Exhibit 4.(a)(i)
TRUST DEED
is made on 27 November 2009
Between
(1) INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP PLC (the
Issuer);
(2) SIX CONTINENTS LIMITED (Six
Continents);
(3) INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS LIMITED
(InterContinental, and together with Six
Continents, the Guarantors); and
(4) HSBC CORPORATE TRUSTEE COMPANY (UK) LIMITED (the
Trustee, which expression includes, where the
context admits, all persons for the time being the trustee or
trustees of this Trust Deed).
Whereas
(A) The Issuer has established a Euro Medium Term Note
Programme pursuant to which the Issuer may issue from time to
time Notes as set out herein (the Programme).
Notes up to a maximum nominal amount from time to time
outstanding of £750,000,000 (subject to increase as
provided in the Dealer Agreement (as defined below)) (the
Authorised Amount) may be issued pursuant to the
said Programme.
(B) The Guarantors have agreed to guarantee Notes issued
under the Programme and to enter into certain covenants set out
in this Trust Deed.
(C) The Trustee has agreed to act as trustee of this
Trust Deed on the following terms and conditions.
NOW THIS
TRUST DEED WITNESSES AND IT IS HEREBY DECLARED
as follows:
1. Definitions
and Interpretation
1.1 Definitions
In this Trust Deed the following expressions have the
following meanings:
Additional Rating Agency means Moody’s and Xxxxx;
Agency Agreement means, in relation to the Notes of any
Series, the agency agreement dated 27 November 2009 (as
amended, modified and restated from time to time) between the
Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee and HSBC Bank plc as
Principal Paying Agent appointing the initial Paying Agent and
the Calculation Agent in relation to such Series and any other
agreement for the time being in force appointing Successor
paying agents or a Successor calculation agent in relation to
such Series, together with any agreement for the time being in
force amending or modifying with the prior written approval of
the Trustee any of the aforesaid agreements in relation to such
Series;
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Agents means, in relation to the Notes of any Series, the
Principal Paying Agent, the other Paying Agents, the Calculation
Agent or any of them;
Appointee means any attorney, manager, agent, delegate,
nominee, custodian, receiver or other person appointed by the
Trustee under this Trust Deed;
Auditors means the auditors for the time being of the
Issuer or, as the case may be, a Guarantor and, in the event of
any of them being unable or unwilling to carry out any action
requested of them pursuant to this Trust Deed, means such
other firm of chartered accountants in England as may be
nominated in writing by the Trustee for the purpose;
Authorised Signatory means any person who (a) is a
Director of the Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant
Guarantor or (b) has been notified to the Trustee by any
such Director as being an Authorised Signatory pursuant to
sub-clause 8(p)
(Authorised Signatories);
Calculation Agent means, in relation to the Notes of any
Series, the institution at its Specified Office initially
appointed as calculation agent in relation to such Notes
pursuant to the Agency Agreement and/or, if applicable,
Successor calculation agent in relation to such Notes at its
Specified office;
CGN Permanent Global Note means a Permanent Global Note
representing Notes for which the relevant Final Terms specify
that the New Global Note form is not applicable;
CGN Temporary Global Note means a Temporary Global Note
representing Notes for which the relevant Final Terms specify
that the New Global Note form is not applicable;
Change of Control has the meaning given to such term in
Condition 2(a);
Clearstream, Luxembourg means Clearstream Banking,
société anonyme;
Common Safekeeper means an ICSD in its capacity as common
safekeeper or a person nominated by the ICSDs to perform the
role of common safekeeper;
Conditions means the terms and conditions to be endorsed
on, or incorporated by reference in, the Notes of any Series, in
the form set out in Schedule 1 or in such other form,
having regard to the terms of the Notes of the relevant Series,
as may be agreed between the issuer, the Principal Paying Agent,
the Trustee and the relevant Dealer(s) as modified and
supplemented by the Final Terms(s) applicable to such Series, as
any of the same may from time to time be modified in accordance
with this Trust Deed and any reference in this
Trust Deed to a particular numbered Condition shall be
construed in relation to the Notes of such Series accordingly;
Contractual Currency means, in relation to any payment
obligation of any Note, the currency in which that payment
obligation is expressed and, in relation to Clause 14.1
(Remuneration), pounds sterling or such other currency as
may be agreed between the issuer and the Trustee from time to
time;
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Couponholder means the holder of a Coupon;
Coupons means any bearer interest coupons in or
substantially in the form set out in Part E of Schedule 2 appertaining
to the Notes of any Series and for the time being outstanding
or, as the context may require, a specific number thereof and
includes any replacement Coupons issued pursuant to Condition 15
and, where the context so permits, the Talons appertaining to
the Notes of such Series;
Dealer Agreement means the agreement between the Issuer
and the Dealers named therein concerning the purchase of Notes
to be issued pursuant to the Programme as amended from time to
time or any restatement thereof for the time being in force;
Dealers means any person appointed as a Dealer by the
Dealer Agreement and any other person which the Issuer may
appoint as a Dealer and notice of whose appointment has been
given to the Principal Paying Agent and the Trustee by the
Issuer in accordance with the provisions of the Dealer Agreement
but excluding any entity whose appointment has been terminated
in accordance with the terms of the Dealer Agreement and notice
of whose termination has been given to the Principal Paying
Agent and the Trustee by the Issuer in accordance with the
provisions of the Dealer Agreement and references to the
relevant Dealer(s) mean, in relation to any Note, the Dealer(s)
with whom the Issuer has agreed the issue and purchase of such
Note;
Director means any Director of the Issuer or, as the case
may be, a Guarantor, from time to time;
Drawdown Prospectus means a prospectus specific to a
Tranche of Notes which may be constituted either (a) by a
single document or (b) by a registration document, a
securities note and, if applicable, a summary;
Euroclear means Euroclear Bank SA/NV;
Event of Default means any one of the circumstances
described in Condition 13;
Extraordinary Resolution has the meaning set out in Schedule 6;
Final Terms has the meaning ascribed to it in the Dealer
Agreement;
Fitch means Fitch Ratings Ltd or any successor;
Fixed Rate Note means a Note on which interest is
calculated at a fixed rate payable in arrear on a fixed date or
dates in each year and on redemption or on such other dates as
may be agreed between the Issuer, the Guarantors and the
relevant Dealer(s) (as indicated in the relevant Final Terms);
Floating Rate Note means a Note on which interest is
calculated at a floating rate payable at intervals of one, two,
three, six or twelve months or at such other intervals as may be
agreed between the Issuer, the Guarantors and the relevant
Dealer(s) (as indicated in the relevant Final Terms);
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FSMA means the Financial Services and Markets Xxx 0000;
Global Note means a CGN Temporary Global Note, a CGN
Permanent Global Note, an NGN Temporary Global Note or an NGN
Permanent Global Note;
ICSDs means Clearstream, Luxembourg and Euroclear;
Index Linked Interest Notes has the meaning given to such
term in the relevant Final Terms;
Issue Date means, in relation to any Note, the date of
issue of such Note pursuant to the Dealer Agreement or any other
relevant agreement between the Issuer and the relevant Dealer(s);
Interest Commencement Date means, in relation to any
interest-bearing Note, the date specified in the relevant Final
Terms from which such Note bears interest or, if no such date is
specified therein, the Issue Date;
Liabilities or Liability means any loss, damage,
cost, charge, claim, demand, expense, judgment, action,
proceeding or other liability whatsoever (including, without
limitation, in respect of taxes, duties, levies, imposts and
other charges) and including any value added tax or similar tax
charged or chargeable in respect thereof and legal fees and
expenses on a full indemnity basis;
London Stock Exchange means the London Stock Exchange plc;
Material Subsidiary has the meaning set out in Condition
2(a);
Moody’s means Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc.
or any successor;
NGN Permanent Global Note means a Permanent Global Note
representing Notes for which the relevant Final Terms specify
that the New Global Note form is applicable;
NGN Temporary Global Note means a Temporary Global Note
representing Notes for which the relevant Final Terms specify
that the New Global Note form is applicable;
Noteholder and (in relation to a Note) holder
means the bearer of a Note;
Notes means the bearer notes of each Series constituted
in relation to or by this Trust Deed which shall be in or
substantially in the form set out in Schedule 2 and, for the time being
outstanding or, as the case may be, a specific number thereof
and includes any replacement Notes of such Series issued
pursuant to Condition 15 and (except for the purposes of
Clause 5.1 (Global Notes) and 5.3
(Signature)) each Global Note in respect of such Series
for so long as it has not been exchanged in accordance with the
terms thereof;
outstanding means, in relation to the Notes of any
Series, all the Notes of such Series other than:
(a) those which have been redeemed in accordance with this
Trust Deed;
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(b) those in respect of which the date for redemption in
accordance with the provisions of the Conditions has occurred
and for which the redemption moneys (including all interest
accrued thereon to the date for such redemption) have been duly
paid to the Trustee or the Principal Paying Agent in the manner
provided for in the Agency Agreement (and, where appropriate,
notice to that effect has been given to the Noteholders in
accordance with Condition 19) and remain available for
payment in accordance with the Conditions;
(c) those which have been purchased and surrendered for
cancellation as provided in Condition 10(j) and notice of the
cancellation of which has been given to the Trustee;
(d) those which have become void under Condition 14;
(e) those mutilated or defaced Notes which have been
surrendered or cancelled and in respect of which replacement
Notes have been issued pursuant to Condition 15; or
(f) (for the purpose only of ascertaining the aggregate
nominal amount of Notes outstanding and without prejudice to the
status for any other purpose of the relevant Notes) those Notes
which are alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed and in
respect of which replacements have been issued pursuant to
Condition 15;
provided that for each of the following purposes, namely:
(i) the right to attend and vote at any meeting of the
holders of Notes of any Series;
(ii) the determination of how many and which Notes of any
Series are for the time being outstanding for the purposes of
Clauses 11.1 (Legal Proceedings) and 9.1
(Waiver), Conditions 13 and 17 and Schedule 6;
(iii) any discretion, power or authority, whether contained
in this Trust Deed or provided by law, which the Trustee is
required to exercise in or by reference to the interests of the
holders of the Notes of any Series or any of them; and
(iv) the determination by the Trustee whether any event,
circumstance, matter or timing is, in its opinion, materially
prejudicial to the interests of the holders of the Notes of any
Series;
those Notes (if any) of the relevant Series which are for the
time being held by any person (including but not limited to the
Issuer, any Guarantor or any Subsidiary) for the benefit of the
Issuer, any Guarantor or any Subsidiary shall (unless and until
ceasing to be so held) be deemed not to remain outstanding;
Paying Agents means, in relation to the Notes of any
Series, the several institutions (including, where the context
permits, the Principal Paying Agent) at their respective
Specified Offices appointed pursuant to the relative Agency
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Agreement and/or, if applicable, any additional
and/or
Successor paying agents in relation to such Series at their
respective Specified Offices;
Permanent Global Note means, in relation to any Series, a
Global Note to be issued pursuant to Clause 5.1 in the form
or substantially in the form set out in Part B of Schedule 2;
Potential Event of Default means an event or circumstance
which could, with the giving of notice, lapse of time, the
issuing of a certificate
and/or
fulfilment of any other requirement provided for in Condition
13, become an Event of Default;
Principal Paying Agent means, in relation to the Notes of
any Series, the institution at its Specified Office initially
appointed as issuing and principal paying agent in relation to
such Series pursuant to the relative Agency Agreement or, if
applicable, any Successor principal paying agent in relation to
such Series at its Specified Office;
Put Option has the meaning given to such term in
Condition 10(e);
Rating Agency means S&P or any of its respective
successors or any Substitute Rating Agency and, for the purposes
of Condition 10(f), includes any Additional Rating Agency;
Receiptholder means the holder of a Receipt;
Receipts means any bearer principal receipts appertaining
to the Notes of any Series or, as the context may require, a
specific number thereof and includes any replacement Receipts
issued pursuant to Condition 15;
Relevant Date has the meaning ascribed to it in Condition
2(a);
Reserved Matter has the meaning set out in
paragraph 1 of Schedule 6;
repay includes redeem and vice versa
and repaid, repayable,
repayment, redeemed,
redeemable and redemption shall be
construed accordingly;
Series means a Tranche of Notes together with any further
Tranche or Tranches of Notes expressed to be consolidated and
form a single series with the Notes of the original Tranche and
the terms of which are identical (save for the issue Date
and/or the
Interest Commencement Date but including as to whether or not
the Notes are listed);
Specified Office means, in relation to any Agent in
respect of any Series, either the office identified with its
name in Condition 2(a) of such Series or any other office
notified to any relevant parties pursuant to the Agency
Agreement;
Subsidiary has the meaning set out in Condition 2(a);
Substitute Rating Agency means any rating agency of
international standing substituted for the Rating Agency by the
Issuer from time to time with the prior written approval of the
Trustee, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or
delayed;
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Successor means, in relation to the Paying Agents, such
other or further person as may from time to time be appointed
pursuant to the Agency Agreement as a Paying Agent;
Successor in Business means in respect of a company (the
Original Company):
(i) a company or other entity to whom the Original Company
validly and effectually, in accordance with all enactments,
orders and regulations in force for the time being and from time
to time, transfers the whole or substantially the whole of its
business, undertaking and assets for the purpose of assuming and
conducting the business of the Original Company in its
place; or
(ii) any other entity which acquires in any other manner
the whole or substantially the whole of the undertaking,
property and assets of the Original Company and carries on as a
successor to the Original Company the whole or substantially the
whole of the business carried on by the Original Company prior
thereto;
S&P means Standard & Poor’s Rating
Services, a division of The XxXxxx-Xxxx Companies Inc. or any
successor;
Talonholder means the holder of a Talon;
Talons means any bearer talons appertaining to the Notes
of any Series or, as the context may require, a specific number
thereof and includes any replacement Talons issued pursuant to
Condition 15;
Temporary Global Note means, in relation to any Series, a
Global Note to be issued pursuant to Clause 5.1 in the form
or substantially in the form set out in of Schedule 2;
this Trust Deed means this Trust Deed and the
Schedules (as from time to time modified in accordance with the
provisions contained herein) and (unless the context requires
otherwise) includes any deed or other document executed in
accordance with the provisions hereof (as from time to time
modified as aforesaid) and expressed to be supplemental hereto;
Tranche means all Notes of the same Series with the same
Issue Date and Interest Commencement Date;
Trustee Acts means both the Trustee Xxx 0000 and the
Trustee Xxx 0000 of England and Wales;
Written Resolution means, in relation to any Series, a
resolution in writing signed by or on behalf of the holders of
75 per cent. of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes
of such Series for the time being outstanding, whether contained
in one document or several documents in like form, each signed
by or on behalf of one or more such Noteholders;
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Zero Coupon Note means a Note on which no interest is
payable.
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1.2
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Principles
of interpretation
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In this Trust Deed:
(a) Statutory modification: a provision
of any statute shall be deemed also to refer to any statutory
modification or re-enactment thereof or any statutory
instrument, order or regulation made thereunder or under such
modification or re-enactment;
(b) Additional amounts: principal
and/or
interest in respect of the Notes of any Series shall be deemed
also to include references to any additional amounts, any
redemption amounts and any premium which may be payable under
the Conditions;
(c) Relevant Currency: relevant
currency shall be construed as a reference to the currency
in which payments in respect of the Notes
and/or
Receipts
and/or
Coupons of the relevant Series are to be made as indicated in
the relevant Final Terms;
(d) Tax: costs, charges or expenses shall
include any value added tax or similar tax charged or chargeable
in respect thereof;
(e) Enforcement of rights: an action,
remedy or method of judicial proceedings for the enforcement of
rights of creditors shall include, in respect of any
jurisdiction other than England, references to such action,
remedy or method of judicial proceedings for the enforcement of
rights of creditors available or appropriate in such
jurisdictions as shall most nearly approximate thereto;
(f) Clauses and Schedules: a Schedule or
a Clause,
sub-clause,
paragraph or
sub-paragraph
is, unless otherwise stated, to a schedule hereto or a clause,
sub-clause,
paragraph or
sub-paragraph
hereof respectively;
(g) Clearing systems: Euroclear
and/or
Clearstream, Luxembourg shall, wherever the context so admits
(but not in the case of any Notes in NGN form), be deemed to
include references to any additional or alternative clearing
system approved by the Issuer and the Trustee;
(h) Trust corporation: a trust
corporation denotes a corporation entitled by rules made under
the Public Trustee Act 1906 to act as a custodian trustee or
entitled pursuant to any other legislation applicable to a
trustee in any jurisdiction other than England to act as trustee
and carry on trust business under the laws of the country of its
incorporation;
(i) Gender: words denoting the masculine
gender shall include the feminine gender also, words denoting
individuals shall include companies, corporations and
partnerships, words importing the singular number shall include
the plural and, in each case, vice versa;
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(j) Records: any reference to the records
of an ICSD shall be to the records that each of the ICSDs holds
for its customers which reflect the amount of such
customers’ interests in the Notes (but excluding any
interest in any Notes of one ICSD shown in the records of
another ICSD);
(k) Drawdown Prospectus: each reference
to Final Terms shall, in the case of a Series of Notes which is
the subject of a Drawdown Prospectus be read and construed as a
reference to the final terms of the Notes set out in such
Drawdown Prospectus;
(l) Guarantees: all references in this
Trust Deed to guarantees or to an obligation being
guaranteed shall be deemed to include respectively references to
indemnities or to an indemnity being given in respect
thereof; and
(m) Proceedings: all references in these
presents to taking proceedings against the Issuer
and/or the
Guarantors shall be deemed to include references to proving in
the winding up of the Issuer
and/or any
Guarantor (as the case may be).
1.3 The
Conditions
In this Trust Deed, unless the context requires or the same
are otherwise defined, words and expressions defined in the
Conditions and not otherwise defined herein shall have the same
meaning in this Trust Deed.
1.4 Headings
The headings and
sub-headings
are for ease of reference only and shall not affect the
construction of this Trust Deed.
1.5 The
Schedules
The schedules are part of this Trust Deed and shall have
effect accordingly.
1.6 Written
Notices/Approvals
Any reference to a written notice or approval being given by the
Trustee shall, for the avoidance of doubt, be deemed to include
such notice being given by email.
2. Amount
and Issue of the Notes
2.1 Amount
of the Notes
The Notes will be issued in Series in an aggregate nominal
amount from time to time outstanding not exceeding the
Authorised Amount and, for the purpose of determining such
aggregate nominal amount, Clause 14 of the Dealer Agreement
shall apply.
2.2 Prior
to each Issue Date
By not later than 3.00 p.m. (London time) on the fourth
business day in London (which for this purpose shall be a day on
which commercial banks are open for business in London)
preceding each proposed Issue Date, the Issuer shall:
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(a) deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee a draft
of the relevant Final Terms and, if applicable, notify the
Trustee of any proposed changes to the draft Final Terms
delivered to the Trustee; and
(b) notify the Trustee in writing without delay of the
Issue Date and the nominal amount of the Notes of the relevant
Tranche.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Trustee shall not be required in
any case to approve such Final Terms.
2.3 Constitution
of Notes
Upon the issue of the Temporary Global Note, initially
representing the Notes of any Tranche, such Notes shall become
constituted by this Trust Deed without further formality.
2.4 Further
legal opinions
After each anniversary of this Trust Deed and prior to the
first issue of any Notes, on each occasion when a legal opinion
is delivered to a Dealer pursuant to Clause 5.10 of the
Dealer Agreement and on such other occasions as the Trustee so
requests, the Issuer will procure, at no cost to the Trustee,
that further legal opinions in such form and with such content
as the Trustee may require from the legal advisers specified in
the Dealer Agreement or in the relevant jurisdiction approved by
the Trustee are delivered to the Trustee, provided that the
Trustee shall not be required to approve the applicable legal
opinions. In each such case, receipt by the Trustee of the
relevant opinion shall be a condition precedent to the issue of
Notes pursuant to this Trust Deed.
3. Covenant
to Repay
3.1 Covenant
to repay
The Issuer covenants with the Trustee that it shall, as and when
the Notes of any Series or any of them become due to be redeemed
or any principal on the Notes of any Series or any of them
becomes due to be repaid in accordance with the Conditions,
unconditionally pay or procure to be paid to or to the order of
the Trustee in immediately available freely transferable funds
in the relevant currency the principal amount of the Notes of
such Series or any of them becoming due for payment on that date
and shall (subject to the provisions of the Conditions and
except in the case of Zero Coupon Notes), until all such
payments (both before and after judgment or other order of a
court of competent jurisdiction) are duly made, unconditionally
pay or procure to be paid to or to the order of the Trustee as
aforesaid on the dates provided for in the Conditions interest
(which shall accrue from day to day) on the principal amount (or
such other amount as may be specified in the Final Terms) of the
Notes or any of them of such Series outstanding from time to
time as set out in the Conditions (subject to Clause 3.3
(Interest on Floating Rate Notes following Event of
Default)) provided that:
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(a) every payment of principal, interest or other sum due
in respect of such Notes or any of them made to the Principal
Paying Agent in the manner provided in the Agency Agreement
shall satisfy pro tanto, to the extent of such payment,
the relevant covenant by the Issuer contained in this Clause
except to the extent that there is default in the subsequent
payment thereof to the relevant Noteholders, Receiptholders or
Couponholders (as the case may be) in accordance with the
Conditions;
(b) if any payment of principal or interest in respect of
such Notes or any of them is made after the due date, payment
shall be deemed not to have been made until either the full
amount is paid to the relevant Noteholders, Receiptholders or
Couponholders (as the case may be) or, if earlier, the seventh
day after notice has been given to the relevant Noteholders in
accordance with the Conditions that the full amount has been
received by the Principal Paying Agent or the Trustee except, in
the case of payment to the Principal Paying Agent, to the extent
that there is failure in the subsequent payment to the
Noteholders, Receiptholders, or Couponholders (as the case may
be) under the Conditions; and
(c) in any case where payment of the whole or any part of
the principal amount due in respect of any Note is improperly
withheld or refused upon due presentation of the relevant Note
or Receipt (as the case may be) interest shall accrue on the
whole or such part of such principal amount (except in the case
of Zero Coupon Notes, to which the provision of Condition 8
shall apply) from the date of such withholding or refusal until
the date either on which such principal amount due is paid to
the relevant Noteholders or Receiptholders (as the case may be)
or, if earlier, the seventh day after which notice is given to
the relevant Noteholders in accordance with the Conditions that
the full amount payable in respect of the said principal amount
is available for collection by the relevant Noteholders or
Receiptholders (as the case may be) provided that on further due
presentation of the relevant Note or Receipt (as the case may
be) such payment is in fact made.
