AMIRA NATURE FOODS LTD [·] Ordinary Shares UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[·], 2012
UBS Securities LLC
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
as Managing Underwriters
c/o UBS Securities LLC
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c/o Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
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Ladies and Gentlemen:
Amira Nature Foods Ltd, a British Virgin Islands business company limited by shares (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the underwriters named in Schedule A annexed hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of [·] ordinary shares of $0.001 par value of the Company (the “Firm Shares”). The ordinary shares of $0.001 par value of the Company are referred to herein as the “Ordinary Shares”). In addition, solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, the Company proposes to grant to the Underwriters the option to purchase from the Company up to an additional [·] Ordinary Shares (the “Additional Shares”). The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively sometimes referred to as the “Shares.” The Shares are described in the Prospectus which is referred to below.
The Company has prepared and filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-183612) under the Act, including a prospectus, relating to the Shares.
Except where the context otherwise requires, “Registration Statement,” as used herein, means the registration statement, as amended, at the time of such registration statement’s effectiveness for purposes of Section 11 of the Act, as such section applies to the respective Underwriters (the “Effective Time”), including (i) all documents filed as a part thereof, (ii) any information contained in a prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, to the extent such information is deemed, pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 430C under the Act, to be part of the registration statement at the Effective Time, and (iii) any registration statement filed to register the offer and sale of Shares pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act.
Except where the context otherwise requires, “Prospectus,” as used herein, means the prospectus, relating to the Shares, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act on or before the second business day after the date hereof (or such
earlier time as may be required under the Act), or, if no such filing is required, the final prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective under the Act, in each case in the form furnished by the Company to you for use by the Underwriters and by dealers in connection with the offering of the Shares.
“Preliminary Prospectus,” as used herein, means, as of any time, the prospectus relating to the Shares that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time.
“Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses,” as used herein, means the documents listed on Schedule B attached hereto and each “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act), if any, related to the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby that is a “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) (each such road show, an “Electronic Road Show”). The Underwriters have not offered or sold and will not offer or sell, without the Company’s consent, any Shares by means of any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) that is required to be filed by the Underwriters with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 under the Act, other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.
“Covered Free Writing Prospectuses,” as used herein, means (i) each “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(1) under the Act), if any, relating to the Shares, which is not a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and (ii) each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.
“Exempt Written Communication,” as used herein, means each written communication, if any, by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company made to one or more qualified institutional buyers (“QIBs”) as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the Act and/or one or more institutions that are accredited investors (“IAIs”), as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Act to determine whether such investors might have an interest in a contemplated securities offering.
“Exempt Oral Communication,” as used herein, means each oral communication made prior to the filing of the Registration Statement by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company made to one or more QIBs and/or one or more IAIs to determine whether such investors might have an interest in a contemplated securities offering.
“Permitted Exempt Written Communication,” as used herein, means the documents listed on Schedule B attached hereto.
“Covered Exempt Written Communication,” as used herein, means (i) each Exempt Written Communication that is not a Permitted Exempt Written Communication and (ii) each Permitted Exempt Written Communication.
“Disclosure Package,” as used herein, means the Preliminary Prospectus and all Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, considered together.
“Applicable Time”, as used herein, means [·] [A.M./P.M.], New York City time,
on [·], 2012.
As used in this Agreement, “business day” shall mean a day on which the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is open for trading. The terms “herein,” “hereof,” “hereto,” “hereinafter” and similar terms, as used in this Agreement, shall in each case refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section, paragraph, sentence or other subdivision of this Agreement. The term “or,” as used herein, is not exclusive.
The Company has prepared and filed, in accordance with Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”)”, a registration statement (as amended, the “Exchange Act Registration Statement”) on Form 8-A (File No. [·]) under the Exchange Act to register, under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, the class of securities consisting of the Ordinary Shares.
The Company and the Underwriters agree as follows:
1. Sale and Purchase. Upon the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the respective Underwriters and each of the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A attached hereto, subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 8 hereof, in each case at a purchase price of $[·] per Share. The Company is advised by you that the Underwriters intend (i) to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Firm Shares as soon after the effective date of the Registration Statement as in your judgment is advisable and (ii) initially to offer the Firm Shares upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus. You may from time to time increase or decrease the public offering price after the initial public offering to such extent as you may determine.
In addition, the Company hereby grants to the several Underwriters the option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) to purchase, and upon the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company, ratably in accordance with the number of Firm Shares to be purchased by each of them, all or a portion of the Additional Shares as may be necessary to cover over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares, at the same purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Firm Shares. The Over-Allotment Option may be exercised by the Representatives on behalf of the several Underwriters at any time and from time to time on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Additional Shares as to which the Over-Allotment Option is being exercised and the date and time when the Additional Shares are to be delivered (any such date and time being herein referred to as an “additional time of purchase”); provided, however, that no additional time of purchase shall be earlier than the “time of purchase” (as defined in Section 2 below) nor earlier than the second business day after the date on which the Over-Allotment Option shall have been exercised nor later than the tenth business day after the date on which the Over-Allotment Option shall have been exercised, unless otherwise agreed to between the Company and the Representatives. The number of Additional Shares to be sold to each
Underwriter shall be the number which bears the same proportion to the aggregate number of Additional Shares being purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter on Schedule A hereto bears to the total number of Firm Shares (subject, in each case, to such adjustment as the Representatives may determine to eliminate fractional shares), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 8 hereof.
2. Payment and Delivery. Payment of the purchase price for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Company by federal funds wire transfer against delivery of the certificates for the Firm Shares to you through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the respective accounts of the Underwriters. Such payment and delivery shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on [·], 2012 (unless another time shall be agreed to by you and the Company or unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 hereof). The time at which such payment and delivery are to be made is hereinafter sometimes called the “time of purchase.” Electronic transfer of the Firm Shares shall be made to you at the time of purchase in such names and in such denominations as you shall specify.
Payment of the purchase price for the Additional Shares shall be made at the additional time of purchase in the same manner and at the same office and time of day as the payment for the Firm Shares. Electronic transfer of the Additional Shares shall be made to you at the additional time of purchase in such names and in such denominations as you shall specify.
