shall BofA Securities, Inc. be responsible under this paragraph for any amounts in excess of the amount of the compensation actually paid by the Company to BofA Securities, Inc. in connection with the engagement (exclusive of amounts paid for reimbursement of expenses under the Agreement, including this Section 7, and amounts paid under this Section 7). Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 7, each person who controls the Dealer Manager within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee, agent and Affiliate of the Dealer Manager shall have the same rights to contribution as such Dealer Manager, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each officer and director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, each indemnified party shall be obligated to refund or return any and all amounts paid by the Company to such indemnified party for any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses to the extent such indemnified party is not entitled to payment of such amounts in accordance with the terms hereof. In no event shall the Company be responsible for any special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
8. [Reserved].
9. Certain Acknowledgments. The Company understands that you and your Affiliates (together, the “Group”) are engaged in a wide range of financial services and businesses (including investment management, financing, securities trading, corporate and investment banking and research). Members of the Group and businesses within the Group generally act independently of each other, both for their own account and for the account of clients. Accordingly, there may be situations where parts of the Group and/or their clients either now have or may in the future have interests, or take actions, that may conflict with our interests. For example, the Group may, in the ordinary course of business, engage in trading in financial products or undertake other investment businesses for their own account or on behalf of other clients, including, but not limited to, trading in or holding long, short or derivative positions in securities, loans or other financial products of the Company or other entities connected with the Exchange Offer.
In recognition of the foregoing, the Company agrees that the Group is not required to restrict its activities as a result of this engagement, and that the Group may undertake any business activity without further consultation with or notification to the Company. Neither this Agreement, the receipt by the Group of confidential information nor any other matter shall give rise to any fiduciary, equitable or contractual duties (including without limitation any duty of trust or confidence) that would prevent or restrict the Group from acting on behalf of other customers or for its own account. Furthermore, the Company agrees that neither the Group nor any member or business of the Group is under a duty to disclose to the Company or use on behalf of the Company any information whatsoever about or derived from those activities or to account for any revenue or profits obtained in connection with such activities. However, consistent with the Group’s long-standing policy to hold in confidence the affairs of its customers, the Group will not use confidential information obtained from the Company except in connection with its services to, and its relationship with the Company.
The Company hereby acknowledges that you are acting as principal and not as a fiduciary of the Company and the Company’s engagement of you in connection with the transactions contemplated herein is as an independent contractor, on an arms-length basis under this Agreement with duties solely to the Company, and not in any other capacity including as a fiduciary. Neither this Agreement, your performance hereunder nor any previous or existing relationship between the Company and any member of or business within the Group will be deemed to create any fiduciary relationship. Neither this engagement, nor the delivery of any advice in connection with this engagement, is intended to confer rights upon any persons not a party hereto (including security holders, employees or creditors of the Company) as against the Group or their respective directors, officers, agents and employees. Furthermore, the Company agrees that it is solely responsible for making its own judgments in connection with the transactions contemplated herein (irrespective of whether any member of or business within the Group has advised or is currently advising the Company on related or other matters).
10. Termination; Representations, Acknowledgments and Indemnities to Survive.
(a) Subject to clause (c) below, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company, at any time upon notice to the Dealer Manager, if (i) at any time prior to the Exchange Date, the Exchange Offer is terminated or withdrawn by the Company for any reason, or (ii) the Dealer Manager does not comply with any of its covenants under this Agreement.
(b) Subject to clause (c) below, this Agreement may be terminated by the Dealer Manager, at any time upon notice to the Company, if (i) at any time prior to the Exchange Date, the Exchange Offer is terminated or withdrawn by the Company for any reason, (ii) the Company does not comply in all material respects with any covenant specified in Section 1, (iii) the Company shall publish, send or otherwise distribute any amendment or supplement to the Offering Documents to which the Dealer Manager shall reasonably object or which shall be reasonably disapproved by the counsel to the Dealer Manager or (iv) the Dealer Manager cancels the Agreement pursuant to Section 6.
(c) The respective agreements, representations, warranties, acknowledgments, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Dealer Manager set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Dealer Manager or the Company or any of the officers, directors or controlling person of the Company, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Exchange Shares. The provisions of Section 2, Section 5(m), Section 7, Section 12, Section 13, Section 14, Section 15, Section 16, Section 17, Section 18, Section 19 and Section 21 hereof, and this Section 10(c), shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.
11. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Dealer Manager is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies its clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of its clients, as well as other information that will allow the Dealer Manager to properly identify its clients.
12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Dealer Manager, will be mailed or delivered to
BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park,
New York, NY 10036
Email: dg.ecm_execution_services@bofa.com
Attention: Syndicate Department with a copy to:
Email: dg.ecm_legal@bofa.com
Attention: ECM Legal
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue,
New York, New York 10017
Email: derek.dostal@davispolk.com
Attention: Derek Dostal
or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed or delivered to
Allego N.V.
Westervoortsedijk 73 KB
6827 AV Arnhem, the Netherlands
Attention: Ton Louwers
Telephone: +31 (0) 88 033 3033
Email: finance@allego.eu
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10153
Attn: Alex D. Lynch, Esq. and Heather Emmel, Esq.