The Trustee will hold the benefit of this covenant and the other
covenants in this Trust Deed on trust for the Noteholders
in accordance with their respective interests.
3.2 Following
an Event of Default
At any time after any Event of Default or Potential Event of
Default shall have occurred or the Notes of all or any Series
shall otherwise have become due and repayable or the Trustee
shall have received any money which it proposes to pay under
Clause 12 to the relevant Noteholders, Receiptholders
and/or
Couponholders, the Trustee may:
(a) by notice in writing to the Issuer, the Guarantors, the
Principal Paying Agent and the other Agents require the
Principal Paying Agent and the other Agents or any of them:
(i) to act thereafter, until otherwise instructed by the
Trustee, as Agents of the Trustee under the provisions of this
Trust Deed on the terms provided in the Agency Agreement
(with consequential
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amendments as necessary and save that the Trustee’s
liability under any provisions thereof for the indemnification,
remuneration and payment of
out-of-pocket
expenses of the Agents shall be limited to amounts for the time
being held by the Trustee on the trusts of this Trust Deed
in relation to the Notes on the terms of this Trust Deed
and available to the Trustee for such purpose) and thereafter to
hold all Notes, Receipts and Coupons and all sums, documents and
records held by them in respect of Notes, Receipts and Coupons
on behalf of the Trustee; and/or
(ii) to deliver up all Notes, Receipts and Coupons and all
sums, documents and records held by them in respect of Notes,
Receipts and Coupons to the Trustee or as the Trustee shall
direct in such notice provided that such notice shall be deemed
not to apply to any document or record which the relevant Agent
is obliged not to release by any law or regulation; and
(b) by notice in writing to the Issuer and the Guarantors
require each of them to make all subsequent payments in respect
of Notes, Receipts and Coupons to or to the order of the Trustee
and, with effect from the issue of any such notice until such
notice is withdrawn, proviso 3.1(a) to Clause 3.1
(Covenant to repay) and (so far as it concerns payments
by the Issuer and the Guarantors) Clause 12.4 (Payments
to Noteholders, Receiptholders and Couponholders) shall
cease to have effect.
3.3 Interest
on Floating Rate Notes and Index Linked Interest Notes following
Event of Default
If Floating Rate Notes or Index Linked Interest Notes become
immediately due and repayable under Condition 13 the rate
and/or
amount of interest payable in respect of them will be calculated
at the same intervals as if such Notes had not become due and
repayable, the first of which will commence on the expiry of the
Interest Period (as defined in the Conditions) during which the
Notes of the relevant Series become so due and repayable in
accordance with Condition 13 (with consequential amendments as
necessary) except that the rates of interest need not be
published.
3.4 Currency
of payments
All payments in respect of, under and in connection with this
Trust Deed and the Notes to the relevant Noteholders,
Receiptholders and Couponholders shall be made in the relevant
currency as required by the Conditions.
3.5 Separate
Series
The Notes of each Series shall form a separate Series of Notes
and accordingly, unless for any purpose the Trustee in its
absolute discretion shall otherwise determine, all the
provisions of this Trust Deed shall apply mutatis
mutandis separately and independently to the Notes of each
Series and in such Clauses and Schedule the expressions
“Notes”,
“Noteholders”,
“Receipts”,
“Receiptholders”,
“Coupons”,
“Couponholders”,
“Talons” and
“Talonholders” shall be construed
accordingly.
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4. Guarantee
4.1 The Guarantors hereby irrevocably and unconditionally
and on a joint and several basis, and notwithstanding the
release of any other guarantor or any other person under the
terms of any composition or arrangement with any creditors of
the Issuer, guarantee to the Trustee:
(a) the due and punctual payment in accordance with the
provisions of this Trust Deed of the principal of and
premium (if any) and interest on the Notes and of any other
amounts payable by the Issuer under this
Trust Deed; and
(b) the due and punctual performance and observance by the
Issuer of each of the other provisions of this Trust Deed
on the Issuer’s part to be performed or observed.
4.2 If the Issuer fails for any reason whatsoever
punctually to pay any such principal, premium, interest or other
amount, the Guarantors shall cause each and every such payment
to be made as if the Guarantors instead of the Issuer were
expressed to be the primary obligor under this Trust Deed
and not merely as surety (but without affecting the nature of
the Issuer’s obligations) to the intent that the holder of
the relevant Note, Receipt or Coupon or the Trustee (as the case
may be) shall receive the same amounts in respect of principal,
premium, interest or such other amount as would have been
receivable had such payments been made by the Issuer.
4.3 If any payment received by the Trustee or any
Noteholder or Couponholder under the provisions of this
Trust Deed shall (whether on the subsequent bankruptcy,
insolvency or corporate reorganisation of the Issuer or, without
limitation, on any other event) be avoided or set aside for any
reason, such payment shall not be considered as discharging or
diminishing the liability of the Guarantors and this guarantee
shall continue to apply as if such payment had at all times
remained owing by the Issuer and the Guarantors shall indemnify
the Trustee and the Noteholders
and/or
Receiptholders
and/or
Couponholders (as the case may be) in respect thereof PROVIDED
THAT the obligations of the Issuer
and/or the
Guarantors under this
sub-clause
shall, as regards each payment made to the Trustee or any
Noteholder or Couponholder which is avoided or set aside, be
contingent upon such payment being reimbursed to the Issuer or
other persons entitled through the Issuer.
4.4 Each of the Guarantors hereby agrees that its
obligations under this Clause shall be unconditional and that it
shall be fully liable irrespective of the validity, regularity,
legality or enforceability against the Issuer of, or of any
defence or counter-claim whatsoever available to the Issuer in
relation to, its obligations under this Trust Deed, whether
or not any action has been taken to enforce the same or any
judgment obtained against the Issuer, whether or not any of the
other provisions of this Trust Deed have been modified,
whether or not any time, indulgence, wavier, authorisation or
consent has been granted to the Issuer by or on behalf of the
Noteholders, Receiptholders or the Couponholders or the Trustee,
whether or not any determination has been made by the Trustee
pursuant to Clause 9 whether or not there have been any
dealings or transactions between the Issuer, any of the
Noteholders or Couponholders or the Trustee, whether or not the
Issuer has been dissolved, liquidated, merged, consolidated,
13
bankrupted or has changed its status, functions, control or
ownership, whether or not the Issuer has been prevented from
making payment by foreign exchange provisions applicable at its
place of registration or incorporation and whether or not any
other circumstances have occurred which might otherwise
constitute a legal or equitable discharge of or defence to any
guarantor. Accordingly, the validity of this guarantee shall not
be affected by reason of any invalidity, irregularity,
illegality or unenforceability of all or any of the obligations
of the Issuer under this Trust Deed and this guarantee
shall not be discharged nor shall the liability of a Guarantor
under this Trust Deed be affected by any act, thing or
omission or means whatever whereby its liability would not have
been discharged if it had been the principal debtor.
4.5 Without prejudice to the provisions of Clause 11
the Trustee may determine from time to time whether or not it
will enforce this guarantee which it may do without making any
demand of or taking any proceedings against the Issuer and may
from time to time make any arrangement or compromise with the
Guarantors in relation to this guarantee which the Trustee may
consider expedient in the interests of the Noteholders.
4.6 The Guarantors waive diligence, presentment, demand of
payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of
dissolution, liquidation, merger or bankruptcy of the Issuer,
any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuer,
protest or notice with respect to this Trust Deed or the
indebtedness evidenced thereby and all demands whatsoever and
covenants that this guarantee shall be a continuing guarantee,
shall extend to the ultimate balance of all sums payable and
obligations owed by the Issuer under this Trust Deed, shall
not be discharged except by complete performance of the
obligations in this Trust Deed and is additional to, and
not instead of, any security or other guarantee or indemnity at
any time existing in favour of any person, whether from the
Guarantors or otherwise.
4.7 If any moneys shall become payable by the Guarantors
under this guarantee the Guarantors shall not, so long as the
same remain unpaid, without the prior written consent of the
Trustee:
(a) in respect of any amounts paid by it under these
guarantees, exercise any rights of subrogation or contribution
or, without limitation, any other right or remedy which may
accrue to it in respect of or as a result of any such
payment; or
(b) in respect of any other moneys for the time being due
to the Guarantors by the Issuer, claim payment thereof or
exercise any other right or remedy.
(including in either case claiming the benefit of any security
or right of set-off or, on the liquidation of the Issuer,
proving in competition with the Trustee). If, notwithstanding
the foregoing, upon the bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation of
the Issuer, any payment or distribution of assets of the Issuer
of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or
securities, shall be received by the Guarantors before payment
in full of all amounts payable under this Trust Deed shall
have been made to the Noteholders, the Couponholders and the
Trustee, such payment or distribution shall be received by the
Guarantors on trust to pay the same over immediately to the
Trustee for application in or towards the payment of all sums
due and unpaid under this Trust Deed in accordance with
Clause 7.
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4.8 Until all amounts which may be or become payable by the
Issuer under this Trust Deed have been irrevocably paid in
full, the Trustee may:
(a) refrain from applying or enforcing any other moneys,
security or rights held or received by the Trustee in respect of
those amounts, or apply and enforce the same in such manner and
order as it sees fit (whether against those amounts or
otherwise), and the Guarantors shall not be entitled to the
benefit of the same; and
(b) hold in a suspense account any moneys received from the
Guarantors or an account of the Guarantors’ liability under
this guarantee, without liability to pay interest on those
moneys.
5. The
Notes
5.1 Global
Notes
(a) The Notes of each Tranche will initially be together
represented by a Temporary Global Note. Each Temporary Global
Note shall (save as may be specified in the relevant Final
Terms) be exchangeable, in accordance with its terms, for
interests in a Permanent Global Note or Notes in definitive form
together with, where applicable, Receipts and (except in the
case of Zero Coupon Notes) Coupons, and where applicable Talons
attached.
(b) Each Permanent Global Note shall be exchangeable, in
accordance with its terms, for Notes in definitive form.
All Global Notes shall be prepared, completed and delivered to a
common depositary (in the case of a CGN) or common safekeeper
(in the case of a NGN) for Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg
in accordance with the provisions of the Dealer Agreement or to
another appropriate depositary in accordance with any other
agreement between the Issuer and the relevant Dealer(s) and, in
each case, the Agency Agreement.
5.2 Notes
in definitive form
Notes in definitive form will be security printed in accordance
with applicable legal and stock exchange requirements
substantially in the form set out in Part C of Schedule 2. Any
Coupons, Receipts and Talons will also be security printed in
accordance with the same requirements and will be attached to
the Notes in definitive form at the time of issue. Notes in
definitive form will be endorsed with the Conditions and shall
have endorsed thereon or attached thereto a copy of the
applicable Final Terms (or the relevant provisions thereof).
15
5.3 Signature
The Global Notes and the Notes in definitive form will be signed
manually or in facsimile by a duly authorised person designated
by the Issuer and will be authenticated manually by or on behalf
of the Principal Paying Agent and if applicable, will be
effectuated manually by or on behalf of the Common Safekeeper.
The Issuer may use the facsimile signature of a person who at
the date such signature was originally produced was such a duly
authorised person even if at the time of issue of any Global
Note or Note in definitive form he is no longer so authorised.
Global Notes and Notes in definitive form so executed, duly
authenticated and, if applicable, duly effectuated will be
binding and valid obligations of the Issuer and title thereto
shall pass by delivery.
5.4 Entitlement
to treat holder as owner
The Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee and any Paying Agent may
deem and treat the holder of any Note and the holder of any
Receipt or Coupon as the absolute owner of such Note, Receipt or
Coupon, as the case may be, free of any equity, set-off or
counterclaim on the part of the Issuer or any Guarantor against
the original or any intermediate holder of such Note, Receipt or
Coupon (whether or not such Note, Receipt or Coupon shall be
overdue and notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other
writing thereon or any notice of previous loss or theft of such
Note, Receipt or Coupon) for all purposes and, except as ordered
by a court of competent jurisdiction or as required by
applicable law, the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee and any
Paying Agent shall not be affected by any notice to the
contrary. All payments made to any such holder shall be valid
and, to the extent of the sums so paid, effective to satisfy and
discharge the liability for the moneys payable upon the Notes.
5.5 Further
Notes
The Issuer shall be at liberty from time to time (but subject
always to the provisions of this Trust Deed) without the
consent of the Noteholders, Receiptholders or Couponholders to
create and issue further Notes having terms and conditions the
same as the Notes of any Series (or the same in all respects
save for the amount and date of the first payment of interest
thereon) and so that the same shall be consolidated and form a
single series with the outstanding Notes of a particular Series.
6. Cancellation
of Notes and Records
6.1 The Issuer shall procure that all Notes issued by it
which are (a) redeemed or (b) purchased by or on
behalf of the Issuer, a Guarantor or any Subsidiary and
surrendered for cancellation or (c) which, being mutilated
or defaced, have been surrendered and replaced pursuant to
Condition 15 (Replacement of Notes, Receipts, Coupons and
Talons) (together in each case, in the case of Definitive
Notes, with all unmatured Receipts and Coupons attached thereto
or delivered therewith), and all Receipts and Coupons paid in
accordance with the relevant Conditions or which, being
mutilated or defaced, have been surrendered and replaced
pursuant to Condition 15 (Replacement of Notes, Receipts,
Coupons and Talons), shall forthwith be cancelled by or on
behalf of the Issuer and a certificate stating:
16
(i) the aggregate nominal amount of Notes which have been
redeemed and the aggregate amounts in respect of Receipts and
Coupons which have been paid;
(ii) the serial numbers of such Notes in definitive form
and Receipts;
(iii) the total numbers (where applicable, of each
denomination) by maturity date of such Receipts and Coupons;
(iv) the aggregate amount of interest paid (and the due
dates of such payments) on Global Notes;
(v) the aggregate nominal amount of Notes (if any) which
have been purchased by or on behalf of the Issuer, any Guarantor
or any Subsidiary and cancelled and the serial numbers of such
Notes in definitive form and, in the case of Notes in definitive
form, the total number (where applicable, of each denomination)
by maturity date of the Receipts, Coupons and Talons attached
thereto or surrendered therewith;
(vi) the aggregate nominal amounts of Notes and Receipts
and the aggregate amounts in respect of Coupons which have been
so surrendered and replaced and the serial numbers of such Notes
in definitive form and the total number (where applicable, of
each denomination) by maturity date of such Coupons and Talons;
(vii) the total number (where applicable, of each
denomination) by maturity date of the unmatured Coupons missing
from Notes in definitive form bearing interest at a fixed rate
which have been redeemed or surrendered and replaced and the
serial numbers of the Notes in definitive form to which such
missing unmatured Coupons appertained; and
(viii) the total number (where applicable, of each
denomination) by maturity date of Talons which have been
exchanged for further Coupons,
shall be given to the Trustee by or on behalf of the Issuer as
soon as possible and in any event within one month after the end
of each calendar quarter during which any such redemption,
purchase, payment, exchange or replacement (as the case may be)
takes place. The Trustee may accept such certificate as
conclusive evidence of redemption, purchase, payment, exchange
or replacement pro tanto of the Notes or payment of
interest thereon or exchange of the relative Talons respectively
and of cancellation of the relative Notes and Coupons.
6.2 The Issuer shall procure (a) that the Principal
Paying Agent shall keep a full and complete record of all Notes,
Receipts, Coupons and Talons issued by it (other than serial
numbers of Receipts and Coupons) and of their redemption, any
cancellation or any payment (as the case may be) and of all
replacement notes, receipts, coupons or talons issued in
substitution for lost, stolen, mutilated, defaced or destroyed
Notes, Receipts, Coupons or Talons,
17
(b) that the Principal Paying Agent shall in respect of the
Coupons of each maturity retain (in the case of Coupons other
than Talons) until the expiry of ten years from the Relevant
Date in respect of such Coupons and (in the case of Talons
indefinitely) either all paid or exchanged Coupons of that
maturity or a list of the serial numbers of Coupons of that
maturity still remaining unpaid or unexchanged and (c) that
such records and Coupons (if any) shall be made available to the
Trustee at all reasonable times.
7. Covenant
to Comply with the Trust Deed
7.1 Covenant
to comply with the Trust Deed
Each of the Issuer and each Guarantor severally covenants with
the Trustee to comply with those provisions of this
Trust Deed and the Conditions which are expressed to be
binding on it and to perform and observe the same. The Notes,
the Receipts and the Coupons are subject to the provisions
contained in this Trust Deed, all of which shall be binding
upon the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders, the Couponholders and all persons claiming
through or under them respectively. The Trustee shall hold the
benefit of this covenant upon trust for itself and the
Noteholders, the Receiptholders and the Couponholders according
to its and their respective interests.
7.2 Trustee
may enforce Conditions
The Trustee shall itself be entitled to enforce the obligations
of the Issuer and each Guarantor under the Notes and the
Conditions as if the same were set out and contained in this
Trust Deed which shall be read and construed as one
document with the Notes.