Deliveries of the documents described in Section 6 hereof with respect to the purchase of the Shares shall be made at the offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇ LLP at ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, at 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date of the closing of the purchase of the Firm Shares or the Additional Shares, as the case may be.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) the Registration Statement has heretofore become effective under the Act or, with respect to any registration statement to be filed to register the offer and sale of Shares pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act, will be filed with the Commission and become effective under the Act no later than 10:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date of determination of the public offering price for the Shares; no stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, are contemplated by the Commission; the Exchange Act Registration Statement has become effective as provided in Section 12 of the Exchange Act;
(b) as of the Effective Time, the Registration Statement complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; the conditions to the use of Form F-1 in
connection with the offering and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby have been satisfied; as of the Applicable Time, the Preliminary Prospectus complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act (including, without limitation, Section 10(a) of the Act) and the Disclosure Package did not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; the Prospectus will comply, as of its date, the time of purchase and each additional time of purchase, if any, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Act (including, without limitation, Section 10(a) of the Act) and, as of the date the Prospectus is filed with the Commission, the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase, if any, the Prospectus will not, as then amended or supplemented, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order 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 representation or warranty in this Section 3(b) with respect to any statement contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information concerning an Underwriter and furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus;
(c) prior to the execution of this Agreement, the Company has not, directly or indirectly, offered or sold any Shares by means of any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) or used any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares, in each case other than the Preliminary Prospectus and the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any; the Company has not, directly or indirectly, prepared, used or referred to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus except in compliance with Rules 164 and 433 under the Act; assuming that such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus is accompanied or preceded by the most recent Preliminary Prospectus that contains a price range or the Prospectus, as the case may be, and that such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus is so sent or given after the Registration Statement was filed with the Commission (and after such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus was, if required pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, filed with the Commission), the sending or giving, by any Underwriter, of any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus will satisfy the provisions of Rule 164 and Rule 433 (without reliance on subsections (b), (c) and (d) of Rule 164); the Preliminary Prospectus dated [·], 2012 is a prospectus that, other than by reason of Rule 433 or Rule 431 under the Act, satisfies the requirements of Section 10 of the Act, including a price range where required by rule; neither the Company nor the Underwriters are disqualified, by reason of subsection (f) or (g) of Rule 164 under the Act, from using, in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares, “free writing prospectuses” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) pursuant to Rules 164 and 433 under the Act; the Company is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) as of the eligibility determination date for purposes of Rules 164 and 433 under the Act with respect to the offering of the Shares contemplated by the Registration Statement, without taking into account any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 under the Act that it is not necessary under the circumstances that the Company be considered an “ineligible issuer”; the parties hereto agree and understand that the
content of any and all “road shows” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act) related to the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby is solely the property of the Company; the Company has caused there to be made available at least one version of a “bona fide electronic road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act) in a manner that, pursuant to Rule 433(d)(8)(ii) under the Act, causes the Company not to be required, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, to file, with the Commission, any Electronic Road Show;
(d) from the time of the initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged, directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf, in any Exempt Oral Communication or Exempt Written Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an emerging growth company (“EGC”), as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Act;
(e) each Permitted Exempt Written Communication, if any, when taken together with the Disclosure Package, did not as of its date include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(f) the Company has, prior to the date of the Preliminary Prospectus, furnished to you a list containing the names of the recipients of all Covered Exempt Written Communications and all Exempt Oral Communications; the Company has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in any Exempt Oral Communication or Exempt Written Communication; the Company hereby reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking any Exempt Oral Communications or Exempt Written Communications;
(g) the Company has filed publicly on the Commission’s ▇▇▇▇▇ database at least 21 calendar days prior to any “road show,” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act) any confidentially submitted registration statements and registration statement amendments relating to the offer and sale of the Shares;
(h) each Covered Exempt Written Communication, if any, does not as of the date hereof conflict in any material respect with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus;
(i) as of the date of this Agreement, the Company has an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the sections of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus entitled “Capitalization” and “Description of Share Capital” (and any similar sections or information, if any, contained in any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus), and, as of the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase, as the case may be, the Company shall have an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the sections of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus entitled “Capitalization” and “Description of Share Capital” (and any similar sections or information, if any, contained in any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus); all of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of
the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance with all applicable securities laws and were not issued in violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or similar right; the Shares are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Exchange;
(j) the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as an entity in good standing under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, if any, to execute and deliver this Agreement and to issue, sell and deliver the Shares as contemplated herein;
(k) the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, either (i) have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries (as defined below) taken as a whole, (ii) prevent or materially interfere with consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or (iii) prevent the Ordinary Shares from being accepted for listing on, or result in the delisting of Ordinary Shares from, the Exchange (the occurrence of any such effect or any such prevention or interference or any such result described in the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) being herein referred to as a “Material Adverse Effect”);
(l) the Company has no subsidiaries (as defined under the Act) other than Amira Nature Foods Ltd, a Mauritius company (“Amira Mauritius”), and, immediately following consummation of the transactions described in the section of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis — Corporate Reorganization” (the “Reorganization”), Amira Mauritius will have no subsidiaries (as defined under the Act) other than Amira Pure Foods Private Limited, an Indian company (“Amira India”), and Amira India will have no subsidiaries other than Amira Foods Inc., Amira Foods (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Amira Food Pte. Ltd., Amira C Foods International DMCC (“Amira DMCC”), and Amira G Foods Limited (collectively, together with Amira Mauritius and Amira India, the “Subsidiaries”); the Company owns all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Amira Mauritius, and, immediately following the Reorganization, the Company will own all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Amira Mauritius, which will own [·] per cent of Amira India, which, in turn, will own 100 per cent of each of the other Subsidiaries; other than the capital stock of the Subsidiaries, the Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any shares of stock or any other equity interests or long-term debt securities of any corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, association or other entity; complete and correct copies of the charter, bylaws, memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive or organizational documents of the Company and each Subsidiary and all amendments thereto have been made available, and, except as set forth
in the exhibits to the Registration Statement, no changes therein will be made on or after the date hereof through and including the time of purchase or, if later, any additional time of purchase; each Subsidiary has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; each Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of each of the Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance with all applicable securities laws, were not issued in violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or similar right and are owned by the Company subject to no security interest, other encumbrance or adverse claims; the shares of capital stock of Amira Mauritius and Amira India to be issued in connection with the Reorganization have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights; no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligation into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in the Subsidiaries are outstanding; immediately following the Reorganization, the Company will have no “significant subsidiary,” as that term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X under the Act (a “Significant Subsidiary”), other than [Amira Mauritius,] Amira India and [Amira DMCC];
(m) the Shares have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights; the Shares, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be free of any restriction upon the voting or transfer thereof pursuant to the laws of the British Virgin Islands or the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association or any agreement or other instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party;
(n) the shares of the Company, including the Shares, conforms in all material respects to each description thereof, if any, contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the certificates for the Shares are in due and proper form; the share capital of Amira India conforms in all material respects to each description thereof, if any, contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(o) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company; the Exchange Agreement, dated [·], 2012, among the Company, Amira India and shareholders of Amira India listed therein (the “Exchange Agreement”) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each party thereto and constitutes the valid
and binding obligation of each party, enforceable against each party in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and except as enforceability may be subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); the Exchange Agreement conforms in all material respects to each description thereof, if any, contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(p) the Share Subscription Agreement, dated [·], 2012, among the Company, Amira Mauritius and Amira India (the “Share Subscription Agreement”) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each party thereto and constitutes the valid and binding obligation of each party, enforceable against each party in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and except as enforceability may be subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); the Reorganization has been duly authorized by the Company, Amira Mauritius and Amira India and has been authorized and approved by all necessary corporate and shareholder and stockholder action in accordance with applicable law; the Reorganization and the Share Subscription Agreement conform in all material respects to each description thereof, if any, contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the Reorganization will be consummated as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and in compliance with the requirements of applicable law, regulation or rule, including, without limitation, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and the rules and regulations made thereunder; no prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India or the Foreign Investment Promotion Board or any other statutory or regulatory authority is required for the issuance of the equity shares pursuant to the Share Subscription Agreement; to the knowledge of the Company, ▇▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ invested in the Company when not permanently resident in India and using his foreign currency resources earned outside India;
(q) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in breach or violation of or in default under (nor has any event occurred which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under) (A) its charter, bylaws, memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive or organizational documents (B) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound or affected, or (C) any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule, or (D) any rule or regulation of any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, the rules and regulations of the Exchange), or (E) any decree, judgment or order applicable to it or any of its properties, except, in each such case (other than pursuant to subclause (A) above), where such breach, violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, have
a Material Adverse Effect;
(r) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, the Reorganization (other than the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Exchange Agreement, which remain subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein), will not conflict with, result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under) (or result in the creation or imposition of a lien, charge or encumbrance on any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to) (A) the charter or bylaws, memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive or organizational documents of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, or (B) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties may be bound or affected, or (C) any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule (including, without limitation, any British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, U.S. or Indian law or regulation), or (D) any rule or regulation of any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, the rules and regulations of the Exchange), or (E) any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, except, in each such case (other than pursuant to subclause (A) above), where such breach, violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(s) no approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or of or with any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, the Exchange and any such commission, board, body, authority, agency, self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority in the British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, the United States or India), or approval of the shareholders of the Company or shareholders or stockholders of any Subsidiary, is required in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, the Reorganization, other than (i) registration of the Shares under the Act, which has been effected (or, with respect to any registration statement to be filed hereunder pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act, will be effected in accordance herewith), (ii) any necessary qualification under the securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Shares are being offered by the Underwriters, (iii) under the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”); (iv) any listing applications and related consents or any notices required by the Exchange in the ordinary course of the offering of the Shares; (v) receipt of prior approval of Indian regulatory authorities for any exchange of Ordinary Shares under the Exchange
Agreement; or (vi) filings with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act;
(t) (i) no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to issue or sell to it any Ordinary Shares or shares of any other capital or other equity interests of the Company, Amira India or Amira Mauritius, except pursuant to the Exchange Agreement as described in the section of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus entitled “Prospectus Summary — Business Overview — Corporate Structure” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis — Corporate Reorganization” (ii) no person has any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase any Ordinary Shares or shares of any other capital of or other equity interests in the Company, Amira India or Amira Mauritius and (iii) no person has the right to act as an underwriter or as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares; no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to register under the Act any Ordinary Shares or shares of any other capital of or other equity interests in the Company or to include any such shares or interests in the Registration Statement or the offering contemplated thereby;
(u) each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any applicable law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals from other persons, in order to conduct their respective businesses, except where the failure to obtain such licenses, authorizations, consents or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, authorization, consent or approval or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, order or judgment applicable to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, except where such violation, default, revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(v) the Company is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Act.
