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Response to Times Article of 24 February 2012

24th Feb 2012 16:58

RNS Number : 1227Y
Myriad Group AG
24 February 2012
 



24 February 2012

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO THE SAME WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

MYRIAD GROUP AG

Share Offer for Synchronica plc ("Synchronica") by Myriad Group AG ("Myriad")

Myriad response to article in The Times of 24 February 2012

The Board of Myriad notes today's article in The Times which was headlined "Mobile Chief (Angus Dent) bought shares after takeover approach" and would like to comment as follows:

·; The board of Myriad ("Myriad") submitted a written indicative offer letter to Synchronica on 11 November 2011 indicating a price of 11.65p, subject to a number of pre-conditions.

·; Myriad received a written response from David Mason, Chairman, on behalf of Synchronica dated 18 November 2011 requesting clarification of certain aspects of the indicative offer. Myriad did not regard this letter as containing a "firm rebuffle" of its indicative offer.

·; Myriad continued with its discussions with the board of Synchronica from 18 November 2011 up to and beyond the announcement of 3 January 2012 which detailed that Myriad and Synchronica were "in talks".

·; Myriad was surprised and disappointed to read of the share purchase by Angus Dent, the CEO of Synchronica announced on 30 November 2011 prior to the "in talks" announcement on 3 January 2012. At the time of this share purchase, Angus Dent and the board of Synchronica were engaged in discussions with Myriad and, in particular, the level of Myriad's indicative offer. Myriad notes that the stock market had not been informed of Myriad's approach or the level of its indicative offer prior to Angus Dent's share purchase.

·; In Synchronica shareholders interests, Myriad would like to clarify that it understands that Angus Dent purchased shares to the value of approximately £49,000 rather than the amount referred to in the press article.

·; Myriad will co-operate fully with any regulatory body's investigations.

·; Myriad asks the independent directors of Synchronica (being those not involved with conducting or authorising the share purchase) to consider:

i) whether there has been a breach of fiduciary duties by those directors involved; and

ii) whether those directors should resign with immediate effect.

·; Myriad also questions what information the company's Nomad, Northland Capital Partners, received to approve this share purchase and as to why it was not viewed as insider trading.

Enquiries:

Zeus Capital Limited

(Financial Adviser to Myriad)

Richard Hughes

Tel: 0161 831 1512

Nick Cowles

www.zeuscapital.co.uk

Andrew Jones

 

Zeus Capital, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for Myriad and for no one else in connection with the Offer and is not advising any other person or treating any other person as its client in relation thereto and will not be responsible to anyone other than Myriad for providing the protections afforded to clients of Zeus Capital, or for giving advice to any other person in relation to the Offer, the contents of this announcement or any other matter referred to herein.

This announcement is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell, or form part of, or constitute the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for or an invitation to purchase, any securities.

This announcement does not constitute a prospectus or a prospectus equivalent document. Shareholders are advised to read carefully the formal documentation in relation to the Offer once it has been despatched. The proposal for the Offer will be made solely through the Offer Document and the accompanying Forms of Acceptance, which will contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer, including details of how to accept the Offer. Please read carefully the Offer Document in its entirety before making a decision with regards to the Offer. Any acceptance or other response to the proposals should be made on the basis of the information in the Offer Document.

Dealing Disclosure Requirements

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the City Code, any person who is interested in 1 per cent. or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any paper offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the Offer Period, and, if later, following the announcement in which any paper offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any paper offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the Offer Period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any paper offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a paper offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the City Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1 per cent. or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any paper offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any paper offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any paper offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a paper offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the Offer Period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44(0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

Overseas Jurisdictions

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by the laws of those jurisdictions and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

This announcement has been prepared for the purposes of complying with English law and the City Code and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction outside of England.

In particular, this announcement is not an offer which is being made, directly or indirectly, in or into or by the use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, email, facsimile transmission, telex, telephone, the internet or other forms of electronic transmission) of interstate or foreign commerce, or of any facility of a national securities exchange of a Restricted Jurisdiction and the Offer cannot be accepted by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility from or within a Restricted Jurisdiction.

 

Publication on website

A copy of this announcement is available free of charge on Myriads website at www.myriadgroup.com.

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
 
END
 
 
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