8. Covenants
by the Issuer and the Guarantors
So long as any of the Notes remains outstanding, the Issuer and
the Guarantors will each:
(a) Books of account: at all times keep
and procure that all its Subsidiaries keep such books of account
as may be necessary to comply with all applicable laws and so as
to enable the financial statements of the Issuer or, as the case
may be, the relevant Guarantor to be prepared and, if the
Trustee, in its sole opinion, determines that it is necessary to
request access to such books of account, allow the Trustee and
any person appointed by it, to whom the Issuer, the relevant
Guarantor or the relevant Subsidiary (as the case may be) shall
have no reasonable objection, free access to the same at all
reasonable times during normal business hours and to discuss the
same with responsible officers of the Issuer;
(b) Event of Default: give notice in
writing to the Trustee forthwith of the coming into existence of
any security interest which would require any security to be
given to the Notes pursuant to Condition 5 (Negative
Pledge) or of the occurrence of any Event of Default,
Potential Event of Default, Change of Control or Change of
Control Put Event and without waiting for the Trustee to take
any further action;
18
(c) Certificate of Compliance: provide to
the Trustee within seven days of any request by the Trustee and
at the time of the despatch to the Trustee of its annual balance
sheet and profit and loss account, and in any event not later
than 180 days after the end of its financial year, a
certificate, signed by two Authorised Signatories of the Issuer
or, as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor certifying that
up to a specified date not earlier than seven days prior to the
date of such certificate (the “Certified Date”) the
Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor has
complied with its obligations under this Trust Deed and the
Notes (or, if such is not the case, giving details of the
circumstances of such non-compliance) and that as at such date
there did not exist nor had there existed at any time prior
thereto since the Certified Date in respect of the previous such
certificate (or, in the case of the first such certificate,
since the date of this Trust Deed) any Event of Default,
Potential Event of Default, Change of Control Put Event, Change
of Control or other matter which could affect the ability of the
Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor to perform
its obligations under this Trust Deed or (if such is not
the case) specifying the same;
(d) Financial statements: send to the
Trustee and to the Principal Paying Agent (if the same are
produced) as soon as practicable after their date of publication
and in the case of annual financial statements in any event not
more than 180 days after the end of each financial year,
two copies of the Issuer’s or, as the case may be, the
relevant Guarantor’s consolidated annual balance sheet and
profit and loss account and of every balance sheet, profit and
loss account, report or other notice, statement or circular
issued (or which under any legal or contractual obligation
should be issued) to the members or holders of debentures or
creditors (or any class of them) of the Issuer or, as the case
may be, the relevant Guarantor in their capacity as such at the
time of the actual (or legally or contractually required) issue
or publication thereof and procure that the same are made
available for inspection by Noteholders, Receiptholders and
Couponholders at the Specified Offices of the Paying Agents as
soon as practicable thereafter;
(e) Information: so far as permitted by
applicable law, at all times give to the Trustee such
information, opinions, certificates and other evidence as it
shall require in accordance with its fiduciary duties and
obligations to the Noteholders and in such form as it shall
require (including, without limitation, the certificates called
for by the Trustee pursuant to Clause 8(c) (Certificate of
Compliance) for the exercise of its duties, trusts, powers,
authorities and discretions vested in it under this
Trust Deed or by operation of law;
(f) Notes held by Issuer and the
Guarantors: send to the Trustee forthwith upon
being so requested in writing by the Trustee a certificate of
the Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor
(signed on its behalf by two Authorised Signatories) setting out
the total number of Notes of each Series which at the date of
such certificate are held by or for the benefit of the Issuer,
the relevant Guarantor or any Subsidiary;
19
(g) Execution of further Documents: so
far as permitted by applicable law, at all times execute all
such further documents and do all such further acts and things
as may be necessary at any time or times in the opinion of the
Trustee to give effect to the provisions of this Trust Deed;
(h) Notices to Noteholders: send or
procure to be sent to the Trustee not less than three business
days in London prior to the date of publication, for the
Trustee’s approval, one copy of each notice to be given to
the Noteholders in accordance with Condition 19 (Notices)
and not publish such notice without such approval (such approval
not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) and, upon
publication, send to the Trustee two copies of such notice (such
approval, unless so expressed, not to constitute approval of
such notice for the purpose of Section 21 of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000);
(i) Notification of non-payment: use its
reasonable endeavours to procure that the Principal Paying Agent
notifies the Trustee forthwith in the event that it does not, on
or before the due date for payment in respect of the Notes,
Receipts or Coupons of any Series or any of them receive
unconditionally the full amount in the relevant currency of the
moneys payable on such due date on all such Notes, Receipts or
Coupons;
(j) Notification of late payment: in the
event of the unconditional payment to the Principal Paying Agent
or the Trustee of any sum due in respect of any of the Notes,
the Receipts or the Coupons or any of them being made after the
due date for payment thereof, forthwith give notice to the
Noteholders that such payment has been made in accordance with
Condition 19 (Notices);
(k) Notification of redemption or
payment: not less than the number of days
specified in the relevant Condition prior to the redemption or
payment date in respect of any Note, Receipt or Coupon give to
the Trustee notice in writing of the amount of such redemption
or payment pursuant to the Conditions and duly proceed to redeem
or pay such Notes, Receipts or Coupons accordingly;
(l) Tax or optional redemption: if the
Issuer gives notice to the Trustee that it intends to redeem the
Notes pursuant to Conditions 10(b) and 10(c) and prior to the
Issuer giving such notice to the Noteholders, provide such
information to the Trustee as the Trustee requires in order to
satisfy itself of the matters referred to in such Condition;
(m) Obligations of Agents: observe and
comply with its obligations and use all reasonable endeavours to
procure that the Agents observe and comply with all their
obligations under the Agency Agreement and notify the Trustee
immediately it becomes aware of any material breach or failure
by an Agent in relation to the Notes, Receipts or Coupons and at
all times maintain Paying Agents and a Calculation Agent in
accordance with the Conditions;
(n) Change of taxing jurisdiction: if
before the Relevant Date for any Note, Receipt or Coupon the
Issuer or any Guarantor shall become subject generally to the
taxing jurisdiction of any territory or any political
sub-division
thereof or any authority therein or thereof having power to tax
other than or in addition to the
20
United Kingdom, immediately upon becoming aware thereof notify
the Trustee of such event and (unless the Trustee otherwise
agrees) enter forthwith into a trust deed supplemental hereto,
giving to the Trustee an undertaking or covenant in form and
manner satisfactory to the Trustee in terms corresponding to the
terms of Condition 12 with the substitution for (or, as the case
may be, the addition to) the references therein to the United
Kingdom of references to that other or additional territory to
whose taxing jurisdiction, or that of a political subdivision
thereof or an authority therein or thereof, the Issuer or, as
the case may be, the relevant Guarantor shall have become
subject as aforesaid, such trust deed also to modify Condition
12 so that such Condition shall make reference to that other or
additional territory;
(o) Listing: at all times use reasonable
endeavours to maintain the admission to listing, trading
and/or
quotation of the Notes of each Series by the relevant competent
authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system on which they are admitted to listing, trading
and/or
quotation on issue as indicated in the relevant Final Terms or,
if it is unable to do so having used all reasonable endeavours
or, if the Trustee considers that the maintenance of such
admission to listing, trading
and/or
quotation is agreed by the Trustee to be unduly burdensome or
impractical and the Trustee is of the opinion that to do so
would not be materially prejudicial to the interests of the
Noteholders, use reasonable endeavours to obtain and maintain
admission to listing, trading
and/or
quotation of the Notes on such other competent authority, stock
exchange
and/or
quotation system as the Issuer and the Guarantors may (with the
approval of the Trustee decide and give notice of the identity
of such other competent authority, stock exchange or quotation
system to the Noteholders;
(p) Authorised Signatories: upon the
execution hereof and thereafter forthwith upon any change of the
same, deliver to the Trustee (with a copy to the Principal
Paying Agent) a list of the Authorised Signatories of the Issuer
and each Guarantor, together with certified specimen signatures
of the same;
(q) Payments: pay moneys payable by it to
the Trustee hereunder without set off, counterclaim, deduction
or withholding, unless otherwise compelled by law and in the
event of any deduction or withholding compelled by law pay such
additional amount as will result in the payment to the Trustee
of the amount which would otherwise have been payable by it to
the Trustee hereunder; and
(r) Notification of amendment to Dealer
Agreement: notify the Trustee of any amendment to
the Dealer Agreement.
(s) Auditor’s certificates: cause to
be prepared and certified by the Auditors in respect of each
financial accounting period accounts in such form as will comply
with all relevant legal and accounting requirements and all
requirements for the time being of the relevant stock exchange;
(t) Further documents: at all times
execute and do all such further documents, acts and things as
may be necessary at any time or times in the reasonable opinion
of the Trustee to give effect to this Trust Deed;
21
(u) Appointment and removal of
Agents: give notice to the Noteholders in
accordance with Condition 19 (Notices) of any
appointment, resignation or removal of any Paying Agent or
Calculation Agent (other than the appointment of the initial
Agents and Calculation Agent) after having obtained the prior
written approval of the Trustee thereto or any change of any
Paying Agent’s specified office and (except as provided by
the Agency Agreement or the Conditions) at least 30 days
prior to such event taking effect; PROVIDED ALWAYS THAT so long
as any of the Notes remains outstanding in the case of the
termination of the appointment of the Calculation Agent or so
long as any of the Notes, Receipts or Coupons remains liable to
prescription in the case of the termination of the appointment
of the Principal Paying Agent no such termination shall take
effect until a new Calculation Agent or Principal Paying Agent
(as the case may be) has been appointed on terms previously
approved in writing by the Trustee;
(v) Subsidiaries: procure its
Subsidiaries to comply with all applicable provisions of
Condition 10 (Redemption and Purchases);
(w) Documents available for
inspection: use reasonable endeavours to procure
that each Paying Agent makes available for inspection by
Noteholders, Receiptholders and Couponholders at its specified
office copies of this Trust Deed, the Agency Agreement and
the then latest audited balance sheet and profit and loss
account (consolidated if applicable) of the Issuer and the
Guarantors;
(x) U.S. Paying Agent: if, in
accordance with the provisions of the Conditions, interest in
respect of the Notes becomes payable at the specified office of
any Paying Agent in the United States of America promptly give
notice thereof to the relative Noteholders in accordance with
Condition 19 (Notices);
(y) Dealer Agreement: promptly provide
the Trustee with copies of all supplements
and/or
amendments
and/or
restatements of the Dealer Agreement;
(z) List of Material Subsidiaries: give
to the Trustee (i) on the date hereof and (ii) at the
same time as sending to it the certificates referred to in
paragraph (c) above, a certificate signed by two Authorised
Signatories of the Issuer addressed to the Trustee (with a form
and content satisfactory to the Trustee) listing those
Subsidiaries of the Issuer which as at the date hereof, as at
the Certified Date (as defined in paragraph (c) above) of
the relevant certificate given under paragraph (c) above
or, as the case may be, as at the first day on which the then
latest audited consolidated accounts of the Issuer became
available were Material Subsidiaries for the purposes of
Condition 13 (Events of Default);
(aa) Change in Material
Subsidiaries: give to the Trustee, as soon as
reasonably practicable after the acquisition or disposal of any
company which thereby becomes or ceases to be a Material
Subsidiary or after any transfer is made to any Subsidiary of
the Issuer which thereby becomes a Material Subsidiary, a
certificate by two Authorised Signatories of the Issuer
addressed to the Trustee (with a form and content satisfactory
to the Trustee) to such effect;
22
(bb) Coupons: upon due surrender in
accordance with the Conditions, pay the face value of all
Coupons (including Coupons issued in exchange for Talons)
appertaining to all Notes purchased by the Issuer, the
Guarantors or any other Subsidiary of the Issuer;
(cc) Legal Opinions: prior to making any
modification or amendment or supplement to this Trust Deed,
procure the delivery of (a) legal opinion(s) as to English
and any other relevant law, addressed to the Trustee, dated the
date of such modification or amendment or supplement, as the
case may be, and in a form acceptable to the Trustee from legal
advisers acceptable to the Trustee;
(dd) Euroclear and Clearstream: use all
reasonable endeavours to procure that Euroclear
and/or
Clearstream, Luxembourg (as the case may be) issue(s) any
record, certificate or other document requested by the Trustee
as soon as practicable after such request; and
(ee) Notice of rating downgrade: promptly
notify the Trustee upon becoming aware that any of the ratings
assigned to the Notes has been downgraded or withdrawn.
9. Amendments
and Substitution
9.1 Waiver
Without prejudice to Clause 9.4, the Trustee may, without
any consent or sanction of the Noteholders, Receiptholders or
Couponholders and without prejudice to its rights in respect of
any subsequent breach, Event of Default or Potential Event of
Default, from time to time and at any time, but only if and in
so far as in its opinion the interests of the Noteholders shall
not be materially prejudiced thereby, authorise or waive, on
such terms and conditions (if any) as shall seem expedient to
it, any breach or proposed breach by the Issuer or any Guarantor
of any of the covenants or provisions contained in this
Trust Deed or the Notes, Receipts or Coupons (other than a
proposed breach or breach relating to the subject of a Reserved
Matter) or determine that any Event of Default or Potential
Event of Default shall not be treated as such for the purposes
of this Trust Deed; any such authorisation, waiver or
determination shall be binding on the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders and the Couponholders and, if, but only if, the
Trustee shall so require, the Issuer shall cause such
authorisation, waiver or determination to be notified to the
Noteholders as soon as practicable thereafter in accordance with
the Conditions; provided that the Trustee shall not exercise any
powers conferred upon it by this Clause in contravention of any
express direction by an Extraordinary Resolution or of a request
in writing made by the holders of not less than 20 per
cent. in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then
outstanding (but so that no such direction or request shall
affect any authorisation, waiver or determination previously
given or made) or so as to authorise or waive any such breach or
proposed breach relating to any of the matters the subject of
the Reserved Matters as specified and defined in Schedule 6.
23
9.2 Modifications
Without prejudice to Clause 9.4, the Trustee may from time
to time and at any time without any consent or sanction of the
Noteholders, Receiptholders or Couponholders concur with the
Issuer and the Guarantors in making (a) any modification to
this Trust Deed (other than in respect of Reserved Matters
as specified and defined in Schedule 6 or any provision of this
Trust Deed referred to in that specification) or the Notes
which in the opinion of the Trustee it may be proper to make
provided the Trustee is of the opinion that such modification
will not be materially prejudicial to the interests of the
Noteholders or (b) any modification to this Trust Deed
or the Notes if in the opinion of the Trustee such modification
is of a formal, minor or technical nature or made to correct a
manifest error or an error which is, in the opinion of the
Trustee, proven. Any such modification shall be binding on the
Noteholders, the Receiptholders and the Couponholders and,
unless the Trustee otherwise agrees, the Issuer shall cause such
modification to be notified to the Noteholders as soon as
practicable thereafter in accordance with Condition 19
(Notices).
9.3 Substitution
(a) Procedure: Without prejudice to
Clause 9.4, the Trustee may (1) without the consent of
the Noteholders, the Receiptholders or the Couponholders, agree
to the substitution, in place of the Issuer (or of any previous
substitute under this Clause) of a Guarantor or its successor in
business or any Subsidiary of the Issuer (hereinafter called the
Substituted Obligor) as the principal debtor under
this Trust Deed in relation to the Notes, Receipts, and
Coupons of any Series and under the Notes, Receipts and Coupons
of that Series and (2) without the consent of the
Noteholders, the Receiptholders or the Couponholders, agree to
the substitution of any Subsidiary of any Guarantor (also a
Substituted Obligor) in place of a Guarantor (or
any previous substitute under this Clause) as the guarantor
under this Trust Deed in relation to the Notes, Receipts
and Coupons of any Series and under the Notes, Receipts and
Coupons of that Series, in each case provided that:
(i) a trust deed is executed or some other written form of
undertaking is given by the Substituted Obligor to the Trustee,
in form and manner satisfactory to the Trustee, agreeing to be
bound by the terms of this Trust Deed, the Notes, the
Receipts and the Coupons (with any consequential amendments
which the Trustee may deem appropriate) as fully as if the
Substituted Obligor had been named in this Trust Deed and
on the Notes, the Receipts and the Coupons as the principal
debtor in place of the Issuer or, as the case may be, as the
guarantor in place of the relevant Guarantor (or of any previous
substitute under this Clause);
(ii) the Issuer, the Guarantors and the Substituted Obligor
execute such other deeds, documents and instruments (if any) as
the Trustee may require in order that the substitution is fully
effective and comply with such other requirements as the Trustee
may direct in the interests of the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders and the Couponholders;
24
(iii) an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee in form
and substance satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been given
(x) in the case of the substitution of the Issuer as
provided in (1) above, by the Issuer and each of the
Guarantors or, if one of the Guarantors or its successor in
business has become the Substituted Obligor, by the Issuer and
the remaining Guarantor or (y) in the case of the
substitution of a Guarantor as provided in (2) above, by
each of the Guarantors, of the obligations of the Substituted
Obligor under this Trust Deed and the Notes;
(iv) the Trustee is satisfied that (i) the Substituted
Obligor has obtained all governmental and regulatory approvals
and consents necessary for its assumption of liability as
principal debtor or, as the case may be, as a guarantor in
respect of this Trust Deed and the Notes, the Receipts and
the Coupons in place of the Issuer and/or, as the case may be,
the Guarantors or the relevant Guarantor (or such previous
substitute as aforesaid) and (ii) the Issuer and/or, as the
case may be, the Guarantors or the relevant Guarantor has
obtained all governmental and regulatory approvals and consents
necessary for the guarantee to be fully effective as referred to
in
sub-clause (c)
and (iii) such approvals and consents are at the time of
substitution in full force and effect;
(v) (without prejudice to the generality of the preceding
sub-clauses
of this
sub-clause 9.3(a))
where the Substituted Obligor is incorporated, domiciled or
resident in or is otherwise subject generally to the taxing
jurisdiction of any territory or any political
sub-division
thereof or any authority of or in such territory having power to
tax (the Substituted Territory) other than or in
addition to the territory, the taxing jurisdiction of which (or
to any such authority of or in which) the Issuer or, as the case
may be, the relevant Guarantor is subject generally (the
Issuer’s Territory), the Substituted Obligor
will (unless the Trustee otherwise agrees) give to the Trustee
an undertaking in form and manner satisfactory to the Trustee in
terms corresponding to the terms of Condition 12 (Taxation) with
the substitution for the reference in that Condition to the
Issuer’s Territory of references to the Substituted
Territory and in such event the Trust Deed and Notes,
Receipts and Coupons will be interpreted accordingly;
(vi) without prejudice to the rights of reliance of the
Trustee under
sub-clause 9.3(d)
(Directors’ certification) the Trustee is satisfied
that the said substitution is not materially prejudicial to the
interests of the Noteholders;
(vii) the Rating Agency has confirmed in writing to the
Trustee that the substitution of the Substituted Obligor will
not result in:
25
(A) in respect of any Series of Notes which is not
specifically rated by any rating agency, a downgrading of the
then current credit rating of any rating agency applicable to
the class of debt represented by the Notes; or
(B) in respect of any Series of Notes which is specifically
rated by any rating agency, a downgrading of the then current
credit rating applicable to such Series of Notes by such rating
agency;
(b) Change of law: in connection with any
proposed substitution of the Issuer or any Guarantor or any
previous substitute, the Trustee may, in its absolute discretion
and without the consent of the Noteholders or the Couponholders
agree to a change of the law from time to time governing the
Notes and the Coupons and this Trust Deed provided that
such change of law, in the opinion of the Trustee, would not be
materially prejudicial to the interests of the Noteholders;
(c) Extra duties: the Trustee shall be
entitled to refuse to approve any Substituted Obligor if,
pursuant to the law of the country of incorporation of the
Substituted Obligor, the assumption by the Substituted Obligor
of its obligations hereunder imposes responsibilities on the
Trustee over and above those which have been assumed under this
Trust Deed;
(d) Directors’ certification: if any
two directors of the Substituted Obligor certify that
immediately prior to the assumption of its obligations as
Substituted Obligor under this Trust Deed the Substituted
Obligor is solvent after taking account of all prospective and
contingent liabilities resulting from its becoming the
Substituted Obligor, the Trustee need not have regard to the
financial condition, profits or prospects of the Substituted
Obligor or compare the same with those of the Issuer or, as the
case may be, the relevant Guarantor (or of any previous
substitute under this Clause);
(e) Interests of Noteholders: in
connection with any proposed substitution, the Trustee shall not
have regard to, or be in any way liable for, the consequences of
such substitution for individual Noteholders or the
Couponholders resulting from their being for any purpose
domiciled or resident in, or otherwise connected with, or
subject to the jurisdiction of, any particular territory and no
Noteholder or Couponholder shall, in connection with any such
substitution, be entitled to claim from the Issuer or, as the
case may be, the relevant Guarantor any indemnification or
payment in respect of any tax consequence of any such
substitution upon individual Noteholders or Couponholders;
(f) Release of Issuer or, as the case may be, the
relevant Guarantor: any agreement by the Trustee
pursuant to
sub-clause 9.3(a)
(Procedure) shall, if so expressed, operate to release
the Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor (or
such previous substitute as aforesaid) from any or all of its
obligations as principal debtor or, as the case may be, as
guarantor, in respect of the Notes, Receipts and Coupons and
this Trust Deed (but without prejudice
26
to its liabilities under any guarantee given pursuant to
sub-clause 9.3(c)).
Not later than fourteen days after the execution of any such
documents as aforesaid and after compliance with the said
requirements of the Trustee, the Substituted Obligor shall cause
notice thereof to be given to the Noteholders; and
(g) Completion of substitution: upon the
execution of such documents and compliance with the said
requirements, the Substituted Obligor shall be deemed to be
named in this Trust Deed and the Notes, Receipts and
Coupons as the principal debtor in place of the Issuer or, as
the case may be, the guarantor in place of the relevant
Guarantor (or in each case of any previous substitute under this
Clause) and this Trust Deed, the Notes, the Receipts and
the Coupons shall thereupon be deemed to be amended in such
manner as shall be necessary to give effect to the substitution
and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing any
references in this Trust Deed, in the Notes, Receipts and
Coupons to the Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant
Guarantor shall be deemed to be references to the Substituted
Obligor.
9.4 Rating
Confirmations
For the purposes of determining whether or not the exercise by
the Trustee of any of its trusts, powers, authorities, duties
and discretions under this Trust Deed (including, without
limitation, any modification, waiver, authorisation,
determination or substitution), is materially prejudicial to the
interests of the Noteholders of any Series of Notes, the Trustee
shall be entitled to rely on (but is not bound by) any S&P
or any Substituted Rating Agency confirmation received in
respect thereof.
10. Breach
Any breach of or failure to comply by the Issuer or the
Guarantors with any such terms and conditions as are referred to
in Clauses 8 and 9 shall constitute a default by the Issuer
or the Guarantors (as the case may be) in the performance or
observance of a covenant or provision binding on it under or
pursuant to this Trust Deed.
11. Enforcement
11.1 Legal
proceedings
The Trustee may at any time, at its discretion and without
further notice, institute such proceedings against the Issuer
and the Guarantors as it may think fit to recover any amounts
due in respect of the Notes which are unpaid or to enforce any
of its rights under this Trust Deed or the Conditions but
it shall not be bound to take any such proceedings or any other
action under this Trust Deed or the Notes unless
(a) it shall have been so directed by an Extraordinary
Resolution or so requested in writing by the holders of at least
one-fifth in principal amount of the outstanding Notes and
(b) it shall have been indemnified
and/or
secured
and/or
prefunded to its satisfaction against all Liabilities to which
it may thereby become liable and all Liabilities incurred by it
in connection therewith and provided that the Trustee shall not
be held liable for the consequence of taking any such action and
may take such action without having regard to the effect of such
action on individual Noteholders, Receiptholders, or
Couponholders. Only the Trustee may enforce the provisions of
the this Trust Deed and the Notes, Receipts and Coupons and
no Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder shall be entitled
to proceed directly against the Issuer
27
and/or any
Guarantor unless the Trustee, having become bound so to proceed,
fails to do so within a reasonable time and such failure is
continuing.
11.2 Evidence
of default
Proof that:
(a) as regards any specified Note the Issuer has made
default in paying any principal due in respect of such Note
shall (unless the contrary be proved) be sufficient evidence
that the Issuer has made the like default as regards all other
Notes in respect of which a corresponding payment is then due;
(b) as regards any specified Coupon the Issuer has made
default in paying any interest due in respect of such Coupon
shall (unless the contrary be proved) be sufficient evidence
that the Issuer has made the like default as regards all other
Coupons in respect of which a corresponding payment is then
due; and
(c) as regards any Talon, the Issuer has made default in
exchanging such Talon for further Coupons and a further Talon as
provided by its terms shall (unless the contrary be proved) be
sufficient evidence that the Issuer has made the like default as
regards all other Talons which are then available for exchange,
and for the purposes of Subclauses 11.2(a) and 11.2(b) a payment
shall be a “corresponding” payment notwithstanding
that it is due in respect of a Note of a different denomination
from that in respect of the above specified Note.