(w) except as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no actions, suits, claims, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s and the Subsidiaries’ knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective directors or officers is or would be a party or of which any of their respective properties is or would be subject at law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or before or by any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, the Exchange), except any such action, suit, claim, investigation or proceeding which, if resolved adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(x) ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, whose report on the consolidated financial
statements of Amira India and its subsidiaries is included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act and by the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;
(y) the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules, present fairly the consolidated statements of financial position of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the consolidated income statements and statements of other comprehensive income, change in equity and cash flows of the Company and the Subsidiaries for the periods specified and have been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the Act and Exchange Act and in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved; all pro forma financial statements or data included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act, and the assumptions used in the preparation of such pro forma financial statements and data are reasonable, the pro forma adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions or circumstances described therein and the pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements and data; the other financial and statistical data contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are accurately and fairly presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company; there are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) or schedules that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not included as required; the Company and the Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Act, to the extent applicable;
(z) except as disclosed in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no share options or other awards have been granted under any share option or equity incentive plan of the Company or any Subsidiary;
(aa) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, in each case excluding any amendments or supplements to the foregoing made after the execution of this Agreement, there has not been (i) any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the
Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (ii) any transaction which is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (iii) any obligation or liability, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company or any Subsidiary, which is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (iv) any change in the share capital or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiaries or (v) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the share capital of the Company or any Subsidiary;
(bb) the Company has obtained for the benefit of the Underwriters the agreement (a “Lock-Up Agreement”), in the form set forth as Exhibit A hereto, of (i) each of its directors, director nominees and “officers” (within the meaning of Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) and (ii) each holder of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or any warrant or other right to acquire Ordinary Shares or any such security;
(cc) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof, none of them will be, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);
(dd) the Company, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof and the Reorganization, does not expect that it will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company” (a “PFIC”) or a “controlled foreign corporation” (a “CFC”), as such terms are defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), for its current taxable year or in the foreseeable future, and does not have any plan or intention to conduct its business in a manner that would reasonably be expected, under current laws and regulations, to result in the Company becoming a PFIC or a CFC for its current taxable year or in the foreseeable future;
(ee) the Company and each of the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all property (real and personal, excluding for the purposes of this Section 3(ee), Intellectual Property (as defined below)) described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned by any of them, free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests or other encumbrances, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all the property described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being held under lease by the Company or a Subsidiary is held thereby under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(ff) each of the Company and its Subsidiaries owns or possesses all inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), tradenames, service names, copyrights, trade secrets and other proprietary information, if any, described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by it or which is necessary for the conduct of, or material to, its
businesses (collectively, “Intellectual Property”), and, except as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is unaware of any claim to the contrary or any challenge by any other person to the rights of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Intellectual Property. Except as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has infringed or is infringing the intellectual property of a third party, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received notice of a claim by a third party to the contrary;
(gg) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is engaged in any unfair labor practice; except for matters which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of the Subsidiaries before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and (C) no union representation dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, no union organizing activities are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and (iii) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, any applicable wage or hour laws or any provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder concerning the employees of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries;
(hh) the Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective properties, assets and operations are in compliance with, and the Company and each of the Subsidiaries hold all permits, authorizations and approvals required under, Environmental Laws (as defined below), except to the extent that failure to so comply or to hold such permits, authorizations or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; there are no past, present or, to the Company’s knowledge, reasonably anticipated future events, actions or plans that could reasonably be expected to give rise to any material costs or liabilities to the Company or any Subsidiary under, or to interfere with or prevent compliance in any material respect by the Company or any Subsidiary with, Environmental Laws; except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries (i) is the subject of any investigation, (ii) has received any notice or claim, (iii) is a party to or affected by any pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit or proceeding, (iv) is bound by any judgment, decree or order or (v) has entered into any agreement, in each case relating to any alleged violation of any Environmental Law or any actual or alleged release or threatened release or cleanup at any location of any Hazardous Materials (as defined below) (as used herein, “Environmental Law” means any federal, state, local or foreign law, statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, decree, judgment, injunction, permit, license, authorization or other binding requirement, or
common law, relating to health, safety or the protection, cleanup or restoration of the environment or natural resources, including those relating to the distribution, processing, generation, treatment, storage, disposal, transportation, other handling or release or threatened release of Hazardous Materials, and “Hazardous Materials” means any material (including, without limitation, pollutants, contaminants, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes) that is regulated by or may give rise to liability under any Environmental Law);
(ii) in the ordinary course of their business, the Company and each of the Subsidiaries conduct periodic reviews of the effect of the Environmental Laws on their respective businesses, operations and properties, in the course of which they identify and evaluate associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with the Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties);
(jj) all material tax returns required to be filed by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries have been timely filed (within any applicable time limit extensions permitted by the relevant tax authority), and all material taxes and other assessments of a similar nature (whether imposed directly or through withholding) including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto due or claimed to be due from such entities have been timely paid, other than those being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided;
(kk) the Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintain insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses as the Company reasonably deems adequate; such insurance insures against such losses and risks to an extent which is adequate in accordance with customary industry practice to protect the Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective businesses; all such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof and will be fully in force at the time of purchase and each additional time of purchase, if any; neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has reason to believe that it will not be able to (i) renew any such insurance as and when such insurance expires or (ii) obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted at a cost that would not result in any Material Adverse Effect;
(ll) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, or referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any Subsidiary or, to the Company’s and the Subsidiaries’ knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement;
(mm) the Company and each of the 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 authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (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 existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences;
(nn) the Company has established and maintains and evaluates “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) and “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated Subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer by others within those entities, and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they were established; the Company’s independent registered public accountants and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies, if any, in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data; and (ii) all fraud, if any, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; all “significant deficiencies” and “material weaknesses” (as such terms are defined in Rule 1-02(a)(4) of Regulation S-X under the Act) of the Company, if any, have been identified to the Company’s independent registered public accountants and are disclosed in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus; since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses; the Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon and at all times after the filing of the Registration Statement, the Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors, in their capacities as such, will be in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002 (the “▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
(oo) each “forward-looking statement” (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed with a reasonable basis and in good faith;”