13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof, and, except as expressly set forth in Section 5(k) hereof, no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14. Entire Agreement. Except for that certain engagement letter dated as of August 21, 2023, between the Company and the Dealer Manager, this Agreement, and any documents referred to in it, constitute the whole agreement between the parties and supersede any arrangements, understanding or previous agreement between them relating to the subject matter they cover. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and any documents referred to in it, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.
15. Submission to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Immunity. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) shall be instituted in (i) the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan or (ii) the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Each party not located in the United States irrevocably appoints Corporation Trust Center as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the City and County of New York. With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party
irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.
16. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York.
17. Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties hereto hereby waives any right to trial by jury in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. Electronic signatures complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law will be deemed original signatures for purposes of this Agreement. Transmission by telecopy, electronic mail or other transmission method of an executed counterpart of this Agreement will constitute due and sufficient delivery of such counterpart.
19. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
20. Currency. Each reference in this Agreement to U.S. dollars (the “relevant currency”), including by use of the symbol “$”, is of the essence. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the obligation of the Company in respect of any amount due under this Agreement will, notwithstanding any payment in any other currency (whether pursuant to a judgment or otherwise), be discharged only to the extent of the amount in the relevant currency that the party entitled to receive such payment may, in accordance with its normal procedures, purchase with the sum paid in such other currency (after any premium and costs of exchange) on the Business Day immediately following the day on which such party receives such payment. If the amount in the relevant currency that may be so purchased for any reason falls short of the amount originally due, the Company will pay such additional amounts, in the relevant currency, as may be necessary to compensate for the shortfall. Any obligation of the Company not discharged by such payment will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be due as a separate and independent obligation and, until discharged as provided herein, will continue in full force and effect.
21. Definitions. The following terms, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
“Affiliate” shall have the meaning specified in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D.
“Allego Articles” shall mean the articles of association of the Company contained in the Deed of Conversion and Amendment of the Articles of Association of the Company.
“Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in The City of New York.
“Commencement Date” shall mean the date of commencement (as defined in Rule 13e-4 under the Exchange Act) of the Exchange Offer.
“Commission” shall mean the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Commission Reports” shall mean any reports the Company files with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act.
“Effective Date” shall mean the time the Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Exchange Date” shall mean the date on which the Company issues the Exchange Shares in exchange for the Warrants pursuant to the Exchange Offer.
“Expiration Date” shall mean Midnight (end of day), Eastern Standard Time, on September 22, 2023, or such later time and date as may be extended by the Company in its sole discretion.
“FINRA” shall mean the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
“Information Agent” shall mean D.F. King & Co. Inc.
“Liens” means a lien, charge, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction.
“Material Adverse Change” shall mean, with respect to the Company, any change that is materially adverse to the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business.
“Material Adverse Effect” means (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document.
“Offering Documents” shall mean the Pre-Effective Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Schedule TO, the notice of guaranteed delivery, and all other documents filed or to be filed with any federal, state or local government or regulatory agency or authority in connection with the Exchange Offer, each as prepared or approved by the Company.
“Ordinary Share” means an ordinary share of the Company, par value €0.12 per share, and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
“Pre-Effective Registration Statement” shall mean the registration statement, filed by the Company with the Commission registering the Exchange Offer under the Securities Act, including exhibits thereto and any documents deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430C under the Securities Act, in the form in which it is initially filed with the Commission.
“Preliminary Prospectus” shall mean the preliminary prospectus that is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented from time to time.
“proceeding” means an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened.
“Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus included in the Registration Statement, except that if the final prospectus furnished to the Dealer Manager for use in connection with the Exchange Offer differs from the prospectus set forth in the Registration Statement (whether or not such prospectus is required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act), the term “Prospectus” shall refer to the final prospectus furnished to the Dealer Manager for such use.
“Registration Statement” shall mean the registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission registering the Exchange Offer under the Securities Act, including exhibits thereto and any documents deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430C under the Securities Act, in the form in which it becomes effective and, in the event of any amendment or supplement thereto or the filing of any abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act relating thereto after the effective date of such registration statement, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended or supplemented, together with any such abbreviated registration statement.
“Schedule TO” shall mean the tender offer statement filed with the Commission on Schedule TO, including any documents incorporated by reference therein, with respect to the Exchange Offer, including any amendment or supplement thereto.
“Securities Act” shall mean the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the principal Trading Market is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Ordinary Shares are listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the New York Stock Exchange (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.
“U.S.” or the “United States” shall mean the United States of America.
“VAT” shall mean within the European Union such value added tax as may be levied in accordance with (but subject to derogations from) EC Directive 2006/112 and outside the European Union any tax levied by reference to added value, sales and/or consumption.
“Warrants” shall mean the warrants sold as part of the units in the initial public offering of Spartan Acquisition Corp. III (the “IPO”) (whether they were purchased in the IPO or thereafter in the open market).
“Warrant Agreement” shall mean the warrant agreement, dated as of February 8, 2021, by and between Spartan Acquisition Corp. III and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, as assumed by the Company pursuant to the Warrant Assumption Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2022, among the Company, Spartan Acquisition Corp. III and the Warrant Agent.
“Warrant Amendment” shall mean the amendment to the Warrant Agreement described in the Offering Documents.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this Agreement and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement between the Company and the Dealer Manager.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| ALLEGO N.V. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written: | ||
| BOFA SECURITIES, INC. | ||
| By |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||