12. Application
of Moneys
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12.1
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Application
of moneys
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All moneys received by the Trustee in respect of the Notes of
any Series or amounts payable under this Trust Deed will
despite any appropriation of all or part of them by the Issuer
(including any moneys which represent principal or interest in
respect of Notes, Receipts or Coupons which have become void
under the Conditions shall, unless and to the extent
attributable, in the opinion of the Trustee, to a particular
Series of the Notes, be apportioned pari passu and
rateably between each Series of the Notes, and all moneys
received by the Trustee under this Trust Deed from the
Issuer or, as the case may be, the Guarantors to the extent
attributable in the opinion of the Trustee to a particular
Series of the Notes or which are apportioned to such Series as
aforesaid, be held by the Trustee on trust to apply them
(subject to Clause 12.2 (Investment of moneys):
(a) first, in payment or satisfaction of those Liabilities
incurred by the Trustee or any Appointee in the preparation,
maintenance and execution of the trusts of this Trust Deed
(including remuneration and any additional remuneration of the
Trustee);
(b) secondly, in or towards payment pari passu and
rateably of all interest remaining unpaid in respect of the
Notes of the relevant Series and all principal moneys due on or
in respect of the Notes of that Series provided that where the
Notes of more than one Series become so due and payable, such
monies shall be
28
applied as between the amounts outstanding in respect of the
different Series pari passu and rateably (except where,
in the opinion of the Trustee, such monies are paid in respect
of a specific Series or several specific Series, in which event
such monies shall be applied solely to the amounts outstanding
in respect of that Series or those Series respectively); and
(c) thirdly, the balance (if any) in payment to the Issuer
(without prejudice to, or liability in respect of, any question
as to how such payments shall be dealt with as between the
Issuer and the Guarantors and any other person).
Without prejudice to this Clause 10, if the Trustee holds
any moneys which represent principal or interest in respect of
Notes which have become void or in respect of which claims have
been prescribed under Condition 14 (Prescription), the
Trustee will hold such moneys on the above trusts.
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12.2
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Investment
of moneys
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If the amount of the moneys at any time available for payment of
principal and interest in respect of the Notes of any Series
under Clause 12.1 (Application of moneys) shall be
less than a sum sufficient to pay at least one-tenth of the
principal amount of the Notes of such Series then outstanding,
the Trustee may, at its discretion, invest such moneys upon some
or one of the investments hereinafter authorised with power from
time to time, with like discretion, to vary such investments;
and such investment with the resulting income thereof may be
accumulated until the accumulations together with any other
funds for the time being under the control of the Trustee and
available for the purpose shall amount to a sum sufficient to
pay at least one-tenth of the principal amount of the Notes of
such Series then outstanding and such accumulation and funds
(after deduction of any taxes and any other deductibles
applicable thereto) shall then be applied in the manner
aforesaid.
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12.3
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Authorised
Investments
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Any moneys which under this Trust Deed may be invested by
the Trustee may be invested in the name or under the control of
the Trustee in any of the investments for the time being
authorised by English law for the investment by trustees of
trust moneys or in any other investments, whether similar to
those aforesaid or not, which may be selected by the Trustee or
by placing the same on deposit in the name or under the control
of the Trustee with such bank or other financial institution as
the Trustee may think fit and in such currency as the Trustee in
its absolute discretion may determine and the Trustee may at any
time vary or transfer any of such investments for or into other
such investments or convert any moneys so deposited into any
other currency and shall not be responsible for any Liability
occasioned by reason of any such investments or such deposit
whether by depreciation in value, fluctuation in exchange rates
or otherwise. If that bank or institution is the Trustee or a
subsidiary, holding company or associated company of the
Trustee, it need only account for an amount of interest equal to
the amount of interest that would be payable by it on such
deposit to an independent customer.
29
12.4 Payment
to Noteholders, Receiptholders and Couponholders
The Trustee shall give notice to the Noteholders in accordance
with Condition 19 (Notices) of the date fixed for any
payment under Clause 12.1 (Application of Moneys).
Any payment to be made in respect of the Notes, Receipts or
Coupons of any Series by the Issuer, any Guarantor or the
Trustee may be made in the manner provided in Condition 11
(Payments), the Agency Agreement and this Trust Deed
and any payment so made shall be a good discharge of such
payment to the extent of such payment by the Issuer, the
relevant Guarantor or the Trustee (as the case may be).
12.5 Production
of Notes, Receipts and Coupons
Upon any payment under Clause 12.4 (Payment to
Noteholders, Receiptholders and Couponholders) of principal
or interest, the Note, Receipt or Coupon in respect of which
such payment is made shall, if the Trustee so requires, be
produced to the Trustee or the Paying Agent by or through whom
such payment is made and the Trustee shall in respect of a Note,
Receipt or Coupon (a) in the case of part payment, enface
or cause such Paying Agent to enface a memorandum of the amount
and date of payment thereon (or, in the case of part payment of
an NGN Temporary Global Note or an NGN Permanent Global Note
cause the Principal Paying Agent to procure that the ICSDs make
appropriate entries in their records to reflect such payment) or
(b) in the case of payment in full, cause such Note,
Receipt or Coupon to be surrendered or shall cancel or procure
the same to be cancelled and shall certify or procure the
certification of such cancellation.
12.6 Noteholders
to be treated as holding all Receipts and Coupons
Wherever in this Trust Deed the Trustee is required or
entitled to exercise a power, trust, authority or discretion
under this Trust Deed, the Trustee shall, notwithstanding
that it may have express notice to the contrary assume that each
Noteholder is the holder of all Receipts, Coupons and Talons
appertaining to each Note of which he is the holder.
12.7 Regulated
Activities
Notwithstanding anything in this Trust Deed to the
contrary, the Trustee shall not be required to do anything which
might constitute a regulated activity for the purpose of the
FSMA, unless it is authorised under the FSMA to do so.
The Trustee shall have the discretion at any time (i) to
delegate any of the functions which fall to be performed by an
authorised person under the FSMA to any agent or person which
has the necessary authorisations and licences and (ii) to
apply for authorisation under the FSMA and perform any or all
such functions itself if, in its absolute discretion, it
considers it necessary, desirable or appropriate to do so.
By way of supplement to the Trustee Acts, it is expressly
declared as follows:
30
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13.1
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Reliance
on Information
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(a) Advice: the Trustee may in relation
to this Trust Deed act on the opinion or advice of or a
certificate or any information obtained from any lawyer, banker,
valuer, surveyor, broker, auctioneer, accountant or other expert
(whether obtained by the Trustee, the Issuer, any Guarantor, any
Subsidiary or any Agent) and shall not be responsible for any
Liability occasioned by so acting; any such opinion, advice,
certificate or information may be sent or obtained by letter,
telegram, telex, email or facsimile transmission and the Trustee
shall not be liable for acting on any opinion, advice,
certificate or information purporting to be so conveyed although
the same shall contain some error or shall not be authentic;
(b) Certificate of Directors or Authorised
Signatories: the Trustee may call for and shall
be at liberty to accept a certificate signed by two Directors
and/or two
Authorised Signatories of the Issuer or any Guarantor, as the
case may be, or other person duly authorised on its behalf as to
any fact or matter prima facie within the knowledge of the
Issuer or the relevant Guarantor, as the case may be, as
sufficient evidence thereof and a like certificate to the effect
that any particular dealing, transaction or step or thing is, in
the opinion of the person so certifying expedient, as sufficient
evidence that it is expedient and the Trustee shall not be bound
in any such case to call for further evidence or be responsible
for any Liability that may be occasioned by its failing so to do;
(c) Certificate of Auditors: a
certificate of the Auditors of the Issuer that in their opinion
a Subsidiary is or is not or was or was not at any particular
time or during any particular period a Material Subsidiary
shall, in the absence of manifest error, be conclusive and
binding on the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee, the
Noteholders, the Receiptholders and the Couponholders;
(d) Resolution or direction of
Noteholders: the Trustee shall not be responsible
for acting upon any resolution purporting to be a Written
Resolution or to have been passed at any meeting of the
Noteholders in respect whereof minutes have been made and signed
or a direction of a specified percentage of Noteholders, even
though it may subsequently be found that there was some defect
in the constitution of the meeting or the passing of the
resolution or the making of the directions or in the case of a
Written Resolution in writing or a direction or a request it was
not signed by the requisite number of Noteholders or that for
any reason the resolution purporting to be a Written Resolution
or to have been passed at any Meeting or the making of the
directions was not valid or binding upon the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders and the Couponholders;
(e) Reliance on certification of clearing
system: the Trustee may call for any certificate
or other document issued by Euroclear, Clearstream, Luxembourg
or any other relevant clearing system in relation to any matter.
Any such certificate or other document shall, in the absence of
manifest error, be conclusive and binding for all purposes. Any
such certificate or other document may comprise any form of
statement or print out of electronic records
31
provided by the relevant clearing system (including
Euroclear’s EUCLID or Clearstream, Luxembourg’s Cedcom
system) in accordance with its usual procedures and in which the
holder of a particular principal or nominal amount of the Notes
is clearly identified together with the amount of such holding.
The Trustee shall not be liable to any person by reason of
having accepted as valid or not having rejected any certificate
or other document to such effect purporting to be issued by
Euroclear or Clearstream, Luxembourg or any other relevant
clearing system and subsequently found to be forged or not
authentic;
(f) Noteholders as a class: whenever in
this Trust Deed the Trustee is required in connection with
any exercise of its powers, trusts, authorities or discretions
to have regard to the interests of the Noteholders, it shall
have regard to the interests of the Noteholders as a class and
in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the
foregoing, shall not be obliged to have regard to the
consequences of such exercise for any individual Noteholder
resulting from his or its being for any purpose domiciled or
resident in, or otherwise connected with, or subject to the
jurisdiction of, any particular territory or any political
sub-division
thereof and the Trustee shall not be entitled to require, nor
shall any Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder be entitled
to claim, from the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee or any
other person any indemnification or payment in respect of any
tax consequence of any such exercise upon individual
Noteholders, Receiptholders or Couponholders except to the
extent already provided for in Condition 12 (Taxation)
and/or any
undertaking given in addition thereto or in substitution
therefor under this Trust Deed;
(g) Trustee not responsible for
investigations: the Trustee shall not be
responsible for, or for investigating any matter which is the
subject of, any recital, statement, representation, warranty or
covenant of any person contained in this Trust Deed, the
Notes or any other agreement or document relating to the
transactions herein or therein contemplated or for the
execution, legality, effectiveness, adequacy, genuineness,
validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence thereof;
(h) No obligation to monitor: the Trustee
shall be under no obligation to monitor or supervise the
functions of any other person under the Notes or any other
agreement or document relating to the transactions herein or
therein contemplated and shall be entitled, in the absence of
actual knowledge of a breach of obligation, to assume that each
such person is properly performing and complying with its
obligations;
(i) Notes held by the Issuer: in the
absence of knowledge or express notice to the contrary, the
Trustee may assume without enquiry (other than requesting a
certificate of the Issuer or any Guarantor under
sub-clause 8(f)
(Notes held by Issuer and the Guarantors), that no Notes
are for the time being held by or for the benefit of the Issuer,
any Guarantor or any Subsidiary;
32
(j) Forged Notes: the Trustee shall not
be liable to the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Noteholder,
Receiptholder or Couponholder by reason of having accepted as
valid or not having rejected any Note, Receipt or Coupon as such
and subsequently found to be forged or not authentic;
(k) Events of Default: the Trustee shall
not be bound to give notice to any person of the execution of
this Trust Deed or to take any steps to ascertain whether
any Event of Default, Potential Event of Default, Change of
Control or Change of Control Put Event has happened and, until
it shall have actual knowledge or express notice to the
contrary, the Trustee shall be entitled to assume that no such
Event of Default, or Potential Event of Default, Change of
Control or Change of Control Put Event has happened and that the
Issuer and each Guarantor is observing and performing all the
obligations on its part contained in the Notes, Receipts and
Coupons and under this Trust Deed and no event has happened
as a consequence of which any of the Notes may become repayable;
(l) Legal Opinions: the Trustee shall not
be responsible to any person for failing to request, require or
receive any legal opinion relating to any Notes or for checking
or commenting upon the content of any such legal opinion and
shall not be responsible for any Liability incurred thereby;
(m) Authorised Amount: the Trustee shall
not be concerned, and need not enquire, as to whether or not any
Notes are issued in breach of the Authorised Amount;
(n) Trustee not Responsible: the Trustee
shall not be responsible for the execution, delivery, legality,
effectiveness, adequacy, genuineness, validity, enforceability
or admissibility in evidence of this Trust Deed or any
other document relating thereto and shall not be liable for any
failure to obtain any rating of Notes (where required), any
licence, consent or other authority for the execution, delivery,
legality, effectiveness, adequacy, genuineness, validity,
performance, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of this
Trust Deed or any other document relating thereto. In
addition the Trustee shall not be responsible for the effect of
the exercise of any of its powers, duties and discretions
hereunder;
(o) Freedom to Refrain: notwithstanding
anything else herein contained, the Trustee may refrain from
doing anything which would or might in its opinion be contrary
to any law of any jurisdiction or any directive or regulation of
any agency or any state of which would or might otherwise render
it liable to any person and may do anything which is, in its
opinion, necessary to comply with any such law, directive or
regulation;
(p) Right to Deduct or
Withhold: notwithstanding anything contained in
this Trust Deed, to the extent required by any applicable
law, if the Trustee is or will be required to make any deduction
or withholding from any distribution or payment made by it
hereunder or if the Trustee is or will be otherwise charged to,
or is or may become liable to, tax as a consequence of
performing its duties hereunder whether as principal, agent or
otherwise, and whether by reason of any assessment, prospective
assessment or other imposition of liability to taxation of
33
whatsoever nature and whensoever made upon the Trustee, and
whether in connection with or arising from any sums received or
distributed by it or to which it may be entitled under this
Trust Deed (other than in connection with its remuneration
as provided for herein) or any investments or deposits from time
to time representing the same, including any income or gains
arising therefrom or any action of the Trustee in connection
with the trusts of this Trust Deed (other than the
remuneration herein specified) or otherwise, then the Trustee
shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding or, as
the case may be, to retain out of sums received by it an amount
sufficient to discharge any liability to tax which relates to
sums so received or distributed or to discharge any such other
liability of the Trustee to tax from the funds held by the
Trustee upon the trusts of this Trust Deed; and
(q) Reliance by Trustee: any certificate
or report of the Auditors or any other person called for by or
provided to the Trustee (whether or not addressed to the
Trustee) in accordance with or for the purposes of this
Trust Deed may be relied upon by the Trustee as sufficient
evidence of the facts stated therein notwithstanding that such
certificate or report
and/or any
engagement letter or other document entered into by the Trustee
in connection therewith contains a monetary or other limit on
the liability of the Auditors or such other person in respect
thereof and notwithstanding that the scope
and/or basis
of such certificate or report may be limited by any engagement
or similar letter or by the terms of the certificate or report
itself.
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13.2
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Trustee’s
powers and duties
|
(a) Trustee’s determination: The
Trustee may determine whether or not a default in the
performance or observance by the Issuer or any Guarantor of any
obligation under the provisions of this Trust Deed or
contained in the Notes, Receipts or Coupons is capable of remedy
and if the Trustee shall certify that any such default is, in
its opinion, not capable of remedy such certificate shall be
conclusive and binding upon the Issuer, the Guarantors, the
Noteholders, the Receiptholders and the Couponholders;
(b) Determination of questions: the
Trustee as between itself and the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders and the Couponholders shall have full power to
determine all questions and doubts arising in relation to any of
the provisions of this Trust Deed and every such
determination, whether made upon a question actually raised or
implied in the acts or proceedings of the Trustee, shall be
conclusive and shall bind the Trustee, the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders and the Couponholders;
(c) Trustee’s discretion: the
Trustee shall (save as expressly otherwise provided herein) as
regards all the trusts, powers, authorities and discretions
vested in it by this Trust Deed or by operation of law have
absolute and uncontrolled discretion as to the exercise or
non-exercise thereof and the Trustee shall not be responsible
for any Liability that may result from the exercise or
non-exercise thereof but, whenever the Trustee is under the
provisions of this Trust Deed bound to act at the request
or direction of the Noteholders, the Trustee shall nevertheless
not be so
34
bound unless first indemnified
and/or
provided with security
and/or
prefunded to its satisfaction against all actions, proceedings,
claims and demands to which it may render itself liable and all
Liabilities which it may incur by so doing;
(d) Trustee’s consent: any consent
or approval given by the Trustee for the purposes of this
Trust Deed may be given on such terms and subject to such
conditions (if any) as the Trustee may require. The Trustee may
give any consent or approval, exercise any power, authority or
discretion or take any similar action (whether or not such
consent, approval, power, authority, discretion or action is
specifically referred to in this Trust Deed) if it is
satisfied that the interests of the Noteholders will not be
materially prejudiced thereby. For any avoidance of doubt, the
Trustee shall not have any duty to the Noteholders in relation
to such matters other than that which is contained in the
preceding sentence;
(e) Conversion of currency: where it is
necessary or desirable for any purpose in connection with this
Trust Deed to convert any sum from one currency to another
it shall (unless otherwise provided by this Trust Deed or
required by law) be converted at such rate(s) of exchange, in
accordance with such method and as at such date for the
determination of such rate(s) of exchange as may be specified by
the Trustee in its absolute discretion as relevant and any rate
of exchange, method and date so specified shall be binding on
the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Noteholders, the Receiptholders
and the Couponholders;
(f) Application of proceeds: the Trustee
shall not be responsible for the receipt or application by the
Issuer of the proceeds of the issue of the Notes, the exchange
of any Temporary Global Note for any Permanent Global Note or
Notes in definitive form, the exchange of any Permanent Global
Note for Notes in definitive form or the delivery of any Note,
Receipt or Coupon to the persons entitled to them;
(g) Error of judgment: the Trustee shall
not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by
any officer or employee of the Trustee assigned by the Trustee
to administer its corporate trust matters;
(h) Agents: the Trustee may, in the
conduct of the trusts of this Trust Deed instead of acting
personally, employ and pay an agent on any terms, whether or not
a lawyer or other professional person, to transact or conduct,
or concur in transacting or conducting, any business and to do
or concur in doing all acts required to be done by the Trustee
(including the receipt and payment of money) and the Trustee
shall not be responsible for any Liability incurred by reason of
the misconduct, omission or default on the part of any person
appointed by it hereunder or be bound to supervise the
proceedings or acts of any such person;
(i) Delegation: the Trustee may, in the
execution and exercise of all or any of the trusts, powers,
authorities and discretions vested in it by this
Trust Deed, act by responsible officer(s) for the time
being of the Trustee and the Trustee may also whenever it thinks
fit, whether by power of attorney or otherwise, delegate to any
person(s) or fluctuating body of persons (whether being a joint
trustee of this Trust Deed or not) all or any of the
trusts, powers,
35
authorities and discretions vested in it by this Trust Deed
and any such delegation may be made upon such terms and
conditions and subject to such regulations (including power to
sub-delegate
with the consent of the Trustee) as the Trustee may think fit in
the interests of the Noteholders and the Trustee shall not be
bound to supervise the proceedings or acts of and shall not in
any way or to any extent be responsible for any Liability
incurred by reason of the misconduct, omission or default on the
part of such delegate or
sub-delegate;
(j) Custodians and nominees: the Trustee
may appoint and pay any person to act as a custodian or nominee
on any terms in relation to such assets of the trust as the
Trustee may determine, including for the purpose of depositing
with a custodian this Trust Deed or any document relating
to the trust created hereunder and the Trustee shall not be
responsible for any loss, liability, expense, demand, cost,
claim or proceedings incurred by reason of the misconduct,
omission or default on the part of any person appointed by it
hereunder or be bound to supervise the proceedings or acts of
any such person; the Trustee is not obliged to appoint a
custodian if the Trustee invests in securities payable to bearer;
(k) Maintenance of ratings: the Trustee
shall have no responsibility whatsoever to the Issuer, the
Guarantors, any Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder or any
other person for the maintenance of or failure to maintain any
rating of any of the Notes by any rating agency;
(l) Confidential information: the Trustee
shall not (unless required by law or ordered so to do by a court
of competent jurisdiction) be required to disclose to any
Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder confidential
information or other information made available to the Trustee
by the Issuer or any Guarantor in connection with this
Trust Deed and no Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder
shall be entitled to take any action to obtain from the Trustee
any such information; and
(m) Responsibility for loss: the Trustee
shall not be liable or responsible for any Liabilities or
inconvenience which may result from anything properly done or
properly omitted to be done by it in accordance with the
provisions of this Trust Deed.
(a) Professional charges: Any trustee
being a banker, lawyer, broker or other person engaged in any
profession or business shall be entitled to charge and be paid
all usual professional and other charges for business transacted
and acts done by him or his partner or firm on matters arising
in connection with the trusts of this Trust Deed and also
his properly incurred charges in addition to disbursements for
all other work and business done and all time spent by him or
his partner or firm on matters arising in connection with this
Trust Deed, including matters which might or should have
been attended to in person by a trustee not being a banker,
lawyer, broker or other professional person;
36
(b) Expenditure by the Trustee: nothing
contained in this Trust Deed shall require the Trustee to
expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial
liability in the performance of its duties or the exercise of
any right, power, authority or discretion hereunder if it has
grounds for believing the repayment of such funds or adequate
indemnity against, or security for, such risk or liability is
not assured to it; and
(c) Trustee may enter into financial transactions with
the Issuer and Guarantors: no Trustee and no
director or officer of any corporation being a Trustee hereof
shall by reason of the fiduciary position of such Trustee be in
any way precluded from making any contracts or entering into any
transactions in the ordinary course of business with the Issuer,
any Guarantor or any Subsidiary, or any person or body corporate
directly or indirectly associated with the Issuer, any
Guarantor, or any Subsidiary, or from accepting the trusteeship
of any other debenture stock, debentures or securities of the
Issuer or any Subsidiary, any Guarantor or any person or body
corporate directly or indirectly associated with the Issuer or
any Subsidiary, and neither the Trustee nor any such director or
officer shall be accountable to the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders, the Couponholders, the Issuer, any Guarantor or
any Subsidiary, or any person or body corporate directly or
indirectly associated with the Issuer, any Guarantor or any
Subsidiary, for any profit, fees, commissions, interest,
discounts or share of brokerage earned, arising or resulting
from any such contracts or transactions and the Trustee and any
such director or officer shall also be at liberty to retain the
same for its or his own benefit.