(pp) all statistical or market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required;
(qq) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company and the Subsidiaries, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of the 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 “Foreign Corrupt Practices Act”) or the UK ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇; and the Company, the Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company and the Subsidiaries, its affiliates have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure continued compliance therewith;
(rr) the operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the USA Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator or non-governmental authority involving the Company or any of the Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s and the Subsidiaries’ knowledge, threatened;
(ss)
(i) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor any director, officer, employee or affiliate thereof, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is currently an individual or an entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by or acting for or on behalf of a Person that is (A) the subject of or target of any economic sanctions (x) administered or enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”), or imposed pursuant to any United Nations Security Council resolutions, or imposed by the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury or any other relevant sanctions authority, or (y) under the U.S. Iran Sanctions Act, as amended or Executive Order 13590 (such sanctions referred to in subclauses (x) and (y), collectively, the “Sanctions”), nor (B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of the Sanctions (including, without limitation, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria);
(ii) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries will directly or indirectly use any of the proceeds of the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available any such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person: (A) for the purpose of financing or facilitating the activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of the Sanctions; or (B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of the laws and regulations governing the Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor or otherwise);
(iii) (A) except for such dealings and transactions disclosed under “Risk Factors — Our historical and future international sales to certain non-U.S. customers, including independent resellers, expose us to special risks associated with operating in particular countries. If we are not in compliance with applicable legal requirements, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties and other remedial measures” in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus: (I) for the past five years, the Company and the Subsidiaries have not engaged in, and are not now engaged in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was, or whose government is or was, the subject of or the target of the Sanctions, and (II) the Company and the Subsidiaries will not engage in any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is, or whose government is, the subject of or a target of the Sanctions, provided that, as disclosed in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company may continue to monitor developments in countries that are the subject or target of the Sanctions and may change its policies and engage in such dealings or transactions accordingly, and (B) the Company’s and the Subsidiaries’ direct and indirect dealings and transactions with Persons in Syria and Iran in the past four (4) years are accurately described in all material respects under “Risk Factors — Our historical and future international sales to certain non-U.S. customers, including independent resellers, expose us to special risks associated with operating in particular countries. If we are not in compliance with applicable legal requirements, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties and other remedial measures” in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and in the three year period ended March 31, 2012 such dealings and transactions represented less than two (2) percent of Amira India and its subsidiaries’ total revenue;
(tt) no Significant Subsidiary is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Significant Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Significant Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such Significant Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other Significant Subsidiary of the Company, except as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable upon the equity interests in Amira India may be converted into foreign currency that may be freely transferred out of India and all such dividends and other distributions are not and will not be subject to withholding or other taxes under the laws and regulations of India without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in India;
(uu) all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the shares of capital of the Company may under the current laws and regulations of the British Virgin
Islands be paid in United States dollars and may be freely transferred out of the British Virgin Islands. All such dividends and other distributions are not subject to withholding or other taxes under the current laws and regulations of the British Virgin Islands and are otherwise free and clear of any other tax, withholding or deduction in, and without the necessity of obtaining any consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, licenses, registrations, clearances and qualifications of or with any court or governmental agency or body or any stock exchange authorities in, the British Virgin Islands;
(vv) the issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby will not cause any holder of any shares, securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of the Company or options, warrants or other rights to purchase shares or any other securities of the Company to have any right to acquire any Ordinary Shares of the Company;
(ww) the Company has not received any notice from the Exchange regarding the delisting of the Ordinary Shares from the Exchange;
(xx) except as disclosed in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except pursuant to this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of the Significant Subsidiaries has incurred any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or by the Registration Statement;
(yy) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor any of their respective directors or officers, affiliates or controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed, or which has constituted or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;
(zz) to the Company’s and the Subsidiaries’ knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between (i) any member of FINRA and (ii) the Company or any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% or greater security holders or any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or after the 180th day immediately preceding the date the Registration Statement was initially filed with the Commission, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(aaa) no stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties, levies, deductions, or charges are payable by, or required to be withheld on behalf of, the Underwriters to the British Virgin Islands or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with (1) the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement or (2) the issuance, sale or delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters; assuming that the Underwriters are not otherwise subject to taxation in British Virgin Islands, no capital gains, income or other taxes are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters to the British Virgin Islands or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein in
connection with (1) the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement or (2) the issuance, sale or delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters;
(bbb) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor any of its or their properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) under the laws of the British Virgin Islands; the irrevocable and unconditional waiver and agreement of the Company contained in Section 13 of this Agreement not to plead or claim any such immunity in any legal action, suit or proceeding based on this Agreement is valid and binding under the laws of the British Virgin Islands;
(ccc) the choice of the 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 British Virgin Islands and will be honored by courts in the British Virgin Islands; the Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 13 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each New York State and United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court;
(ddd) the submission by the Company in Section 13 of this Agreement to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the federal or state courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company and service of process made in the manner set forth in this Agreement will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company for purposes of proceedings in such courts under the laws of British Virgin Islands.
(eee) any final judgment for a fixed sum of money rendered by a New York court having jurisdiction under its own domestic laws in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement would be recognized and enforced by British Virgin Islands courts, without re—examining the merits of the case under the common law doctrine of obligation; provided that (A) the judgment has not been wholly satisfied; (B) in obtaining judgment there was no fraud on the part of the person in whose favor judgment was given or on the part of a court; (C) recognition or enforcement of the judgment in the British Virgin Islands would not be contrary to public policy or for some other similar reason the judgment could not have been entertained by the British Virgin Islands courts, and (D) the proceedings pursuant to which judgment was obtained were not contrary to natural justice;
(fff) upon execution and delivery, this Agreement will be in proper legal form under the laws of the British Virgin Islands for the enforcement hereof against the Company, except to the extent enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and general equity principles and, with respect to any indemnification or contribution provision, limited by the federal and state securities
laws; and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability, priority or admissibility in evidence of this Agreement it is not necessary that this Agreement or any other document related hereto be filed, registered or recorded with or executed or notarized before, any governmental or regulatory authority or agency of the British Virgin Islands;
(ggg) it is not necessary under the laws of the British Virgin Islands that any Underwriter be licensed, qualified or entitled to carry on business in the British Virgin Islands to enable such Underwriter to enforce its respective rights under this Agreement or the performance of the terms and conditions of this Agreement outside of the British Virgin Islands. The Underwriters will not be deemed resident, domiciled, to be carrying on business or subject to taxation in the British Virgin Islands solely by reason of the issuance, acceptance, delivery, performance or enforcement of this Agreement;
(hhh) the Company is in full compliance with all applicable British Virgin Islands securities rules and regulations, except to the extent failure to comply would not have a Material Adverse Effect;
(iii) under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, each registered holder of Ordinary Shares is entitled to seek enforcement of its rights in a direct suit, action or proceeding against the Company; it is not necessary in order to enable any owner of Ordinary Shares to enforce of its rights that such owner of Ordinary Shares be licensed, qualified or entitled to do business in the British Virgin Islands; and
(jjj) the Company has validly and irrevocably appointed ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Esq. (the “Authorized Agent”) as its authorized agent for service of process pursuant to this Agreement and in connection with the Registration Statement.