Section 1 of the Trustee Act 2000 shall not apply to the
duties of the Trustee in relation to the trusts constituted by
this Trust Deed. Where there are any inconsistencies
between the Trustee Acts and the provisions of this
Trust Deed, the provisions of this Trust Deed shall,
to the extent allowed by law, prevail and, in the case of any
such inconsistency with the Trustee Xxx 0000, the provisions of
this Trust Deed shall constitute a restriction or exclusion
for the purposes of that Act.
(a) Nothing in this Trust Deed shall in any case in
which the Trustee has failed to show the degree of care and
diligence required of it as trustee having regard to the
provisions of this Trust Deed conferring on it any trusts,
powers, authorities or discretions exempt the Trustee from or
indemnify it against any liability for breach of trust of which
it may be guilty in relation to its duties under this
Trust Deed.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this Trust Deed
to the contrary, the Trustee shall not in any event be liable
for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage
of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost
profits, goodwill, reputation, business opportunity or
anticipated saving), whether or not foreseeable, even if the
Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or
damage and regardless of whether the claim for loss or
37
damage is made in negligence, for breach of contract, breach of
trust or otherwise; provided however, that this clause shall not
be deemed to apply in the event of a determination of fraud on
the part of the Trustee in a judgement by a court having
jurisdiction.
(a) Normal remuneration: The Issuer shall
pay to the Trustee remuneration for its services as trustee as
from the date of this Trust Deed, such remuneration to be
at such rate as may from time to time be agreed between the
Issuer and the Trustee. Such remuneration shall be payable in
advance on the anniversary of the date hereof in each year and
the first payment shall be made on the date hereof. Such
remuneration shall accrue from day to day and be payable (in
priority to payments to the Noteholders, Receiptholders or
Couponholders up to and including the date when, all the Notes
having become due for redemption, the redemption moneys and
interest thereon to the date of redemption have been paid to the
Principal Paying Agent or the Trustee, provided that if upon due
presentation (if required pursuant to the Conditions) of any
Note, Receipt or Coupon or any cheque, payment of the moneys due
in respect thereof is improperly withheld or refused,
remuneration will be deemed not to have ceased to accrue and
will commence again to accrue until payment to such Noteholder,
Receiptholder or Couponholder is made).
(b) Extra remuneration: In the event of
the occurrence of an Event of Default, a Potential Event of
Default, a Change of Control or a Change of Control Put Event or
the Trustee considering it expedient or necessary or being
requested by the Issuer or any Guarantor to undertake duties
which the Trustee and the Issuer or such Guarantor agree to be
of an exceptional nature or otherwise outside the scope of the
normal duties of the Trustee under this Trust Deed, the
Issuer shall pay to the Trustee such additional remuneration as
shall be agreed between them.
(c) Value added tax: The Issuer shall in
addition pay to the Trustee an amount equal to the amount of any
value added tax or similar tax chargeable in respect of its
remuneration under this Trust Deed.
(d) Failure to agree: In the event of the
Trustee and the Issuer failing to agree:
(i) (in a case to which
sub-clause 14.1(a)
applies) upon the amount of the remuneration; or
(ii) (in a case to which
sub-clause 14.1(b)
applies) upon whether such duties shall be of an exceptional
nature or otherwise outside the scope of the normal duties of
the Trustee under this Trust Deed, or upon such additional
remuneration,
such matters shall be determined by a merchant bank (acting as
an expert and not as an arbitrator) selected by the Trustee and
approved by the Issuer or, failing such approval, nominated (on
the application of the Trustee) by the
38
President for the time being of The Law Society of England and
Wales (the expenses involved in such nomination and the fees of
such merchant bank being payable by the Issuer) and the
determination of any such merchant bank shall be final and
binding upon the Trustee and the Issuer.
(e) Expenses: The Issuer shall also pay
or discharge all costs, charges and expenses properly incurred
by the Trustee in relation to the preparation and execution of,
the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties
under, and in any other manner in relation to, this
Trust Deed, including but not limited to legal and
travelling expenses and any stamp, issue, registration,
documentary and other taxes or duties paid or payable by the
Trustee in connection with any action taken or contemplated by
or on behalf of the Trustee for enforcing, or resolving any
doubt concerning, or for any other purpose in relation to, this
Trust Deed.
(f) Indemnity: Without prejudice to the
right of indemnity by law given to trustees, the Issuer shall
indemnify the Trustee and every Appointee and keep it or him
indemnified against all Liabilities to which it or he may be or
become subject or which may be properly incurred by it or him in
the preparation or execution or purported execution of any of
its or his trusts, powers authorities and discretions under this
Trust Deed or its or his functions under any such
appointment or in respect of any other matter or thing done or
omitted in any way relating to the Trust Deed or any such
appointment (including all Liabilities incurred in disputing or
defending the foregoing). The Trustee may use reasonable
endeavours to provide to the Issuer written evidence of any
Liabilities referred to in this Clause.
(g) Payment of amounts due: All amounts
due and payable pursuant to sub clauses 14.1(e)
(Expenses) and 14.1(f) (Indemnity) shall be
payable by the Issuer on the date specified in a demand by the
Trustee; the rate of interest applicable to such payments shall
be one per cent. per annum above the base rate from time to time
of HSBC Bank plc and interest shall accrue:
(i) in the case of payments made by the Trustee prior to
the date of the demand, from the date on which the payment was
made or such later date as specified in such demand;
(ii) in the case of payments made by the Trustee on or
after the date of the demand, from the date specified in such
demand, which date shall not be a date earlier than the date
such payments are made.
All remuneration payable to the Trustee shall carry interest at
the rate specified in this Clause 14.1(g) (Payment of
amounts due) from the due date thereof.
(h) Apportionment of expenses: The
Trustee shall apportion the costs, charges, expenses and
liabilities incurred by the Trustee in the preparation and
execution of the trusts of this Trust Deed (including
remuneration of the
39
Trustee) between the several Series of Notes in such manner and
in such amounts as it shall, in its absolute discretion,
consider appropriate.
(i) Discharges: Unless otherwise
specifically stated in any discharge of this Trust Deed the
provisions of this Clause 13.5(a) (Costs and
Expenses) shall continue in full force and effect
notwithstanding such discharge.
(j) Payments: All payments to be made by
the Issuer to the Trustee under this Trust Deed shall be
made free and clear of, and without withholding or deduction
for, any taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of
whatever nature imposed, levied, collected, withheld or assessed
by or within any relevant jurisdiction or any authority therein
or thereof having power to tax, unless such withholding or
deduction is required by law. In that event, the Issuer shall
pay such additional amount as will, after such deduction or
withholding has been made, leave the Trustee with the full
amount which would have been received by it had no such
withholding or deduction been required.
The Issuer will pay all stamp duties, registration taxes,
capital duties and other similar fees, duties or taxes (if any),
including interest and penalties, payable on or in connection
with (a) the constitution and issue of the Notes, Receipts
and Coupons, (b) the initial delivery of the Notes,
(c) any action taken by the Trustee (or any Noteholder,
Receiptholder or Couponholder where permitted or required under
this Trust Deed so to do) to enforce the provisions of the
Notes or this Trust Deed and (d) the execution and
delivery of this Trust Deed. If the Trustee (or any
Noteholder, Receiptholder, or Couponholder where permitted under
this Trust Deed so to do) shall take any proceedings
against the Issuer in any other jurisdiction and if for the
purpose of any such proceedings this Trust Deed or any Note
is taken into any such jurisdiction and any stamp duties or
other duties or taxes become payable thereon in any such
jurisdiction, the Issuer will pay (or reimburse the person
making payment of) such stamp duties or other duties or taxes
(including penalties).
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14.3
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Exchange
rate indemnity
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(a) Currency of Account and Payment: The
Contractual Currency is the sole currency of account and payment
for all sums payable by the Issuer and the Guarantors under or
in connection with this Trust Deed, the Notes, the Receipts
and the Coupons including damages;
(b) Extent of Discharge: an amount
received or recovered in a currency other than the Contractual
Currency (whether as a result of, or of the enforcement of, a
judgment or order of a court of any jurisdiction, in the winding
up or dissolution of the Issuer or any Guarantor or otherwise)
by the Trustee or any Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder
in respect of any sum expressed to be due to it from the Issuer
or any Guarantor will only discharge the Issuer or any Guarantor
to the extent of the Contractual Currency amount which the
recipient is able to purchase
40
with the amount so received or recovered in that other currency
on the date of that receipt or recovery (or, if it is not
practicable to make that purchase on that date, on the first
date on which it is practicable to do so);
(c) Indemnity: if that Contractual
Currency amount is less than the Contractual Currency amount
expressed to be due to the recipient under this Trust Deed
or the Notes, the Receipts or the Coupons, the Issuer and the
Guarantor will indemnify the Trustee or any Noteholder,
Receiptholder or Couponholder against any Liability sustained by
it as a result. In any event, the Issuer and the Guarantor will
indemnify the recipient against the cost of making any such
purchase; and
(d) any deficiency arising or resulting from any variation
in rates of exchange between (i) the date as of which the
local currency equivalent of the amounts due or contingently due
under this Trust Deed (other than this Clause) is
calculated for the purposes of any bankruptcy, insolvency or
liquidation of the Issuer or, as the case may be, the Guarantor
and (ii) the final date for ascertaining the amount of
claims in such bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation. The amount
of such deficiency shall be deemed not to be reduced by any
variation in rates of exchange occurring between the said final
date and the date of any distribution of assets in connection
with any such bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation.
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14.4
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Indemnities
separate
|
The indemnities in this Clause 13.5(a) constitute separate
and independent obligations from the other obligations in this
Trust Deed, will give rise to separate and independent
causes of action, will apply irrespective of any indulgence
granted by the Trustee
and/or any
Noteholder, Receiptholder or Couponholder and will continue in
full force and effect despite any judgment, order, claim or
proof for a liquidated amount in respect of any sum due under
this Trust Deed or the Notes, the Receipts or the Coupons
or any other judgment or order. Any such Liability as referred
to in
sub-clause 14.3(c)
(Indemnity) shall be deemed to constitute a Liability
suffered by the Trustee, the Noteholders, the Receiptholders and
the Couponholders and no proof or evidence of any actual
Liability shall be required by the Issuer or any Guarantor or
its liquidator or liquidators.
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15.
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Appointment
and Retirement
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15.1
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Appointment
of Trustees
|
The power of appointing new trustees of this Trust Deed
shall be vested in the Issuer but no person shall be appointed
who shall not previously have been approved by an Extraordinary
Resolution of the Noteholders. A trust corporation may be
appointed sole trustee hereof but subject thereto there shall be
at least two trustees hereof one at least of which shall be a
trust corporation. Any appointment of a new trustee hereof shall
as soon as practicable thereafter be notified by the Issuer to
the Agents and the Noteholders. The Noteholders shall together
have the power, exercisable by Extraordinary Resolution, to
remove any trustee or trustees for the time being hereof. The
removal of any trustee shall not become effective unless there
remains a trustee hereof (being a trust corporation) in office
after such removal. If, in such circumstances, no appointment of
such a new trustee has become effective within 60 days of
the date of such Extraordinary Resolution, the Trustee shall be
entitled to appoint a
41
Trust Corporation as trustee of this Trust Deed, but
no such appointment shall take effect unless previously approved
by an Extraordinary Resolution.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Clause 15.1
(Appointment of Trustees), the Trustee may, upon giving
prior notice to the Issuer and the Guarantors but without the
consent of the Issuer or the Guarantors or the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders or the Couponholders, appoint any person
established or resident in any jurisdiction (whether a trust
corporation or not) to act either as a separate trustee or as a
co-trustee jointly with the Trustee:
(a) if the Trustee considers such appointment to be in the
interests of the Noteholders, the Receiptholders or the
Couponholders; or for the purposes of conforming to any legal
requirements, restrictions or conditions in any jurisdiction in
which any particular act or acts are to be performed; or
(b) for the purposes of obtaining a judgment in any
jurisdiction or the enforcement in any jurisdiction either of a
judgment already obtained or of this Trust Deed.
The Issuer and each Guarantor hereby irrevocably appoints the
Trustee to be its attorney in its name and on its behalf to
execute any such instrument of appointment. Such a person shall
(subject always to the provisions of this Trust Deed) have
such trusts, powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding
those conferred on the Trustee by this Trust Deed) and such
duties and obligations as shall be conferred on such person or
imposed by the instrument of appointment. The Trustee shall have
power in like manner to remove any such person. Such
remuneration as the Trustee may pay to any such person, together
with any attributable Liabilities incurred by it in performing
its function as such separate trustee or co-trustee, shall for
the purposes of this Trust Deed be treated as Liabilities
incurred by the Trustee.
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15.4
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Retirement
of Trustees
|
Any Trustee for the time being of this Trust Deed may
retire at any time upon giving not less than 60 days’
notice in writing to the Issuer without assigning any reason
thereof and without being responsible for any Liabilities
occasioned by such retirement. The retirement of any Trustee
shall not become effective unless there remains a trustee hereof
(being a trust corporation) in office after such retirement. The
Issuer hereby covenants that in the event of the only trustee
hereof which is a trust corporation giving notice under this
Clause it shall use its reasonable endeavours to procure a new
trustee, being a trust corporation, to be appointed and if the
Issuer has not procured the appointment of a new trustee within
30 days of the expiry of the Trustee notice referred to in
this Clause 15.4, the Trustee shall be entitled to procure
forthwith a new trustee.
42
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15.5
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Competence
of a majority of Trustees
|
Whenever there shall be more than two trustees hereof the
majority of such trustees shall (provided such majority includes
a trust corporation) be competent to execute and exercise all
the trusts, powers, authorities and discretions vested by this
Trust Deed in the Trustee generally.
The powers conferred by this Trust Deed upon the Trustee
shall be in addition to any powers which may from time to time
be vested in it by general law or as the holder of any of the
Notes, the Receipts or the Coupons.
Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or
converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any
corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or
consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any
corporation succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate
trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the
Trustee hereunder, provided such corporation shall be otherwise
qualified and eligible under this Clause, without the execution
or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of
the parties hereto.
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16.1
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Addresses
for notices
|
All notices and other communications hereunder shall be made in
writing and in English (by letter, telex or fax) and shall be
sent as follows:
(a) Issuer: if to the Issuer, to it at:
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx XX0 0XX
Fax: 00000 000 000
Attention: The General Counsel and Company Secretary
(b) Guarantors: if to the Guarantors, to them
c/o the
Issuer
(c) Trustee: if to the Trustee, to it at:
HSBC Corporate Trustee Company (UK) Limited
0 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx X00 0XX
Fax: x00 00 0000 0000
43
Attention: CTLA Trustee Service Administration
Every notice or other communication sent in accordance with
Clause 15.1 shall be effective as follows:
(a) Letter or fax: if sent by letter, it
shall be deemed to have been delivered 7 days after the
time of despatch and if sent by fax it shall be deemed to have
been delivered at the time of despatch; and
(b) Telex: if sent by telex, upon receipt
by the sender of the addressee’s answerback at the end of
transmission;
provided that any such notice or other communication which would
otherwise take effect after 4.00 p.m. on any particular day
shall not take effect until 10.00 a.m. on the immediately
succeeding business day in the place of the addressee.
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16.3
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No
Notice to Couponholders or Receiptholders
|
Neither the Trustee nor the Issuer nor any Guarantor shall be
required to give any notice to the Couponholders or
Receiptholders for anypurpose under this Trust Deed and the
Couponholders and Receiptholders shall be deemed for all
purposes to have notice of the contents of any notice given to
the Noteholders in accordance with Condition 19.
This Trust Deed and the Notes, and any non-contractual
obligations arising out of or in connection with this
Trust Deed and the Notes, are governed by English law.
The courts of England have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any
dispute (a Dispute), arising out of or in
connection with this Trust Deed or the Notes (including a
dispute regarding the existence, validity or termination of this
Trust Deed or the Notes or any non-contractual obligation
arising out of or in connection with them) or the consequences
of their nullity.
The parties agree that the courts of England are the most
appropriate and convenient courts to settle any Dispute and,
accordingly, that they will not argue to the contrary.
In case any provision in or obligation under this
Trust Deed shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in
any jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of
the remaining provisions or obligations, or of such provision
44
or obligation in any other jurisdiction, shall not in any way be
affected or impaired thereby.
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19.
|
Contracts
(Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
|
No person shall have any right to enforce any provision of this
Trust Deed under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties)
Xxx 0000, but this does not affect any right or remedy of a
third party which exists or is available apart from that Act.
This Trust Deed may be executed in any number of
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.
IN WITNESS
WHEREOF this Trust Deed has been executed as a
deed by the parties hereto and is intended to be and is hereby
delivered on the date first before written.
45
SCHEDULE 1
TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THE NOTES
The following is the text of the terms and conditions which, as
supplemented, amended
and/or
replaced by the relevant Final Terms, will be endorsed on each
Note in definitive form issued under the Programme. The terms
and conditions applicable to any Note in global form will differ
from those terms and conditions which would apply to the Note
were it in definitive form to the extent described under
“Summary of Provisions Relating to the Notes while in
Global Form” below.
(a) Programme
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (the
“Issuer”) has established a Euro Medium Term
Note Programme (the “Programme”) for the
issuance of up to £750,000,000 in aggregate principal
amount of notes (the “Notes”) unconditionally
and irrevocably guaranteed by Six Continents Limited
(“Six Continents”) and by InterContinental
Hotels Limited (“InterContinental” and,
together with Six Continents, each a
“Guarantor” and together, the
“Guarantors”).
(b) Final
Terms
Notes issued under the Programme are issued in series (each a
“Series”) and each Series may comprise one or
more tranches (each a “Tranche”) of Notes. Each
Tranche is the subject of final terms (the “Final
Terms”) which supplements these terms and conditions
(the “Conditions”). The terms and conditions
applicable to any particular Tranche of Notes are these
Conditions as supplemented, amended
and/or
replaced by the relevant Final Terms. In the event of any
inconsistency between these Conditions and the relevant Final
Terms, the relevant Final Terms shall prevail.
(c) Trust Deed
The Notes are constituted by, have the benefit of and are in all
respects subject to a trust deed dated 27 November 2009
(the “Trust Deed”) between the Issuer, the
Guarantors and HSBC Corporate Trustee Company (UK) Limited (the
“Trustee”, which expression shall include all
persons for the time being the trustee or trustees under the
Trust Deed) as trustee for the Noteholders (as defined
below).
(d) Agency
Agreement
The Notes are the subject of an issue and paying agency
agreement dated 27 November 2009 (the “Agency
Agreement”) between the Issuer, the Guarantors, HSBC
Bank plc as principal paying agent (the “Principal
Paying Agent”, which expression includes any successor
principal paying agent appointed from time to time in connection
with the Notes) and the Trustee.
46
(e) Guarantees
Each of the Guarantors has in the Trust Deed given an
unconditional and irrevocable guarantee (each a
“Guarantee” and together, the
“Guarantees”) on a joint and several basis for
the due payment of all sums expressed to be payable by the
Issuer under the Trust Deed, the Notes and the Coupons.
(f) The
Notes
All subsequent references in these Conditions to
“Notes” are to the Notes which are the subject
of the relevant Final Terms. Copies of the relevant Final Terms
are available for viewing during normal business hours and
copies may be obtained from the Specified Office(s) of the
Paying Agent(s), the initial Specified Office of the Principal
Paying Agent being set out at the end of these Conditions.
(g) Summaries
Certain provisions of these Conditions are summaries of the
Trust Deed and the Agency Agreement and are subject to
their detailed provisions. The holders of the Notes (the
“Noteholders”) and the holders of the related
interest coupons, if any, (the “Couponholders”
and the “Coupons”, respectively) are entitled
to the benefit of, are bound by, and are deemed to have notice
of, all the provisions of the Trust Deed and the Agency
Agreement applicable to them. Copies of the Trust Deed and
the Agency Agreement are available for inspection by Noteholders
during normal business hours at the Specified Office(s) of the
Paying Agent(s).
(a) Definitions
In these Conditions the following expressions have the following
meanings:
“Accrual Yield” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Additional Business Centre(s)” means the city
or cities specified as such in the relevant Final Terms;
“Additional Financial Centre(s)” means the city
or cities specified as such in the relevant Final Terms;
“Additional Rating Agency” means Moody’s
and Fitch;
“Borrowings” means, as at any particular time,
the aggregate outstanding principal, capital or nominal amount
(and any fixed or minimum premium payable on redemption) of the
Financial Indebtedness of members of the Group, other than:
(a) any indebtedness referred to in paragraph (g) of
the definition of Financial Indebtedness;
(b) any Project Finance Indebtedness; and
47
(c) any indebtedness referred to in paragraphs (f)(ii),
(i) and (j) of the definition of Financial
Indebtedness except, in the case of paragraphs (i) and (j),
to the extent any such obligation or liability specified in such
paragraphs has been provided for in the annual audited
consolidated financial statements or interim unaudited
consolidated financial statements of the Group or is disclosed
as a contingency in the notes thereto and is quantified,
and deducting, to the extent included, amounts attributable to
interests of third parties in members of the Group.
For this purpose, any amount outstanding or repayable in a
currency other than U.S.$ shall on that day be taken into
account in its U.S.$ equivalent at the rate of exchange that
would have been used had an audited consolidated balance sheet
of the Group been prepared as at that day in accordance with
IFRS as applicable to the Original Financial Statements;
“Business Day” means:
(a) in relation to any sum payable in euro, a TARGET
Settlement Day and a day on which commercial banks and foreign
exchange markets settle payments generally in each (if any)
Additional Business Centre; and
(b) in relation to any sum payable in a currency other than
euro, a day on which commercial banks and foreign exchange
markets settle payments generally in London, in the Principal
Financial Centre of the relevant currency and in each (if any)
Additional Business Centre;
“Business Day Convention”, in relation to any
particular date, has the meaning given in the relevant Final
Terms and, if so specified in the relevant Final Terms, may have
different meanings in relation to different dates and, in this
context, the following expressions shall have the following
meanings:
(a) “Following Business Day Convention”
means that the relevant date shall be postponed to the first
following day that is a Business Day;
(b) “Modified Following Business Day
Convention” or “Modified Business Day
Convention” means that the relevant date shall be
postponed to the first following day that is a Business Day
unless that day falls in the next calendar month in which case
that date will be the first preceding day that is a Business Day;
(c) “Preceding Business Day Convention”
means that the relevant date shall be brought forward to the
first preceding day that is a Business Day;
(d) “FRN Convention”, “Floating
Rate Convention” or “Eurodollar
Convention” means that each relevant date shall be the
date which numerically corresponds to the preceding such date in
the calendar month which is
48
the number of months specified in the relevant Final Terms as
the Specified Period after the calendar month in which the
preceding such date occurred, provided, however, that:
(i) if there is no such numerically corresponding day in
the calendar month in which any such date should occur, then
such date will be the last day which is a Business Day in that
calendar month;
(ii) if any such date would otherwise fall on a day which
is not a Business Day, then such date will be the first
following day which is a Business Day unless that day falls in
the next calendar month, in which case it will be the first
preceding day which is a Business Day; and
(iii) if the preceding such date occurred on the last day
in a calendar month which was a Business Day, then all
subsequent such dates will be the last day which is a Business
Day in the calendar month which is the specified number of
months after the calendar month in which the preceding such date
occurred; and
(e) “No Adjustment” means that the
relevant date shall not be adjusted in accordance with any
Business Day Convention;
“Calculation Agent” means the Principal Paying
Agent or such other Person specified in the relevant Final Terms
as the party responsible for calculating the Rate(s) of Interest
and Interest Amount(s)
and/or such
other amount(s) as may be specified in the relevant Final Terms;
“Calculation Amount” has the meaning given in
the relevant Final Terms;
a “Change of Control” will be deemed to have
occurred if:
(a) any person or any persons acting in concert (as defined
in the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers), other than a holding
company (as defined in Section 1159 of the Companies Act
2006) whose shareholders are or are to be substantially
similar to the pre-existing shareholders of the Issuer, shall
become interested (within the meaning of Part 22 of the
Companies Act 2006) in (A) more than 50 per cent.
of the issued or allotted ordinary share capital of the Issuer
or (B) shares in the capital of the Issuer carrying more
than 50 per cent. of the voting rights normally exercisable
at a general meeting of the Issuer; or
(b) any person or any persons acting in concert (as defined
in the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers), other than a holding
company (as defined in Section 1159 of the Companies Act
2006) whose shareholders are or are to be substantially
similar to the pre-existing shareholders of any direct or
indirect holding company of the Issuer, shall become interested
(within the meaning of Part 22 of the Companies Act
2006) in (A) more than 50 per cent. of the
issued or allotted ordinary share capital of any direct or
indirect holding company of the Issuer or (B) shares in the
capital of any direct or indirect holding company of the Issuer
carrying more than 50 per cent. of the voting rights
normally exercisable at a general meeting of the any such direct
or indirect holding company of the Issuer;
49
“Change of Control Optional
Redemption Amount” means, in respect of any Note,
its principal amount or such other amount as may be specified
in, or determined in accordance with, the relevant Final Terms;
“Change of Control Optional
Redemption Date” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Change of Control Period” means the period
commencing on the Relevant Announcement Date and ending
90 days after the Change of Control (or such longer period
for which the Notes are under consideration (such consideration
having been announced publicly within the period ending
90 days after the Change of Control) for rating review or,
as the case may be, rating by a Rating Agency, such period not
to exceed 60 days after the public announcement of such
consideration);
a “Change of Control Put Event” will be deemed
to occur if a Change of Control has occurred and:
(a) on the Relevant Announcement Date, the Notes carry from
any Rating Agency:
(i) an investment grade credit rating (Baa3/BBB-, or
equivalent, or better), and such rating from any Rating Agency
is, within the Change of Control Period, either downgraded to a
Non-Investment Grade Rating or withdrawn and is not, within the
Change of Control Period, subsequently (in the case of a
downgrade) upgraded or (in the case of a withdrawal) reinstated
to an investment grade credit rating by such Rating
Agency; or
(ii) a Non-Investment Grade Rating and such rating from any
Rating Agency is, within the Change of Control Period, either
downgraded by one or more notches (by way of example, Bal to Ba2
being one notch) or withdrawn and is not, within the Change of
Control Period, subsequently (in the case of a downgrade)
upgraded or (in the case of a withdrawal) reinstated to its
earlier credit rating or better by such Rating Agency; or
(iii) no credit rating and a Negative Rating Event also
occurs within the Change of Control Period, provided that if, at
the time of the occurrence of the Change of Control, the Notes
carry a credit rating from more than one Rating Agency, at least
one of which is investment grade, then subparagraph
(i) will apply; and
50
(b) in making any decision to downgrade or withdraw a
credit rating pursuant to paragraphs (i) and
(ii) above or not to award a credit rating of at least
investment grade as described in paragraph (ii) of the
definition of “Negative Rating Event”, the relevant
Rating Agency announces publicly or confirms in writing to the
Issuer or the Trustee that such decision(s) resulted, in whole
or in part, from the occurrence of the Change of Control or the
Relevant Potential Change of Control Announcement;
“Change of Control Put Event Notice” means the
notice to be given pursuant to Condition 10(f) (Change of
Control redemption) by the Issuer or, as the case may be,
the Trustee to the Noteholders in accordance with Condition 19
(Notices) specifying the nature of the Change of Control
Put Event and the procedure for exercising the Change of Control
Put Option;
“Change of Control Put Option” means the option
of the Noteholders exercisable pursuant to Condition 10(f)
(Change of Control redemption);
“Change of Control Put Period” means the period
of 45 days after a Change of Control Put Event Notice is
given;
“Consolidated Gross Assets” means the
consolidated current assets plus consolidated non-current assets
of the Group;
“Coupon Sheet” means, in respect of a Note, a
coupon sheet relating to the Note;
“Day Count Fraction” means, in respect of the
calculation of an amount for any period of time (the
“Calculation Period”), such day count fraction
as may be specified in these Conditions or the relevant Final
Terms and:
(a) if “Actual/Actual (ICMA)” is so
specified, means:
(i) where the Calculation Period is equal to or shorter
than the Regular Period during which it falls, the actual number
of days in the Calculation Period divided by the product of
(1) the actual number of days in such Regular Period and
(2) the number of Regular Periods in any year; and
(ii) where the Calculation Period is longer than one
Regular Period, the sum of: (A) the actual number of days
in such Calculation Period falling in the Regular Period in
which it begins divided by the product of (1) the actual
number of days in such Regular Period and (2) the number of
Regular Periods in any year; and (B) the actual number of
days in such Calculation Period falling in the next Regular
Period divided by the product of (a) the actual number of
days in such Regular Period and (2) the number of Regular
Periods in any year;
(b) if “Actual/Actual (ISDA)” is so
specified, means the actual number of days in the Calculation
Period divided by 365 (or, if any portion of the Calculation
Period falls in a leap year, the sum of (A) the actual
number
51
of days in that portion of the Calculation Period falling in a
leap year divided by 366 and (B) the actual number of days
in that portion of the Calculation Period falling in a non-leap
year divided by 365);
(c) if “Actual/365 (Fixed)” is so
specified, means the actual number of days in the Calculation
Period divided by 365;
(d) if “Actual/360” is so specified, means
the actual number of days in the Calculation Period divided by
360;
(e) if “30/360” is so specified, the
number of days in the Calculation Period divided by 360,
calculated on a formula basis as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[360×(Y2−Y1)+[30×(M2−M1)]+(D2−D1) |
|
|
Day Count Fraction =
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
360
|
where:
“Y1”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the first day of
the Calculation Period falls;
“Y2”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the day immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period falls;
“M1”
is the calendar month, expressed as a number, in which the first
day of the Calculation Period falls;
“M2”
is the calendar month, expressed as number, in which the day
immediately following the last day included in the Calculation
Period falls;
“D1”
is the first calendar day, expressed as a number, of the
Calculation Period, unless such number would be 31, in which
case D will be 30; and
“D2”
is the calendar day, expressed as a number, immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period,
unless such number would be 31 and
D1
is greater than 29, in which case
D2
will be 30”;
(f) if “30E/360” or “Eurobond
Basis” is so specified, the number of days in the
Calculation Period divided by 360, calculated on a formula basis
as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[360×(Y2−Y1)+[30×(M2−M1)]+(D2−D1) |
|
|
Day Count Fraction =
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
360
|
where:
“Y1”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the first day of
the Calculation Period falls;
“Y2”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the day immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period falls;
52
“Y2”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the day immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period falls;
“M1”
is the calendar month, expressed as a number, in which the first
day of the Calculation Period falls;
“M2”
is the calendar month, expressed as a number, in which the day
immediately following the last day included in the Calculation
Period falls;
“D1”
is the first calendar day, expressed as a number, of the
Calculation Period, unless such number would be 31, in which
case
D1
will be 30; and
“D2”
is the calendar day, expressed as a number, immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period,
unless such number would be 31, in which case D will be
30; and
(g) if “30E/360 (ISDA)” is so specified,
the number of days in the Calculation Period divided by 360,
calculated on a formula basis as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[360×(Y2−Y1)+[30×(M2−M1)]+(D2−D1) |
|
|
Day Count Fraction =
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
360
|
where:
“Y1”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the first day of
the Calculation Period falls;
“Y2”
is the year, expressed as a number, in which the day immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period falls;
“M1”
is the calendar month, expressed as a number, in which the first
day of the Calculation Period falls;
“M2”
is the calendar month, expressed as a number, in which the day
immediately following the last day included in the Calculation
Period falls;
“D1”
is the first calendar day, expressed as a number, of the
Calculation Period, unless (i) that day is the last day of
February or (ii) such number would be 31, in which case
D1
will be 30; and
“D2”
is the calendar day, expressed as a number, immediately
following the last day included in the Calculation Period,
unless (i) that day is the last day of February but not the
Maturity Date or (ii) such number would be 31, in which
case
D2
will be 30,
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT in each such case the number of
days in the Calculation Period is calculated from and including
the first day of the Calculation Period to but excluding the
last day of the Calculation Period;
53
“Early Redemption Amount (Tax)” means, in
respect of any Note, its principal amount or such other amount
as may be specified in, or determined in accordance with, the
relevant Final Terms;
“Early Termination Amount” means, in respect of
any Note, its principal amount or such other amount as may be
specified in, or determined in accordance with, these Conditions
or the relevant Final Terms;
“EBITDA” means, in relation to any Relevant
Period, the total consolidated operating profit of the Group for
that Relevant Period:
(a) before taking into account:
(i) Net Interest Payable;
(ii) Tax; and
(iii) all exceptional items; and
(b) after adding back all amounts provided for depreciation
and amortisation; and
(c) deducting, to the extent included, amounts attributable
to interests of third parties in members of the Group;
“Extraordinary Resolution” has the meaning
given in the Trust Deed;
“Final Redemption Amount” means, in
respect of any Note, its principal amount or such other amount
as may be specified in, or determined in accordance with, the
relevant Final Terms;
“Financial Indebtedness” means any indebtedness
(without double counting) for or in respect of:
(a) moneys borrowed;
(b) any amount raised by acceptance under any acceptance
credit facility or dematerialised equivalent;
(c) any amount raised pursuant to any note purchase
facility or the issue of bonds, notes, debentures, loan stock,
commercial paper or any similar instrument (entered into or
issued primarily as a method of raising finance);
(d) the amount of any liability in respect of any lease or
hire purchase contract which would, in accordance with IFRS, be
treated as a finance or capital lease;
(e) receivables sold or discounted (other than any
receivables to the extent they are sold or discounted on a
non-recourse basis);
(f) any amount:
54
(i) raised under any other transaction (including any
forward sale or purchase agreement) required by IFRS to be shown
as a borrowing in the audited consolidated balance sheet of the
Group; or
(ii) raised under any other transaction entered into
primarily as a method of raising finance not required by IFRS to
be shown as a borrowing in the audited consolidated balance
sheet of the Group;
(g) any derivative transaction entered into in connection
with protection against or benefit from fluctuation in any rate
or price (and, when calculating the value of any derivative
transaction, only the marked to market value shall be taken into
account);
(h) shares which are expressed to be redeemable prior to
2 May 2013;
(i) any counter-indemnity obligation in respect of a
guarantee, indemnity, bond, letter of credit or any other
instrument issued by a bank or financial institution; and
(j) the amount of any liability in respect of any guarantee
or indemnity for any of the items referred to in paragraphs
(a) to (i) above,
but excluding indebtedness owing by a member of the Group to
another member of the Group;
“First Interest Payment Date” means the date
specified in the relevant Final Terms;
“Fitch” means Fitch Ratings Ltd. or any
successor;
“Fixed Coupon Amount” has the meaning given in
the relevant Final Terms;
“Group” means the Issuer and its Subsidiaries
for the time being;
“Guarantee” and “Guarantees”
have the meaning stated in Condition 1(e);
“Guarantor” and “Guarantors”
have the meaning stated in Condition 1(a);
“IFRS” means international accounting standards
within the meaning of IAS Regulation 1606/2002 to the extent
applicable to the relevant financial statements;
“Indebtedness” means any indebtedness (whether
being principal, premium, interest or other amounts) for or in
respect of any notes, bonds, debentures, debenture stock, loan
stock or other securities or any borrowed money or any liability
under or in respect of any acceptance or acceptance credit;
“Interest Amount” means, in relation to a Note
and an Interest Period, the amount of interest payable in
respect of that Note for that Interest Period;
55
“Interest Commencement Date” means the Issue
Date of the Notes or such other date as may be specified as the
Interest Commencement Date in the relevant Final Terms;
“Interest Determination Date” has the meaning
given in the relevant Final Terms;
“Interest Payment Date” means the First
Interest Payment Date and any date or dates specified as such
in, or determined in accordance with the provisions of, the
relevant Final Terms and, if a Business Day Convention is
specified in the relevant Final Terms:
(a) as the same may be adjusted in accordance with the
relevant Business Day Convention; or
(b) if the Business Day Convention is the FRN Convention,
Floating Rate Convention or Eurodollar Convention and an
interval of a number of calendar months is specified in the
relevant Final Terms as being the Specified Period, each of such
dates as may occur in accordance with the FRN Convention,
Floating Rate Convention or Eurodollar Convention at such
Specified Period of calendar months following the Interest
Commencement Date (in the case of the first Interest Payment
Date) or the previous Interest Payment Date (in any other case);
“Interest Period” means each period beginning
on (and including) the Interest Commencement Date or any
Interest Payment Date and ending on (but excluding) the next
Interest Payment Date;
“ISDA Definitions” means the 2006 ISDA
Definitions (as amended and updated as at the date of issue of
the first Tranche of the Notes of the relevant Series (as
specified in the relevant Final Terms) as published by the
International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.);
“Issue Date” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Margin” has the meaning given in the relevant
Final Terms;
“Material Subsidiary” means, at any time, any
Subsidiary of the Issuer:
(a) whose gross assets represent 10 per cent. or more
of Consolidated Gross Assets or whose EBITDA represents
5 per cent. or more of consolidated EBITDA of the Group, in
each case, as calculated by reference to the latest financial
statements of such Subsidiary (which shall be audited if such
statements are prepared by that Subsidiary) and the latest
audited consolidated financial statements of the Group adjusted
in such manner as the auditors of the Issuer may determine
(which determination shall be conclusive in the absence of
manifest error) (i) to reflect the gross assets and EBITDA
of any person which has become or ceased to be a member of the
Group since the end of the financial year to which the latest
audited consolidated financial statements of the Group relate
where such adjustment is requested by the Issuer and
(ii) so that for the purposes of this definition,
56
the gross assets of the relevant Subsidiary shall be calculated
on the same basis as Consolidated Gross Assets are calculated
and/or, as the case may be, EBITDA of the relevant Subsidiary
shall be calculated on the same basis as consolidated EBITDA for
the Group (but, in each case, relating only to the relevant
Subsidiary) and making such adjustments and eliminations as are
required to show the same as the contribution of the relevant
Subsidiary to Consolidated Gross Assets and/or, as the case may
be, consolidated EBITDA of the Group; or
(b) to which is transferred all or substantially all of the
business, undertaking or assets of a Subsidiary which
immediately prior to such transfer is a Material Subsidiary,
whereupon the transferor Subsidiary shall cease to be a Material
Subsidiary and the transferee Subsidiary shall become a Material
Subsidiary under this
sub-paragraph
(b) upon the completion of such transfer;
Any determination made by the auditors of the Issuer as to
whether a Subsidiary of the Issuer is or is not a Material
Subsidiary at any time shall be conclusive in the absence of
manifest error. The Trustee may rely on a report of the auditors
of the Issuer, whether or not addressed to the Trustee, that, in
their opinion, a Subsidiary is a Material Subsidiary, without
liability to any person and without further enquiry or evidence,
notwithstanding that such report
and/or any
engagement letter or other document entered into by the Trustee
in connection therewith contains a monetary or other limit on
the liability of the auditors of the Issuer and notwithstanding
that the scope
and/or basis
of such a report may be limited by any engagement or similar
letter or by the terms of the report itself.