In addition, any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and delivered to any Underwriter or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
4. Certain Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees:
(a) to furnish such information as may be required and otherwise to cooperate in qualifying the Shares for offering and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of such states or other jurisdictions as you may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as you may request for the distribution of the Shares; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to consent to the service of process under the laws of any such jurisdiction (except service of process with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares); and to promptly advise you of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer or sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose;
(b) to make available to the Underwriters in New York City, as soon as
practicable after this Agreement becomes effective, and thereafter from time to time to furnish to the Underwriters, as many copies of the Prospectus (or of the Prospectus as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have made any amendments or supplements thereto after the Effective Time of the Registration Statement) as the Underwriters may request for the purposes contemplated by the Act; in case any Underwriter is required to deliver (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule), in connection with the sale of the Shares, a prospectus after the nine-month period referred to in Section 10(a)(3) of the Act, the Company will prepare, at its expense, promptly upon request such amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as may be necessary to permit compliance with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(c) if, at the time this Agreement is executed and delivered, it is necessary or appropriate for a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, or a Registration Statement under Rule 462(b) under the Act, to be filed with the Commission and become effective before the Shares may be sold, the Company will use its best efforts to cause such post-effective amendment or such Registration Statement to be filed and become effective, and will pay any applicable fees in accordance with the Act, as promptly as possible; and the Company will advise you promptly and, if requested by you, will confirm such advice in writing, (i) when such post-effective amendment or such Registration Statement has become effective, and (ii) if Rule 430A under the Act is used, when the Prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act (which the Company agrees to file in a timely manner in accordance with such Rules);
(d) if, at any time during the period when a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares, the Registration Statement shall cease to comply with the requirements of the Act with respect to eligibility for the use of the form on which the Registration Statement was filed with the Commission, to (i) promptly notify you, (ii) promptly file with the Commission a new registration statement under the Act, relating to the Shares, or a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, which new registration statement or post-effective amendment shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and shall be in a form reasonably satisfactory to you, (iii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such new registration statement or post-effective amendment to become effective under the Act as soon as practicable, (iv) promptly notify you of such effectiveness and (v) take all other action reasonably necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Shares to continue as contemplated in the Prospectus; all references herein to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to include each such new registration statement or post-effective amendment, if any;
(e) to advise you promptly, confirming such advice in writing, of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Exchange Act Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information with respect thereto, or of notice of institution of proceedings for, or the entry of a stop order, suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement and, if the Commission should enter a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the lifting or removal of such order as soon as possible; to advise you promptly of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the Exchange Act Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, and to provide you and Underwriters’ counsel copies of any such documents for review and comment a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing and to file no such amendment or supplement to which you shall object in writing;
(f) subject to Section 4(e) hereof, to file promptly all reports and documents required to be filed by the Company with the Commission in order to comply with the Exchange Act for so long as a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares; and to provide you, for your review and comment, with a copy of such reports and statements and other documents to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during such period a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing, and to file no such report, statement or document to which you shall have objected in writing; and to promptly notify you of such filing;
(g) to advise the Underwriters promptly of the happening of any event within the period during which a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares, which event could require the making of any change in the Prospectus then being used so that the Prospectus would not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, and to advise the Underwriters promptly if, during such period, it shall become necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to cause the Prospectus to comply with the requirements of the Act, and, in each case, during such time, subject to Section 4(e) hereof, to prepare and furnish, at the Company’s expense, to the Underwriters promptly such amendments or supplements to such Prospectus as may be necessary to reflect any such change or to effect such compliance;
(h) to make generally available (within the meaning of Rule 158 under the Act) to its security holders, and, if not available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“▇▇▇▇▇”), to deliver to you, an earnings statement of the Company (which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of twelve months beginning after the Effective Time of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act) as soon as is reasonably practicable after the termination of such twelve-month period but in any case not later than the date determined in accordance with the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158(c) thereunder;
(i) to furnish to you three copies of the Registration Statement, as initially filed with the Commission, and of all amendments thereto (including all exhibits thereto)
and sufficient copies of the foregoing (other than exhibits) for distribution of a copy to each of the other Underwriters;
(j) if requested by you, to furnish to you as early as practicable prior to the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase, as the case may be, but not later than two business days prior thereto, a copy of the latest available unaudited interim and monthly consolidated financial statements, if any, of the Company and the Subsidiaries which have been read by the Company’s independent registered public accountants, as stated in their letter to be furnished pursuant to Section 6(e) hereof, provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any materials pursuant to this clause if such materials are available via ▇▇▇▇▇;
(k) to apply the net proceeds to the Company from the sale of the Shares in the manner set forth under the caption “Use of proceeds” in the Prospectus, to consummate the Reorganization promptly and as described in the section of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis — Corporate Reorganization,” and to file such reports with the Commission with respect to the sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds therefrom as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;
(l) to pay all costs, expenses, fees and taxes in connection with (i) the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Underwriters and to dealers (including costs of mailing and shipment), (ii) the registration, issue, sale and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters including any stock or transfer taxes and stamp or similar duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, (iii) the producing, word processing and/or printing of this Agreement, any agreement among the Underwriters, any dealer agreements and any closing documents (including compilations thereof) and the reproduction and/or printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Underwriters and (except closing documents) to dealers (including costs of mailing and shipment), (iv) the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state or foreign laws and the determination of their eligibility for investment under state or foreign law (including the legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters) and the printing and furnishing of copies of any blue sky surveys or legal investment surveys to the Underwriters and to dealers, (v) any listing of the Shares on any securities exchange or qualification of the Shares for quotation on the Exchange and any registration thereof under the Exchange Act, (vi) any filing for review of the public offering of the Shares by FINRA, including the filing fees and other disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters relating to FINRA matters, (vii) the fees and disbursements of any transfer agent or registrar for the Shares, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to presentations or meetings undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering and sale of the Shares to prospective investors and the Underwriters’ sales forces, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel, lodging and
other expenses incurred by the officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show (provided, that if the Representatives determine that the chartering of an aircraft on a day is necessary or appropriate, the cost of such aircraft on such day shall be borne 50% by the Underwriters and 50% by the Company), (ix) the costs and expenses of qualifying the Shares for inclusion in the book-entry settlement system of the DTC, (x) the preparation and filing of the Exchange Act Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto, (xi) the Reorganization, and (xii) the performance of the Company’s other obligations hereunder;
(m) to comply with Rule 433(d) under the Act (without reliance on Rule 164(b) under the Act) and with Rule 433(g) under the Act;
(n) beginning on the date hereof and ending on, and including, the date that is 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), without the prior written consent of the Representatives, not to (i) issue, sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect to, any Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, the foregoing, (ii) file or cause to become effective a registration statement under the Act relating to the offer and sale of any Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, the foregoing, (iii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, the foregoing, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (iv) publicly announce an intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i), (ii) or (iii), except, in each case, for (A) the registration of the offer and sale of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, (B) issuances of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of options or warrants disclosed as outstanding in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and (C) the issuance of employee stock options not exercisable during the Lock-Up Period pursuant to stock option plans described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided, however, that if prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the sixteen (16) day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then the restrictions imposed by this Section 4(n) shall continue to apply until the expiration of the date that is fifteen (15) calendar days plus three (3) business days after the date on which the issuance of the earnings release;
(o) to provide you with reasonable advance notice of and opportunity to comment on any press release or other communication directly or indirectly and hold no press conferences with respect to the Company or any Subsidiary, the financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, assets, or liabilities of the Company or any Subsidiary, or the offering of the Shares, and to issue no such press release or communications or hold such press conference without your prior consent;
(p) not, at any time at or after the execution of this Agreement, to, directly or indirectly, offer or sell any Shares by means of any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act), or use any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares, in each case other than the Prospectus;
(q) not to, and to cause the Subsidiaries not to, take, directly or indirectly, any action designed, or which will constitute, or has constituted, or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;
(r) to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Ordinary Shares, including the Shares, to be listed for quotation on the Exchange and to maintain the listing of the Ordinary Shares, including the Shares, for quotation on the Exchange;
(s) for so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13(g) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, to maintain a transfer agent and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company, a registrar for the Ordinary Shares;
(t) for so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13(g) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, to furnish to the Commission on Form 6-K under the Exchange Act, for each fiscal quarter (other than the last fiscal quarter of a fiscal year, which shall be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F), information, within 60 days of the end of such fiscal quarter, with substantially the same form and content as would have been required for a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act if the Company was not a “foreign private issuer” (as such term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), provided that the unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company contained therein shall be prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB; and
(u) to announce the Underwriters’ intention to release any director or “officer” (within the meaning of Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) of the Company from any of the restrictions imposed by any Lock-Up Agreement, by issuing, through a major news service, a press release in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives promptly following the Company’s receipt of any notification from the Representatives in which the Underwriters indicate such intention, but in any case not later than the close of the second business day prior to the date on which such release or waiver is to become effective; provided, however, that nothing shall prevent the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, from announcing the same through a major news service, irrespective
of whether the Company has made the required announcement; and further provided that no such announcement shall be made of any release or waiver granted solely to permit a transfer of securities that is not for consideration and where the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the terms of a Lock-Up Agreement in the form set forth as Exhibit A hereto.
5. Reimbursement of the Underwriters’ Expenses. If, after the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Shares are not delivered for any reason other than the termination of this Agreement pursuant to the fifth paragraph of Section 8 hereof or the default by one or more of the Underwriters in its or their respective obligations hereunder, the Company shall, in addition to paying the amounts described in Section 4(l) hereof, reimburse the Underwriters for all of their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of their counsel, including local counsel.
6. Conditions of the Underwriters’ Obligations. The several obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company on the date hereof, at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:
(a) The Company shall furnish to you at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, (i) an opinion of Loeb & Loeb LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company (“Loeb”), addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed copies for each Underwriter, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, in the form set forth in Exhibit B-1 hereto, and (ii) a negative assurance letter of Loeb, addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed copies for each Underwriter, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2 hereto.
(b) The Company shall furnish to you at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, (i) an opinion of Amarchand & Mangaldas & ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co., Indian counsel for the Company (“Amarchand”), addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed copies for each Underwriter, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, in the form set forth in Exhibit C-1 hereto, and (ii) a negative assurance letter of Amarchand, addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed copies for each Underwriter, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, in the form set forth in Exhibit C-2 hereto.
(c) The Company shall furnish to you at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, an opinion of Walkers Global, British Virgin Islands counsel for the Company, addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed
copies for each Underwriter, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, in the form set forth in Exhibit D hereto.
(d) The Company shall furnish to you at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, an opinion of ANEX Management Services Ltd, Mauritius counsel for the Company, addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed copies for each Underwriter, and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, in the form set forth in Exhibit E hereto.
(e) You shall have received from ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP letters dated, respectively, the date of this Agreement, the date of the Prospectus, the time of purchase and, if applicable, the additional time of purchase, and addressed to the Underwriters (with executed copies for each Underwriter) in the forms satisfactory to the Representatives, which letters shall cover, without limitation, the various financial disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(f) You shall have received at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, the favorable opinion and negative assurance of Skadden, Arps, Slate, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇ LLP, U.S. counsel for the Underwriters, dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) You shall have received at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, the favorable opinion and negative assurance of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Law Offices, Indian counsel for the Underwriters, dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(h) No Prospectus or amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall have been filed to which you shall have objected in writing.
(i) The Registration Statement, the Exchange Act Registration Statement and any registration statement required to be filed, prior to the sale of the Shares, under the Act pursuant to Rule 462(b) shall have been filed and shall have become effective under the Act or the Exchange Act, as the case may be. If Rule 430A under the Act is used, the Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act at or before 5:30 P.M., New York City time, on the second full business day after the date of this Agreement (or such earlier time as may be required under the Act).
(j) Prior to and at the time of purchase, and, if applicable, the additional time of purchase, (i) no stop order with respect to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the Act or proceedings initiated under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Act; (ii) the Registration Statement and all amendments thereto shall not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (iii) neither the Preliminary Prospectus nor the Prospectus, and no amendment or supplement thereto, shall include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; (iv) no Disclosure Package, and no amendment or supplement thereto, shall include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; and (v) none of the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, shall include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
(k) The Company will, at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, deliver to you a certificate of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer, dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, in the form attached as Exhibit F hereto.
(l) The Company will, at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, deliver to you a certificate of its Chief Financial Officer, dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, in the form attached as Exhibit G hereto.
(m) You shall have received each of the signed Lock-Up Agreements referred to in Section 3(bb) hereof, and each such Lock-Up Agreement shall be in full force and effect at the time of purchase and the additional time of purchase, as the case may be.
(n) You shall have received signed copies of the Exchange Agreement and the Share Subscription Agreement, and each such agreement shall be in full force and effect at the time of purchase and the additional time of purchase, as the case may be.
(o) The Company shall have furnished to you such other documents and certificates as to the accuracy and completeness of any statement in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as of the time of purchase and, if applicable, the additional time of purchase, as you may reasonably request.
(p) The Shares shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject only to notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution at or prior to the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be.
(q) FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting, or other arrangements of the transactions, contemplated hereby.
7. Effective Date of Agreement; Termination. This Agreement shall become effective when the parties hereto have executed and delivered this Agreement.
The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, if (1) since the time of execution of this Agreement or the earlier respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus there has been any change or any development involving a prospective change in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, the effect of which change or development is, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (2) since the time of execution of this Agreement, there shall have occurred: (A) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the NYSE, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Global Select Market; (B) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the Exchange; (C) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, the British Virgin Islands or India; (D) an outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States, the British Virgin Islands or India or a declaration by the United States, the British Virgin Islands or India of a national emergency or war; or (E) any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (D) or (E), in the sole judgment of the Representatives, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or (3) since the time of execution of this Agreement, there shall have occurred any downgrading, or any notice or announcement shall have been given or made of: (A) any intended or potential downgrading or (B) any watch, review or possible change that does not indicate an affirmation or improvement in the rating accorded any securities of or guaranteed by the Company or any Subsidiary by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as that term is defined in Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act.