“Maturity Date” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Maximum Redemption Amount” has the
meaning given in the relevant Final Terms;
“Minimum Redemption Amount” has the
meaning given in the relevant Final Terms;
“Moody’s” means Xxxxx’x Investors
Service, Inc. or any successor;
a “Negative Rating Event” shall be deemed to
have occurred if at such time as there is no rating assigned to
the Notes by a Rating Agency (i) the Issuer does not,
either prior to, or not later than 21 days after, the
occurrence of the Change of Control seek, and thereafter
throughout the Change of Control Period use all reasonable
endeavours to obtain, a rating of the Notes, or any other
unsecured and unsubordinated debt of the Issuer or (ii) if
the Issuer does so seek and use such endeavours, it is unable to
obtain such a rating of at least investment grade by the end of
the Change of Control Period;
“Net Interest Payable” means, in relation to
any Relevant Period, the aggregate amount of interest and any
other finance charges accrued by the Group in that Relevant
Period in respect of Borrowings including:
(a) the interest element of leasing and hire purchase
payments;
57
(b) commitment fees, commissions and guarantee
fees; and
(c) amounts in the nature of interest payable in respect of
any shares other than equity share capital,
adjusted (but without double counting) by:
(i) deducting interest income of the Group in respect of
that Relevant Period;
(ii) adding back the net amount payable (or deducting the
net amount receivable) by members of the Group in that Relevant
Period as a result of close-out or termination of any interest
or (so far as they relate to interest) currency hedging
activities;
(iii) adding back the amount payable as a premium on any
bond buy-back by members of the Group in that Relevant Period;
(iv) deducting, to the extent included, the amount payable
by members of the Group in that Relevant Period for arrangement
or related fees in respect of Borrowings (to include, for the
avoidance of doubt, underwriting, syndication and fees of a
similar nature); and
(v) deducting, to the extent included, the amount of
interest and other finance charges attributable to interests of
third parties in members of the Group and adjusting, as
appropriate, the additions or deductions specified in paragraphs
(i) to (iv) (inclusive) above as a consequence of interests
of third parties in members of the Group,
but shall exclude in relation to the Relevant Period
(A) net
xxxx-to-market
gains or losses on revaluation of financial instruments, and
(B) for the avoidance of doubt, any amount of interest paid
to the Group’s loyalty programme on the accumulated balance
of cash received in advance of the redemption of loyalty points
awarded;
“Non-Investment Grade Rating” means a
non-investment grade credit rating (Ba1/BB+, or equivalent, or
worse);
“Optional Redemption Amount (Call)” means,
in respect of any Note, its principal amount or such other
amount as may be specified in, or determined in accordance with,
the relevant Final Terms;
“Optional Redemption Amount (Put)” means,
in respect of any Note, its principal amount or such other
amount as may be specified in, or determined in accordance with,
the relevant Final Terms;
“Optional Redemption Date (Call)” has the
meaning given in the relevant Final Terms;
“Optional Redemption Date (Put)” has the
meaning given in the relevant Final Terms;
58
“Original Financial Statements” means the
audited consolidated financial statements of the Group for the
financial period ended 31 December 2008;
“Participating Member State” means a Member
State of the European Communities which adopts the euro as its
lawful currency in accordance with the Treaty;
“Paying Agents” means the Principal Paying
Agent and any substitute or additional paying agents appointed
in accordance with the Agency Agreement and a “Paying
Agent” means any of them;
“Payment Business Day” means:
(a) if the currency of payment is euro, any day which is:
(i) a day on which banks in the relevant place of
presentation are open for presentation and payment of bearer
debt securities and for dealings in foreign currencies; and
(ii) in the case of payment by transfer to an account, a
TARGET Settlement Day and a day on which dealings in foreign
currencies may be carried on in each (if any) Additional
Financial Centre; or
(b) if the currency of payment is not euro, any day which
is:
(i) a day on which banks in the relevant place of
presentation are open for presentation and payment of bearer
debt securities and for dealings in foreign currencies; and
(ii) in the case of payment by transfer to an account, a
day on which dealings in foreign currencies may be carried on in
London, the Principal Financial Centre of the currency of
payment and in each (if any) Additional Financial Centre;
“Person” means any individual, company,
corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, association,
organisation, state or agency of a state or other entity,
whether or not having separate legal personality;
“Principal Financial Centre” means, in relation
to any currency, the principal financial centre for that
currency, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT:
(a) in relation to euro, it means the principal financial
centre of such Participating Member State of the European
Communities as is selected (in the case of a payment) by the
payee or (in the case of a calculation) by the Calculation
Agent; and
(b) in relation to Australian dollars, it means either
Sydney or Melbourne and, in relation to New Zealand dollars, it
means either Wellington or Auckland; in each case as is selected
(in the case of a payment) by the payee or (in the case of a
calculation) by the Calculation Agent;
59
“Project Finance Indebtedness” means Financial
Indebtedness (in respect of which Security has been given)
incurred by a member of the Group (a “Project Group
Member”) for the purposes of financing the acquisition,
construction, development
and/or
operation of an asset (a “Project Asset”) where the
provider of the Financial Indebtedness has no recourse against
any member of the Group, except for recourse to:
(a) the Project Asset of the Project Group Member or
receivables arising from the Project Asset;
(b) a Project Group Member for the purpose of enforcing
Security given by it so long as:
(i) the recourse is limited to recoveries in respect of the
Project Asset; and
(ii) if the Project Asset does not comprise all or
substantially all of the business of that Project Group Member,
the provider of the Financial Indebtedness does not have the
right to take any steps towards its winding up or dissolution or
the appointment of a liquidator, administrator, receiver or
similar officer or person, other than in respect of the Project
Asset or receivables arising therefrom; or
(c) a member of the Group to the extent only of its
shareholding in a Project Group Member;
“Project Group Member” has the meaning given to
it in the definition of Project Finance Indebtedness provided
that the principal assets and business of such member of the
Group is constituted by Project Assets and it has no other
Financial Indebtedness except Project Finance Indebtedness;
“Put Option Notice” means a notice which must
be delivered to a Paying Agent by any Noteholder wanting to
exercise a right to redeem a Note at the option of the
Noteholder pursuant to Condition 10(e) (Redemption at the
option of Noteholders);
“Put Option Receipt” means a receipt issued by
a Paying Agent to a depositing Noteholder upon deposit of a Note
with such Paying Agent by any Noteholder wanting to exercise a
right to redeem a Note at the option of the Noteholder;
“Rate of Interest” means the rate or rates
(expressed as a percentage per annum) of interest payable in
respect of the Notes specified in the relevant Final Terms or
calculated or determined in accordance with the provisions of
these Conditions
and/or the
relevant Final Terms;
“Rating Agency” means S&P or any of its
respective successors or any Substitute Rating Agency and, for
the purposes of Condition 10(f), includes any Additional Rating
Agency;
60
“Redemption Amount” means, as appropriate,
the Final Redemption Amount, the Early
Redemption Amount (Tax), the Optional
Redemption Amount (Call), the Optional Redemption Amount
(Put), the Early Termination Amount or such other amount in the
nature of a redemption amount as may be specified in, or
determined in accordance with the provisions of, the relevant
Final Terms;
“Reference Banks” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms or, if none, four major banks selected by
the Calculation Agent in the market that is most closely
connected with the Reference Rate;
“Reference Price” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Reference Rate” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Regular Period” means:
(a) in the case of Notes where interest is scheduled to be
paid only by means of regular payments, each period from and
including the Interest Commencement Date to but excluding the
first Interest Payment Date and each successive period from and
including one Interest Payment Date to but excluding the next
Interest Payment Date;
(b) in the case of Notes where, apart from the first
Interest Period, interest is scheduled to be paid only by means
of regular payments, each period from and including a Regular
Date falling in any year to but excluding the next Regular Date,
where “Regular Date” means the day and month
(but not the year) on which any Interest Payment Date
falls; and
(c) in the case of Notes where, apart from one Interest
Period other than the first Interest Period, interest is
scheduled to be paid only by means of regular payments, each
period from and including a Regular Date falling in any year to
but excluding the next Regular Date, where “Regular
Date” means the day and month (but not the year) on
which any Interest Payment Date falls other than the Interest
Payment Date falling at the end of the irregular Interest Period.
“Relevant Announcement Date” means the date
that is the earlier of (a) the date of the first public
announcement of the relevant Change of Control and (b) the
date of the earliest Relevant Potential Change of Control
Announcement (if any);
“Relevant Date” means, in relation to any
payment, whichever is the later of (a) the date on which
the payment in question first becomes due and (b) if the
full amount payable has not been received in the Principal
Financial Centre of the currency of payment by the Principal
Paying Agent on or prior to such due date, the date on which
(the full amount having been so received) notice to that effect
has been given to the Noteholders;
“Relevant Financial Centre” has the meaning
given in the relevant Final Terms;
61
“Relevant Indebtedness” means (i) any
present or future indebtedness (whether being principal,
premium, interest or other amounts) for or in respect of any
notes, bonds, debentures, debenture stock, loan stock or other
securities which have an initial stated maturity of not less
than one year and which are or are of a type which is
customarily quoted, listed or ordinarily dealt in on any stock
exchange,
over-the-counter
or other securities market, and (ii) any guarantee or
indemnity in respect of any such indebtedness;
“Relevant Period” means:
(a) each financial year of the Issuer; and
(b) each period beginning on the first day of the second
half of a financial year of the Issuer and ending on the last
day of the first half of its next financial year;
“Relevant Potential Change of Control
Announcement” means any public announcement or
statement by or on behalf of the Issuer, any actual or potential
bidder or any adviser acting on behalf of any actual or
potential bidder relating to any potential Change of Control
where within 180 days following the date of such
announcement or statement, a Change of Control occurs;
“Relevant Screen Page” means the page, section
or other part of a particular information service (including,
without limitation, Reuters) specified as the Relevant Screen
Page in the relevant Final Terms, or such other page, section or
other part as may replace it on that information service or such
other information service, in each case, as may be nominated by
the Person providing or sponsoring the information appearing
there for the purpose of displaying rates or prices comparable
to the Reference Rate;
“Relevant Time” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Reserved Matter” means any proposal:
(a) to change any date fixed for payment of principal or
interest in respect of the Notes, to reduce the amount of
principal or interest payable on any date in respect of the
Notes or to alter the method of calculating the amount of any
payment in respect of the Notes on redemption or maturity;
(b) to effect the exchange or substitution of the Notes
for, or the conversion of the Notes into, shares, bonds or other
obligations or securities of the Issuer or any other person or
body corporate formed or to be formed (other than as permitted
under Clause 7.3 of the Trust Deed);
(c) to change the currency in which amounts due in respect
of the Notes are payable;
(d) to change the quorum required at any meeting of
Noteholders or the majority required to pass an Extraordinary
Resolution; or
62
(e) to amend this definition;
“S&P” means Standard &
Poor’s Rating Services, a division of The XxXxxx-Xxxx
Companies Inc. or any successor;
“Security” means a mortgage, pledge, lien,
hypothecation, security interest or other charge or encumbrance
entered into for the purpose of securing any obligation of any
person;
“Security Interest” means any mortgage, charge,
pledge, lien or other security interest including, without
limitation, anything analogous to any of the foregoing under the
laws of any jurisdiction;
“Specified Currency” has the meaning given in
the relevant Final Terms;
“Specified Denomination(s)” has the meaning
given in the relevant Final Terms;
“Specified Office” has the meaning given in the
Agency Agreement;
“Specified Period” has the meaning given in the
relevant Final Terms;
“Subsidiary” means any company where the Issuer:
(a) holds a majority of the voting rights in the
company or
(b) is a member of the company and has the right to appoint
or remove a majority of its board of directors, or
(c) is a member of the company and controls alone, pursuant
to an agreement with other members, a majority of the voting
rights in it,
or if the company is a subsidiary of a company that is itself a
subsidiary of the Issuer;
“Substitute Rating Agency” means any rating
agency of international standing substituted for the Rating
Agency by the Issuer from time to time with the prior written
approval of the Trustee, such approval not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed;
“Talon” means a talon for further Coupons;
“TARGET2” means the Trans-European Automated
Real-Time Gross Settlement Express Transfer payment system which
utilises a single shared platform and which was launched on
19 November 2007;
“TARGET Settlement Day” means any day on which
TARGET2 is open for the settlement of payments in euro;
“Tax” means any tax, levy, impost, duty or
other charge or withholding of a similar nature (including any
penalty or interest payable in connection with any failure by
the Issuer to pay or any delay in paying by the Issuer any of
the same);
63
“Treaty” means the Treaty establishing the
European Communities, as amended;
“Wholly-Owned Subsidiary” means any Person in
which the Issuer,
and/or one
or more of its Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries, controls, directly or
indirectly, all of the stock with ordinary voting power to elect
the board of directors of that Person; and
“Zero Coupon Note” means a Note specified as
such in the relevant Final Terms.
(b) Interpretation
In these Conditions:
(i) if the Notes are Zero Coupon Notes, references to
Coupons and Couponholders are not applicable;
(ii) if Talons are specified in the relevant Final Terms as
being attached to the Notes at the time of issue, references to
Coupons shall be deemed to include references to Talons;
(iii) if Talons are not specified in the relevant Final
Terms as being attached to the Notes at the time of issue,
references to Talons are not applicable;
(iv) any reference to principal shall be deemed to include
the Redemption Amount, any additional amounts in respect of
principal which may be payable under Condition 12 (Taxation),
any premium payable in respect of a Note and any other amount in
the nature of principal payable pursuant to these Conditions;
(v) any reference to interest shall be deemed to include
any additional amounts in respect of interest which may be
payable under Condition 12 (Taxation) and any other amount in
the nature of interest payable pursuant to these Conditions;
(vi) references to Notes being “outstanding”
shall be construed in accordance with the Trust Deed;
(vii) if an expression is stated in Condition 2(a)
(Definitions) to have the meaning given in the relevant Final
Terms, but the relevant Final Terms gives no such meaning or
specifies that such expression is “not applicable”
then such expression is not applicable to the Notes; and
(viii) any reference to the Agency Agreement or the
Trust Deed shall be construed as a reference to the Agency
Agreement or the Trust Deed, as the case may be, as amended
and/or
supplemented up to and including the Issue Date of the Notes.
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3.
|
Form,
Denomination and Title
|
The Notes are in bearer form in the Specified Denomination(s)
with Coupons and, if specified in the relevant Final Terms,
Talons attached at the time of issue. In the case of a Series of
Notes with more than one Specified
64
Denomination, Notes of one Specified Denomination will not be
exchangeable for Notes of another Specified Denomination. Title
to the Notes and the Coupons will pass by delivery. The holder
of any Note or Coupon shall (except as otherwise required by
law) be treated as its absolute owner for all purposes (whether
or not it is overdue and regardless of any notice of ownership,
trust or any other interest therein, any writing thereon or any
notice of any previous loss or theft thereof) and no Person
shall be liable for so treating such holder. No person shall
have any right to enforce any term or condition of any Note or
the Trust Deed under the Contracts (Rights of Third
Parties) Xxx 0000 but this does not affect any right or remedy
of a third party which exists or is available apart from that
Act.
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4.
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Status of
the Notes and Guarantees
|
The Notes and Coupons constitute direct, general, unsubordinated
and unconditional obligations of the Issuer which will at all
times rank pari passu among themselves and at least pari passu
with all other present and future unsecured obligations of the
Issuer, save for such obligations as may be preferred by
provisions of law that are both mandatory and of general
application.
The payment obligations of the Guarantors rank pari passu with
all other present and future unsecured obligations of the
Guarantors, save for such obligations as may be preferred by
provisions of law that are both mandatory and of general
application.
So long as any of the Notes remains outstanding neither the
Issuer nor any Guarantor nor any Material Subsidiary will create
or have outstanding any Security Interest upon, or with respect
to, any of the present or future business, undertaking, assets
or revenues (including any uncalled capital) of the Issuer or
any Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary to secure any Relevant
Indebtedness, unless the Issuer or, as the case may be, such
Guarantor or such Material Subsidiary, in the case of the
creation of a Security Interest, before or at the same time and,
in any other case, promptly, takes any and all action necessary
to ensure that:
(a) all amounts payable by it under the Notes, the Coupons
and the Trust Deed are secured by the Security Interest
equally and rateably with the Relevant Indebtedness to the
satisfaction of the Trustee; or
(b) such other Security Interest or other arrangement
(whether or not it includes the giving of a Security Interest)
is provided either (A) as the Trustee in its absolute
discretion deems not materially less beneficial to the interest
of the Noteholders or (B) as is approved by an
Extraordinary Resolution (which is defined in the
Trust Deed as a resolution duly passed by a majority of not
less than three-quarters of the votes cast thereon at a meeting
of the Noteholders or by a resolution in writing signed by or on
behalf of the holders of not less than three quarters of the
nominal amount of the Notes) of the Noteholders.
65
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6.
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Fixed
Rate Note Provisions
|
(a) Application
This Condition 6 is applicable to the Notes only if the Fixed
Rate Note provisions are specified in the relevant Final Terms
as being applicable.
(b) Accrual
of interest
The Notes bear interest from the Interest Commencement Date at
the Rate of Interest payable in arrear on each Interest Payment
Date, subject as provided in Condition 11 (Payments). Each Note
will cease to bear interest from the due date for final
redemption unless, upon due presentation, payment of the
Redemption Amount is improperly withheld or refused, in
which case it will continue to bear interest in accordance with
this Condition 6 (as well after as before judgment) until
whichever is the earlier of (i) the day on which all sums
due in respect of such Note up to that day are received by or on
behalf of the relevant Noteholder and (ii) the day which is
seven days after the Principal Paying Agent has notified the
Noteholders that it has received all sums due in respect of the
Notes up to such seventh day (except to the extent that there is
any subsequent default in payment.
(c) Fixed
Coupon Amount
The amount of interest payable in respect of each Note for any
Interest Period shall be the relevant Fixed Coupon Amount and,
if the Notes are in more than one Specified Denomination, shall
be the relevant Fixed Coupon Amount in respect of the relevant
Specified Denomination.
(d) Calculation
of interest amount
The amount of interest payable in respect of each Note for any
period for which a Fixed Coupon Amount is not specified shall be
calculated by applying the Rate of Interest to the Calculation
Amount, multiplying the product by the relevant Day Count
Fraction, rounding the resulting figure to the nearest
sub-unit of
the Specified Currency (half a
sub-unit
being rounded upwards) and multiplying such rounded figure by a
fraction equal to the Specified Denomination of such Note
divided by the Calculation Amount. For this purpose a
“sub-unit”
means, in the case of any currency other than euro, the lowest
amount of such currency that is available as legal tender in the
country of such currency and, in the case of euro, means one
cent.
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7.
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Floating
Rate Note and Index-Linked Interest Note Provisions
|
(a) Application
This Condition 7 is applicable to the Notes only if the Floating
Rate Note provisions or the Index-Linked Interest Note
provisions are specified in the relevant Final Terms as being
applicable.
66
(b) Accrual
of interest
The Notes bear interest from the Interest Commencement Date at
the Rate of Interest payable in arrear on each Interest Payment
Date, subject as provided in Condition 11 (Payments).
Each Note will cease to bear interest from the due date for
final redemption unless, upon due presentation, payment of the
Redemption Amount is improperly withheld or refused, in
which case it will continue to bear interest in accordance with
this Condition 7 (as well after as before judgment) until
whichever is the earlier of (i) the day on which all sums
due in respect of such Note up to that day are received by or on
behalf of the relevant Noteholder and (ii) the day which is
seven days after the Principal Paying Agent has notified the
Noteholders that it has received all sums due in respect of the
Notes up to such seventh day (except to the extent that there is
any subsequent default in payment.
(c) Screen
Rate Determination
If Screen Rate Determination is specified in the relevant Final
Terms as the manner in which the Rate(s) of Interest is/are to
be determined, the Rate of Interest applicable to the Notes for
each Interest Period will be determined by the Calculation Agent
on the following basis:
(i) if the Reference Rate is a composite quotation or
customarily supplied by one entity, the Calculation Agent will
determine the Reference Rate which appears on the Relevant
Screen Page as of the Relevant Time on the relevant Interest
Determination Date;
(ii) in any other case, the Calculation Agent will
determine the arithmetic mean of the Reference Rates which
appear on the Relevant Screen Page as of the Relevant Time on
the relevant Interest Determination Date;
(iii) if, in the case of (i) above, such rate does not
appear on that page or, in the case of (ii) above, fewer
than two such rates appear on that page or if, in either case,
the Relevant Screen Page is unavailable, the Calculation Agent
will:
(A) request the principal Relevant Financial Centre office
of each of the Reference Banks to provide a quotation of the
Reference Rate at approximately the Relevant Time on the
Interest Determination Date to prime banks in the Relevant
Financial Centre interbank market in an amount that is
representative for a single transaction in that market at that
time; and
(B) determine the arithmetic mean of such
quotations; and
(iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as
requested, the Calculation Agent will determine the arithmetic
mean of the rates (being the nearest to the Reference Rate, as
determined by the Calculation Agent) quoted by major banks in
the Principal Financial Centre of the Specified Currency,
selected by the Calculation
67
Agent, at approximately 11.00 a.m. (local time in the
Principal Financial Centre of the Specified Currency) on the
first day of the relevant Interest Period for loans in the
Specified Currency to leading European banks for a period equal
to the relevant Interest Period and in an amount that is
representative for a single transaction in that market at that
time,
and the Rate of Interest for such Interest Period shall be the
sum of the Margin and the rate or (as the case may be) the
arithmetic mean so determined; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT if
the Calculation Agent is unable to determine a rate or (as the
case may be) an arithmetic mean in accordance with the above
provisions in relation to any Interest Period, the Rate of
Interest applicable to the Notes during such Interest Period
will be the sum of the Margin and the rate or (as the case may
be) the arithmetic mean last determined in relation to the Notes
in respect of a preceding Interest Period.
(d) ISDA
Determination
If ISDA Determination is specified in the relevant Final Terms
as the manner in which the Rate(s) of Interest is/are to be
determined, the Rate of Interest applicable to the Notes for
each Interest Period will be the sum of the Margin and the
relevant ISDA Rate where “ISDA Rate” in
relation to any Interest Period means a rate equal to the
Floating Rate (as defined in the ISDA Definitions) that would be
determined by the Calculation Agent under an interest rate swap
transaction if the Calculation Agent were acting as Calculation
Agent for that interest rate swap transaction under the terms of
an agreement incorporating the ISDA Definitions and under which:
(i) the Floating Rate Option (as defined in the ISDA
Definitions) is as specified in the relevant Final Terms;
(ii) the Designated Maturity (as defined in the ISDA
Definitions) is a period specified in the relevant Final
Terms; and
(iii) the relevant Reset Date (as defined in the ISDA
Definitions) is either (A) if the relevant Floating Rate
Option is based on the London inter-bank offered rate (LIBOR)
for a currency, the first day of that Interest Period or
(B) in any other case, as specified in the relevant Final
Terms.
(e) Index-Linked
Interest
If the Index-Linked Interest Note provisions are specified in
the relevant Final Terms as being applicable, the Rate(s) of
Interest applicable to the Notes for each Interest Period will
be determined in the manner specified in the relevant Final
Terms.
(f) Maximum
or Minimum Rate of Interest
If any Maximum Rate of Interest or Minimum Rate of Interest is
specified in the relevant Final Terms, then the Rate of Interest
shall in no event be greater than the maximum or be less than
the minimum so specified.
68
(g) Calculation
of Interest Amount
The Calculation Agent will, as soon as practicable after the
time at which the Rate of Interest is to be determined in
relation to each Interest Period, calculate the Interest Amount
payable in respect of each Note for such Interest Period. The
Interest Amount will be calculated by applying the Rate of
Interest for such Interest Period to the Calculation Amount,
multiplying the product by the relevant Day Count Fraction,
rounding the resulting figure to the nearest
sub-unit of
the Specified Currency (half a
sub-unit
being rounded upwards) and multiplying such rounded figure by a
fraction equal to the Specified Denomination of the relevant
Note divided by the Calculation Amount. For this purpose a
“sub-unit”
means, in the case of any currency other than euro, the lowest
amount of such currency that is available as legal tender in the
country of such currency and, in the case of euro, means one
cent.
(h) Calculation
of other amounts
If the relevant Final Terms specifies that any other amount is
to be calculated by the Calculation Agent, the Calculation Agent
will, as soon as practicable after the time or times at which
any such amount is to be determined, calculate the relevant
amount. The relevant amount will be calculated by the
Calculation Agent in the manner specified in the relevant Final
Terms.
(i) Publication
The Calculation Agent will cause each Rate of Interest and
Interest Amount determined by it, together with the relevant
Interest Payment Date, and any other amount(s) required to be
determined by it together with any relevant payment date(s) to
be notified to the Paying Agents and each competent authority,
stock exchange
and/or
quotation system (if any) by which the Notes have then been
admitted to listing, trading
and/or
quotation as soon as practicable after such determination but
(in the case of each Rate of Interest, Interest Amount and
Interest Payment Date) in any event not later than the first day
of the relevant Interest Period. Notice thereof shall also
promptly be given to the Noteholders. The Calculation Agent will
be entitled to recalculate any Interest Amount (on the basis of
the foregoing provisions) without notice in the event of an
extension or shortening of the relevant Interest Period. If the
Calculation Amount is less than the minimum Specified
Denomination the Calculation Agent shall not be obliged to
publish each Interest Amount but instead may publish only the
Calculation Amount and the Interest Amount in respect of a Note
having the minimum Specified Denomination.