If the Representatives elect to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 7, the Company and each other Underwriter shall be notified promptly in writing.
If the sale to the Underwriters of the Shares, as contemplated by this Agreement, is not carried out by the Underwriters for any reason permitted under this Agreement, or if such sale is not carried out because the Company shall be unable to comply with any of the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall not be under any obligation or liability under this Agreement (except to the extent provided in Sections 4(l), 5 and 9 hereof), and the Underwriters shall be under no obligation or liability to the Company under this Agreement (except to the extent provided in Section 9 hereof) or to one another hereunder.
8. Increase in Underwriters’ Commitments. Subject to Sections 6 and 7 hereof, if any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to take up and pay for the Firm Shares to be purchased by it hereunder (otherwise than for a failure of a condition set forth in Section 6 hereof or a reason sufficient to justify the termination of this Agreement under the provisions of Section
7 hereof) and if the number of Firm Shares which all Underwriters so defaulting shall have agreed but failed to take up and pay for does not exceed 10% of the total number of Firm Shares, the non-defaulting Underwriters (including the Underwriters, if any, substituted in the manner set forth below) shall take up and pay for (in addition to the aggregate number of Firm Shares they are obligated to purchase pursuant to Section 1 hereof) the number of Firm Shares agreed to be purchased by all such defaulting Underwriters, as hereinafter provided. Such Shares shall be taken up and paid for by such non-defaulting Underwriters in such amount or amounts as you may designate with the consent of each Underwriter so designated or, in the event no such designation is made, such Shares shall be taken up and paid for by all non-defaulting Underwriters pro rata in proportion to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of such non-defaulting Underwriters in Schedule A.
Without relieving any defaulting Underwriter from its obligations hereunder, the Company agrees with the non-defaulting Underwriters that it will not sell any Firm Shares hereunder unless all of the Firm Shares are purchased by the Underwriters (or by substituted Underwriters selected by you with the approval of the Company or selected by the Company with your approval).
If a new Underwriter or Underwriters are substituted by the Underwriters or by the Company for a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Company or you shall have the right to postpone the time of purchase for a period not exceeding five business days in order that any necessary changes in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and other documents may be effected.
The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall refer to and include any Underwriter substituted under this Section 8 with like effect as if such substituted Underwriter had originally been named in Schedule A hereto.
If the aggregate number of Firm Shares which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase exceeds 10% of the total number of Firm Shares which all Underwriters agreed to purchase hereunder, and if neither the non-defaulting Underwriters nor the Company shall make arrangements within the five business day period stated above for the purchase of all the Firm Shares which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase hereunder, this Agreement shall terminate without further act or deed and without any liability on the part of the Company to any Underwriter and without any liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter to the Company. Nothing in this paragraph, and no action taken hereunder, shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
9. Indemnity and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, directors, officers and members, any person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and any “affiliate” (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act) of such Underwriter, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and
against any loss, damage, expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which, jointly or severally, any such Underwriter or any such person may incur under the Act, the Exchange Act, the common law or otherwise, insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or in the Registration Statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereof by the Company) or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in, the Registration Statement or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in the Registration Statement in connection with such information, which material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was required to be stated in such Registration Statement or was necessary to make such information not misleading, and (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any Prospectus (the term Prospectus for the purpose of this Section 9 being deemed to include any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements to the foregoing), in any Covered Free Writing Prospectus, in any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act) of the Company, which “issuer information” is required to be, or is, filed with the Commission. or in any Prospectus together with any combination of one or more of the Covered Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except, with respect to such Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, insofar as any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in, such Prospectus or Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in such Prospectus or Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in connection with such information, which material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was necessary in order to make the statements in such information, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, and any person who controls the Company within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage, expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which, jointly or severally, the Company or any such person may incur under the Act, the Exchange Act, the common law or otherwise, insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in, the Registration Statement (or in the Registration Statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereof by the Company), or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in such Registration Statement in connection with such information, which material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was required to be stated in such Registration Statement or was necessary to make such information not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in, a Prospectus or a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in such Prospectus or Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in connection with such information, which material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was necessary in order to make the statements in such information, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(c) If any action, suit or proceeding (each, a “Proceeding”) is brought against a person (an “indemnified party”) in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company or an Underwriter (as applicable, the “indemnifying party”) pursuant to subsection (a) or (b), respectively, of this Section 9, such indemnified party shall promptly notify such indemnifying party in writing of the institution of such Proceeding and such indemnifying party shall assume the defense of such Proceeding, including the retention of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, and payment of all legal or other fees and expenses related to such Proceeding or incurred in connection with such indemnified party’s enforcement of subsection (a) of this Section 9; provided, however, that the omission to so notify such indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability which such indemnifying party may have to any indemnified party or otherwise. The indemnified party or parties shall have the right to retain its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or parties unless (i) the retention of such counsel shall have been authorized in advance in writing by the indemnifying party in connection with the defense of such Proceeding, (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, retained counsel to defend such Proceeding or (iii) such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from, additional to or in conflict with those available to such indemnifying party (in which case such indemnifying party shall not have the right to direct the defense of such Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events such fees and
expenses shall be borne by such indemnifying party and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that such indemnifying party shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such Proceeding). The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent but, if settled with its written consent, such indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the indemnified party or parties from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second sentence of this Section 9(c), then the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 business days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have fully reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to an indemnified party under subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 9 or insufficient to hold an indemnified party harmless in respect of any losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering (net of underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission relates to information
supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, damages, expenses, liabilities and claims referred to in this subsection shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any Proceeding.
(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in subsection (d) above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by such Underwriter and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damage which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments and not joint.
(f) The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section 9 and the covenants, warranties and representations of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, its partners, directors, officers or members or any person (including each partner, officer, director or member of such person) who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or by or on behalf of the Company, its directors or officers or any person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and shall survive any termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Shares. The Company and each Underwriter agree promptly to notify each other of the commencement of any Proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the Company’s officers or directors in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares, or in connection with the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.
10. Information Furnished by the Underwriters. The statements set forth in the sixth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus, only insofar as such statements relate to the amount of selling concession and reallowance or to over-allotment and stabilization activities that may be undertaken by the Underwriters, constitute the only information furnished by or on behalf of the Underwriters, as such information is referred to in Sections 3 and 9 hereof.
11. Notices. Except as otherwise herein provided, all statements, requests, notices and agreements shall be in writing or by telegram or facsimile and, if to the Underwriters, shall
be sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to UBS Securities LLC, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇, Attention: Syndicate Department and to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (fax: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇), Attention: ECM Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the General Counsel (fax: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇); and if to the Company, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to the Company at the offices of the Company at ▇▇▇, ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇, UAE (facsimile: (91) 114-605 7570), Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Chief Executive Officer, with a copy to: Loeb & Loeb LLP, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇), Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇..
12. Governing Law; Construction. This Agreement and any claim, counterclaim or dispute of any kind or nature whatsoever arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement (“Claim”), directly or indirectly, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without regard to the conflicts of law principles thereof. The section headings in this Agreement have been inserted as a matter of convenience of reference and are not a part of this Agreement.
13. Submission to Jurisdiction. Except as set forth below, no Claim may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (each, a “New York Court”), which courts shall have jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters, and the Company consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and personal service with respect thereto. The Company hereby consents to personal jurisdiction, service and venue in any court in which any Claim arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement is brought by any third party against any Underwriter or any indemnified party. The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives any objection to the laying of venue of any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, the offering of the Shares or any transactions contemplated hereby in a New York Court, and irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit or proceeding in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
The Company hereby irrevocably appoints the Authorized Agent as its agent for service of process upon which process may be served in any such suit or proceeding that may be instituted in a New York Court, and agrees that service of process in any manner permitted by applicable law upon such Authorized Agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process in any manner permitted by applicable law upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding. The Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. The Company represents and warrants that the Authorized Agent has agreed to act as agent for service of process. The Company further agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents and instruments, as may be necessary to maintain such designation and appointment of such agent in full force and effect for a period of seven years from the date of this Agreement.
Each Underwriter and the Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its shareholders and affiliates) waive all right to trial by jury in any
action, proceeding or counterclaim (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company agrees that a final judgment in any such action, proceeding or counterclaim brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and may be enforced in any other courts to the jurisdiction of which the Company is or may be subject, by suit upon such judgment.
The Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by 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 New York Courts, and with respect to any judgment in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement, each party waives any such immunity in the New York 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 action, proceeding or counterclaim (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement or related judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.
14. Parties at Interest. The Agreement herein set forth has been and is made solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and to the extent provided in Section 9 hereof the controlling persons, partners, directors, officers, members and affiliates referred to in such Section, and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, personal representatives and executors and administrators. No other person, partnership, association or corporation (including a purchaser, as such purchaser, from any of the Underwriters) shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.
15. No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company hereby acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities. The Company further acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s length basis, and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders or creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including, but not limited to, any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company and the Underwriters agree that the Underwriters are acting as principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company and no Underwriter has assumed, and none of them will assume, any advisory responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether any Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters). The Company
hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary, advisory or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed by the parties in one or more counterparts which together shall constitute one and the same agreement among the parties.
17. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their successors and assigns and any successor or assign of any substantial portion of the Company’s and any of the Underwriters’ respective businesses and/or assets.
18. Judgment Currency. In respect of any judgment or order given or made for any amount due hereunder that is expressed and paid in a currency (the “judgment currency”) other than United States dollars, the Company will indemnify each Underwriter against any loss incurred by such Underwriter as a result of any variation as between (a) the rate of exchange at which the United States dollar amount is converted into the judgment currency for the purpose of such judgment or order and (b) the rate of exchange at which an Underwriter is able to purchase United States dollars with the amount of the judgment currency actually received by such Underwriter. The foregoing indemnity shall constitute a separate and independent obligation of the Company and shall continue in full force and effect notwithstanding any such judgment or order as aforesaid. The term “rate of exchange” shall include any premiums and costs of exchange payable in connection with the purchase of or conversion into United States dollars.
19. Miscellaneous. UBS, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of UBS AG, is not a bank and is separate from any affiliated bank, including any U.S. branch or agency of UBS AG. Because UBS is a separately incorporated entity, it is solely responsible for its own contractual obligations and commitments, including obligations with respect to sales and purchases of securities. Securities sold, offered or recommended by UBS are not deposits, are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, are not guaranteed by a branch or agency, and are not otherwise an obligation or responsibility of a branch or agency.
[The Remainder of This Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Page Follows]
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the several Underwriters, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this Agreement and your acceptance shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and the Underwriters, severally.
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AMIRA NATURE FOODS LTD | |
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SCHEDULE A
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UBS SECURITIES LLC |
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DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC. |
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SCHEDULE B
[·]
EXHIBIT A
Lock-Up Agreement
, 2012
UBS Securities LLC
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Together with the other Underwriters
named in Schedule A to the Underwriting Agreement
referred to herein
c/o UBS Securities LLC
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▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
c/o Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
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▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Lock-Up Agreement is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) to be entered into by Amira Nature Foods Ltd, a British Virgin Islands corporation (the “Company”), the Selling Stockholders named therein and you and the other underwriters named in Schedule A to the Underwriting Agreement, with respect to the public offering (the “Offering”) of ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”).
In order to induce you to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned agrees that, for a period (the “Lock-Up Period”) beginning on the date hereof and ending on, and including, the date that is 180 days after the date of the final prospectus relating to the Offering, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of UBS Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file (or participate in the filing of) a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act”) with respect to, any Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, the foregoing, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Ordinary Shares, or any securities
convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, the foregoing, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (iii) publicly announce an intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii). The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (a) the registration of the offer and sale of Ordinary Shares as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and the sale of the Ordinary Shares to the Underwriters (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) in the Offering, (b) bona fide gifts, provided the recipient thereof agrees in writing with the Underwriters to be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement or (c) dispositions to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned and/or the immediate family of the undersigned, provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (b) or (c), (i) each donee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this Lock-Up Agreement and (ii) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Ordinary Shares, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period. For purposes of this paragraph, “immediate family” shall mean the undersigned and the spouse, any lineal descendent, father, mother, brother or sister of the undersigned.
In addition, the undersigned hereby waives any rights the undersigned may have to require registration of Ordinary Shares in connection with the filing of a registration statement relating to the Offering. The undersigned further agrees that, for the Lock-Up Period, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of UBS Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, or warrants or other rights to purchase Ordinary Shares or any such securities.
Notwithstanding the above, if prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the sixteen (16) day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then the restrictions imposed by this Lock-Up Agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the date that is fifteen (15) calendar days plus three (3) business days after the date on which the issuance of the earnings release occurs.
In addition, the undersigned hereby waives any and all preemptive rights, participation rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights that the undersigned may have in connection with the Offering or with any issuance or sale by the Company of any equity or other securities before the Offering, except for any such rights as have been heretofore duly exercised.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, UBS Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. agree that, at least three business days prior to the release or waiver of any of the foregoing restrictions with respect to any Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or any warrants or other rights to purchase, the foregoing held by the undersigned, including, for the avoidance of doubt, any security of the Company acquired by the undersigned from the Company in the Offering, UBS Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. will (i) notify the Company of the impending release or
waiver and (ii) announce such impending release or waiver through a major news service in the event that the Company fails to make such announcement in accordance with its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement. Any such release or waiver granted hereunder shall only be effective two business days after such announcement is made by the Company or UBS Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any release or waiver granted solely to permit a transfer of securities that is not for consideration and where the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement.
The undersigned hereby confirms that the undersigned has not, directly or indirectly, taken, and hereby covenants that the undersigned will not, directly or indirectly, take, any action designed, or which has constituted or will constitute or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of Ordinary Shares.
The undersigned hereby authorizes the Company and its transfer agent, during the Lock-Up Period, to decline the transfer of or to note stop transfer restrictions on the stock register and other records relating to the Ordinary Shares or other securities subject to this Lock-Up Agreement of which the undersigned is the record holder, and, with respect to the Ordinary Shares or other securities subject to this Lock-Up Agreement of which the undersigned is the beneficial owner but not the record holder, the undersigned hereby agrees to cause such record holder to authorize the Company and its transfer agent, during the Lock-Up Period, to decline the transfer of or to note stop transfer restrictions on the stock register and other records relating to such shares or other securities.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Lock-Up Agreement and that upon request, the undersigned will execute and additional documents necessary to ensure the validity or enforcement of this Lock-Up Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.
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If (i) the Company notifies you in writing that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the registration statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Offering is withdrawn or (iii) for any reason the Underwriting Agreement shall be terminated prior to the “time of purchase” (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement), this Lock-Up Agreement shall be terminated and the undersigned shall be released from its obligations hereunder.
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Yours very truly, |
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