(j) Notifications
etc.
All notifications, opinions, determinations, certificates,
calculations, quotations and decisions given, expressed, made or
obtained for the purposes of this Condition 7 by the Calculation
Agent will (in the absence of manifest error) be binding on the
Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee, the Paying Agents, the
Noteholders and the Couponholders and
69
(subject as aforesaid) no liability to any such Person will
attach to the Calculation Agent in connection with the exercise
or non-exercise by it of its powers, duties and discretions for
such purposes.
(k) Determination
or Calculation by Trustee
If the Calculation Agent fails at any time to determine a Rate
of Interest or to calculate an Interest Amount, the Trustee or a
person appointed by the Trustee for that purpose (but without
any liability accruing to the Trustee as a result) will
determine such Rate of Interest and make such determination or
calculation which shall be deemed to have been made by the
Calculation Agent. In doing so, the Trustee or a person
appointed by the Trustee for that purpose (but without any
liability accruing to the Trustee as a result) shall apply all
of the provisions of these Conditions with any necessary
consequential amendments to the extent that, in its sole opinion
and with absolute discretion, it can do so and in all other
respects it shall do so in such manner as it shall deem fair and
reasonable in all the circumstances and will not be liable for
any loss, liability, cost, charge or expense which may arise as
a result thereof. Any such determination or calculation made by
the Trustee shall be binding on the Issuer, the Guarantors, the
Noteholders and the Couponholders.
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8.
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Zero
Coupon Note Provisions
|
(a) Application
This Condition 8 is applicable to the Notes only if the Zero
Coupon Note provisions are specified in the relevant Final Terms
as being applicable.
(b) Late
payment on Zero Coupon Notes
If the Redemption Amount payable in respect of any Zero
Coupon Note is improperly withheld or refused, the
Redemption Amount shall thereafter be an amount equal to
the sum of:
(i) the Reference Price; and
(ii) the product of the Accrual Yield (compounded annually)
being applied to the Reference Price on the basis of the
relevant Day Count Fraction from (and including) the Issue Date
to (but excluding) whichever is the earlier of (i) the day
on which all sums due in respect of such Note up to that day are
received by or on behalf of the relevant Noteholder and
(ii) the day which is seven days after the Principal Paying
Agent or, as the case may be, the Trustee has notified the
Noteholders that it has received all sums due in respect of the
Notes up to such seventh day (except to the extent that there is
any subsequent default in payment).
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9.
|
Dual
Currency Note Provisions
|
(a) Application
This Condition 9 is applicable to the Notes only if the Dual
Currency Note provisions are specified in the relevant Final
Terms as being applicable.
(b) Rate
of Interest
If the rate or amount of interest fails to be determined by
reference to an exchange rate, the rate or amount of interest
payable shall be determined in the manner specified in the
relevant Final Terms.
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10.
|
Redemption
and Purchase
|
(a) Scheduled
redemption
Unless previously redeemed, or purchased and cancelled in
accordance with Condition 10(j) (Cancellation), the Notes
will be redeemed at their Final Redemption Amount on the
Maturity Date, subject as provided in Condition 11
(Payments).
(b) Redemption
for tax reasons
The Notes may be redeemed at the option of the Issuer in whole,
but not in part:
(i) at any time (if neither the Floating Rate Note
provisions or the Index-Linked Interest Note provisions are
specified in the relevant Final Terms as being
applicable); or
(ii) on any Interest Payment Date (if the Floating Rate
Note provisions or the Index- Linked Interest Note provisions
are specified in the relevant Final Terms as being applicable),
on giving not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’
notice to the Noteholders (which notice shall be irrevocable),
at their Early Redemption Amount (Tax), together with
interest accrued (if any) to the date fixed for redemption, if:
(A) as a result of any change in, or amendment to, the tax
laws or regulations of the United Kingdom or any political
subdivision or any authority thereof or therein having power to
tax, or any change in the application or official interpretation
of such laws or regulations (including a holding by a court of
competent jurisdiction), which change or amendment becomes
effective on or after the date of issue of the first Tranche of
the Notes on the next Interest Payment Date either (i) the
Issuer would be obliged to pay additional amounts as provided or
referred to in Condition 12 (Taxation) or (ii) each
Guarantor would be unable for reasons outside its control to
procure payment by the Issuer and in making payment itself would
be required to pay such additional amounts; and
71
(B) such obligation cannot be avoided by the Issuer or, as
the case may be, each of the Guarantors taking reasonable
measures available to it,
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT no such notice of redemption
shall be given earlier than:
(I) where the Notes may be redeemed at any time,
90 days prior to the earliest date on which the Issuer or,
as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor would be obliged to
pay such additional amounts if a payment in respect of the Notes
were then due; or
(II) where the Notes may be redeemed only on an Interest
Payment Date, 60 days prior to the Interest Payment Date
occurring immediately before the earliest date on which the
Issuer or, as the case may be, the relevant Guarantor would be
obliged to pay such additional amounts if a payment in respect
of the Notes were then due.
Prior to the publication of any notice of redemption pursuant to
this paragraph, the Issuer shall deliver to the Trustee (i), if
the Trustee so requests, an opinion of independent legal
advisers of recognised standing to the effect that the Issuer
or, as the case may be, a Guarantor has or will become obliged
to pay such additional amounts as a result of such change or
amendment and (ii) a certificate signed by two authorised
officers of the Issuer or, as the case may be, each of the
Guarantors, as the case may be, stating that the obligation
referred to in (A) above cannot be avoided by the Issuer
or, as the case may be, each of the Guarantors taking reasonable
measures available to it and the Trustee shall be entitled to
accept such certificate as sufficient evidence of the
satisfaction of the condition precedent set out in
(B) above in which event it shall be conclusive and binding
on the Noteholders and Couponholders. Upon the expiry of any
such notice as is referred to in this Condition 10(b), the
Issuer shall be bound to redeem the Notes in accordance with
this Condition 10(b).
(c) Redemption
at the option of the Issuer
If Call Option is specified in the relevant Final Terms as being
applicable, the Notes may be redeemed at the option of the
Issuer in whole or, if so specified in the relevant Final Terms,
in part on any Optional Redemption Date (Call) at the
relevant Optional Redemption Amount (Call) on the Issuer’s
giving not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice
to the Noteholders and the Trustee (which notice shall be
irrevocable and shall oblige the Issuer to redeem the Notes or,
as the case may be, the Notes specified in such notice on the
relevant Optional Redemption Date (Call) at the Optional
Redemption Amount (Call) plus accrued interest (if any) to
such date).
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(d) Partial
redemption
If the Notes are to be redeemed in part only on any date in
accordance with Condition 10(c) (Redemption at the option of
the Issuer), the Notes to be redeemed shall be selected by
the drawing of lots in such place and in such manner as the
Trustee approves, subject to compliance with applicable law, the
rules of each competent authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system (if any) by which the Notes have then been
admitted to listing, trading
and/or
quotation and the notice to Noteholders referred to in Condition
10(c) (Redemption at the option of the Issuer) shall
specify the serial numbers of the Notes so to be redeemed. If
any Maximum Redemption Amount or Minimum
Redemption Amount is specified in the relevant Final Terms,
then the Optional Redemption Amount (Call) shall in no
event be greater than the maximum or be less than the minimum so
specified.
(e) Redemption
at the option of Noteholders
If Put Option is specified in the relevant Final Terms as being
applicable, the Issuer shall, at the option of the holder of any
Note redeem such Note on the Optional Redemption Date (Put)
specified in the relevant Put Option Notice at the relevant
Optional Redemption Amount (Put) together with interest (if any)
accrued to such date. In order to exercise the option contained
in this Condition 10(e), the holder of a Note must, not less
than 30 nor more than 60 days before the relevant Optional
Redemption Date (Put), deposit with any Paying Agent such
Note together with all unmatured Coupons relating thereto and a
duly completed Put Option Notice in the form obtainable from any
Paying Agent. The Paying Agent with which such Note is so
deposited shall deliver a duly completed Put Option Receipt to
the depositing Noteholder. No Note, once deposited with a duly
completed Put Option Notice in accordance with this Condition
10(e), may be withdrawn; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT if,
prior to the relevant Optional Redemption Date (Put), any
such Note becomes immediately due and payable or, upon due
presentation of any such Note on the relevant Optional
Redemption Date (Put), payment of the redemption moneys is
improperly withheld or refused, the relevant Paying Agent shall
mail notification thereof to the depositing Noteholder at such
address as may have been given by such Noteholder in the
relevant Put Option Notice and shall hold such Note at its
Specified Office for collection by the depositing Noteholder
against surrender of the relevant Put Option Receipt. For so
long as any outstanding Note is held by a Paying Agent in
accordance with this Condition 10(e), the depositor of such Note
and not such Paying Agent shall be deemed to be the holder of
such Note for all purposes.
If the Note is in definitive form and held through Euroclear or
Clearstream, Luxembourg, to exercise the right to require
redemption or, as the case may be, purchase of a Note under this
Condition 10(e) the holder of the Note must, not less than 30
nor more than 60 days before the relevant Optional
Redemption Date (Put), give notice to the Principal Paying
Agent of such exercise in accordance with the standard
procedures of Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg (which may
include notice being given on his instruction by Euroclear or
Clearstream, Luxembourg or
73
any common depositary for them to the Principal Paying Agent by
electronic means) in a form acceptable to Euroclear and
Clearstream, Luxembourg from time to time.
(f) Change
of Control redemption
If Change of Control Put Option is specified in the relevant
Final Terms as being applicable and a Change of Control Put
Event occurs, the holder of each Note will have the option
(unless prior to the giving of the relevant Change of Control
Put Event Notice the Issuer has given notice of redemption under
Condition 10(b) (Redemption for tax reasons) or 10(c)
(Redemption at the option of the Issuer), if applicable)
to require the Issuer to redeem or, at the Issuer’s option,
purchase (or procure the purchase of) that Note on the Change of
Control Optional Redemption Date at its Change of Control
Optional Redemption Amount together with interest accrued to
(but excluding) the Change of Control Optional
Redemption Date.
Promptly upon, and in any event within 14 days after, the
Issuer becoming aware that a Change of Control Put Event has
occurred the Issuer shall, and at any time upon the Trustee
becoming similarly so aware the Trustee may, and if so requested
by the holders of at least one-quarter in principal amount of
the Notes then outstanding or if so directed by an Extraordinary
Resolution of the Noteholders, shall, (subject in each case to
the Trustee being indemnified
and/or
secured to its satisfaction) give the Change of Control Put
Event Notice to the Noteholders.
To exercise the Change of Control Put Option, the holder of the
Note must deliver such Note to the specified office of any
Paying Agent at any time during normal business hours of such
Paying Agent falling within the Change of Control Put Period,
accompanied by a duly signed and completed notice of exercise in
the form (for the time being current) obtainable from the
specified office of any Paying Agent (an “Exercise
Notice”). The Note should be delivered together with
all Coupons appertaining thereto maturing after the Change of
Control Optional Redemption Date, failing which the Paying
Agent will require payment from or on behalf of the Noteholder
of an amount equal to the face value of any such missing Coupon.
Any amount so paid will be reimbursed by the Paying Agent to the
Noteholder against presentation and surrender of the relevant
missing Coupon (or any replacement issued therefor pursuant to
Condition 15 (Replacement of Notes and Coupons)) at any
time after such payment, but before the expiry of the period of
ten years from the date on which such Coupon would have become
due, but not thereafter. If the Note is in definitive form and
held through Euroclear or Clearstream, Luxembourg, to exercise
the right to require redemption or, as the case may be, purchase
of a Note under this Condition 10(f) the holder of the Note
must, within the Change of Control Put Period, give notice to
the Principal Paying Agent of such exercise in accordance with
the standard procedures of Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg
(which may include notice being given on his instruction by
Euroclear or Clearstream, Luxembourg or any common depositary
for them to the Principal Paying Agent by electronic means) in a
form acceptable to Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg from
74
time to time. The Paying Agent to which such Note and Exercise
Notice are delivered will issue to the Noteholder concerned a
non-transferable receipt in respect of the Note so delivered or,
in the case of a Note held through Euroclear
and/or
Clearstream, Luxembourg, notice received. Payment in respect of
any Note so delivered will be made, if the holder duly specified
a bank account in the Exercise Notice to which payment is to be
made, on the Change of Control Optional Redemption Date by
transfer to that bank account and, in every other case, on or
after the Change of Control Optional Redemption Date
against presentation and surrender or (as the case may be)
endorsement of such receipt at the specified office of any
Paying Agent. For the purposes of these Conditions, receipts
issued pursuant to this Condition 10(f) shall be treated as if
they were Notes. The Issuer shall redeem or purchase (or procure
the purchase of) the Notes in respect of which the Change of
Control Put Option has been validly exercised in accordance with
the provisions of this Condition 10(f) on the Change of Control
Optional Redemption Date unless previously redeemed (or
purchased) and cancelled.
Any Exercise Notice, once given, shall be irrevocable except
where prior to the Change of Control Optional
Redemption Date an Event of Default shall have occurred and
the Trustee shall have accelerated the Notes, in which event
such holder, at its option, may elect by notice to the Issuer to
withdraw the Exercise Notice and instead to treat its Notes as
being forthwith due and payable pursuant to Condition 13.
If 80 per cent. or more in principal amount of the Notes
then outstanding have been redeemed or purchased pursuant to
this Condition 10(f), the Issuer may, on giving not less than 30
nor more than 60 days’ notice to the Noteholders (such
notice being given within 30 days after the Change of
Control Optional Redemption Date), redeem or purchase (or
procure the purchase of), at its option, all but not some only
of the remaining outstanding Notes at their principal amount,
together with interest accrued to (but excluding) the date fixed
for such redemption or purchase.
If the rating designations employed by any Rating Agency are
changed from those which are described in paragraph (ii) of
the definition of “Change of Control Put
Event”, or if a rating is procured from a Substitute
Rating Agency, the Issuer shall determine, with the agreement of
the Trustee, the rating designations of such Rating Agency or
such Substitute Rating Agency (as appropriate) as are most
equivalent to the prior rating designations of the relevant
Rating Agency and this Condition 10(f) shall be construed
accordingly.
The Trustee is under no obligation to ascertain whether a Change
of Control Put Event or Change of Control or any event which
could lead to the occurrence of or could constitute a Change of
Control Put Event or Change of Control has occurred, or to seek
any confirmation from any Rating Agency pursuant to the
definition of Negative Rating Event below, and, until it shall
have actual knowledge or notice pursuant to the Trust Deed
to the contrary, the Trustee may assume that no Change of
Control Put Event or Change of Control or other such event has
occurred.
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(g) No
other redemption
The Issuer shall not be entitled to redeem the Notes otherwise
than as provided in Conditions 10(a) (Scheduled
redemption) to 10(f) (Change of control redemption)
above.
(h) Early
redemption of Zero Coupon Notes
Unless otherwise specified in the relevant Final Terms, the
Redemption Amount payable on redemption of a Zero Coupon
Note at any time before the Maturity Date shall be an amount
equal to the sum of:
(i) the Reference Price; and
(ii) the product of the Accrual Yield (compounded annually)
being applied to the Reference Price from (and including) the
Issue Date to (but excluding) the date fixed for redemption or
(as the case may be) the date upon which the Note becomes due
and payable.
Where such calculation is to be made for a period which is not a
whole number of years, the calculation in respect of the period
of less than a full year shall be made on the basis of such Day
Count Fraction as may be specified in the Final Terms for the
purposes of this Condition 10(h) or, if none is so specified, a
Day Count Fraction of 30E/360.
(i) Purchase
The Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries may at any time purchase
Notes in the open market or otherwise and at any price,
PROVIDED THAT all unmatured Coupons are purchased
therewith.
(j) Cancellation
All Notes so redeemed or purchased by the Issuer or any of its
Subsidiaries and any unmatured Coupons attached to or
surrendered with them shall be cancelled and may not be reissued
or resold.
(a) Principal
Payments of principal shall be made only against presentation
and (PROVIDED THAT payment is made in full) surrender of
Notes at the Specified Office of any Paying Agent outside the
United States by cheque drawn in the currency in which the
payment is due on, or by transfer to an account denominated in
that currency (or, if that currency is euro, any other account
to which euro may be credited or transferred) and maintained by
the payee with, a bank in the Principal Financial Centre of that
currency (in the case of a sterling cheque, a town clearing
branch of a bank in the City of London).
76
(b) Interest
Payments of interest shall, subject to paragraph (h) below,
be made only against presentation and (PROVIDED THAT
payment is made in full) surrender of the appropriate
Coupons at the Specified Office of any Paying Agent outside the
United States in the manner described in paragraph
(a) above.
(c) Payments
in New York City
Payments of principal or interest may be made at the Specified
Office of a Paying Agent in New York City if (i) the Issuer
has appointed Paying Agents outside the United States with the
reasonable expectation that such Paying Agents will be able to
make payment of the full amount of the interest on the Notes in
the currency in which the payment is due when due,
(ii) payment of the full amount of such interest at the
offices of all such Paying Agents is illegal or effectively
precluded by exchange controls or other similar restrictions and
(iii) payment is permitted by applicable United States law.
(d) Payments
subject to fiscal laws
All payments in respect of the Notes are subject in all cases to
any applicable fiscal or other laws and regulations in the place
of payment, but without prejudice to the provisions of Condition
12 (Taxation). No commissions or expenses shall be
charged to the Noteholders or Couponholders in respect of such
payments.
(e) Deductions
for unmatured Coupons
If the relevant Final Terms specifies that the Fixed Rate Note
provisions are applicable and a Note is presented without all
unmatured Coupons relating thereto:
(i) if the aggregate amount of the missing Coupons is less
than or equal to the amount of principal due for payment, a sum
equal to the aggregate amount of the missing Coupons will be
deducted from the amount of principal due for payment; provided,
however, that if the gross amount available for payment is less
than the amount of principal due for payment, the sum deducted
will be that proportion of the aggregate amount of such missing
Coupons which the gross amount actually available for payment
bears to the amount of principal due for payment;
(ii) if the aggregate amount of the missing Coupons is
greater than the amount of principal due for payment:
(A) so many of such missing Coupons shall become void (in
inverse order of maturity) as will result in the aggregate
amount of the remainder of such missing Coupons (the
“Relevant Coupons”) being equal to the amount
of principal due for payment; provided, however, that where this
sub-paragraph
would otherwise require a fraction of a missing Coupon to become
void, such missing Coupon shall become void in its
entirety; and
77
(B) a sum equal to the aggregate amount of the Relevant
Coupons (or, if less, the amount of principal due for payment)
will be deducted from the amount of principal due for payment;
provided, however, that, if the gross amount available for
payment is less than the amount of principal due for payment,
the sum deducted will be that proportion of the aggregate amount
of the Relevant Coupons (or, as the case may be, the amount of
principal due for payment) which the gross amount actually
available for payment bears to the amount of principal due for
payment.
Each sum of principal so deducted shall be paid in the manner
provided in paragraph (a) above against presentation and
(PROVIDED THAT payment is made in full) surrender of the
relevant missing Coupons.
(f) Unmatured
Coupons void
If the relevant Final Terms specifies that this Condition 11(f)
is applicable or that the Floating Rate Note provisions or the
Index-Linked Interest Note provisions are applicable, on the due
date for final redemption of any Note or early redemption in
whole of such Note pursuant to Condition 10(b) (Redemption
for tax reasons), Condition 10(e) (Redemption at the
option of Noteholders), Condition 10(c) (Redemption at
the option of the Issuer) or Condition 13 (Events of
Default), all unmatured Coupons relating thereto (whether or
not still attached) shall become void and no payment will be
made in respect thereof.
(g) Payments
on business days
If the due date for payment of any amount in respect of any Note
or Coupon is not a Payment Business Day in the place of
presentation, the holder shall not be entitled to payment in
such place of the amount due until the next succeeding Payment
Business Day in such place and shall not be entitled to any
further interest or other payment in respect of any such delay.
(h) Payments
other than in respect of matured Coupons
Payments of interest other than in respect of matured Coupons
shall be made only against presentation of the relevant Notes at
the Specified Office of any Paying Agent outside the United
States (or in New York City if permitted by paragraph
(c) above).
(i) Partial
payments
If a Paying Agent makes a partial payment in respect of any Note
or Coupon presented to it for payment, such Paying Agent will
endorse thereon a statement indicating the amount and date of
such payment.
78
(j) Exchange
of Talons
On or after the maturity date of the final Coupon which is (or
was at the time of issue) part of a Coupon Sheet relating to the
Notes, the Talon forming part of such Coupon Sheet may be
exchanged at the Specified Office of the Principal Paying Agent
for a further Coupon Sheet (including, if appropriate, a further
Talon but excluding any Coupons in respect of which claims have
already become void pursuant to Condition 14
(Prescription). Upon the due date for redemption of any
Note, any unexchanged Talon relating to such Note shall become
void and no Coupon will be delivered in respect of such Talon.
(a) Gross
up
All payments of principal and interest in respect of the Notes
and the Coupons by or on behalf of the Issuer or any Guarantor
shall be made free and clear of, and without withholding or
deduction for or on account of, any present or future taxes,
duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature
imposed, levied, collected, withheld or assessed by or on behalf
of the United Kingdom or any political subdivision therein or
any authority therein or thereof having power to tax, unless the
withholding or deduction of such taxes, duties, assessments, or
governmental charges is required by law. In that event, the
Issuer or, as the case may be, such Guarantor, shall pay such
additional amounts as will result in receipt by the Noteholders
and the Couponholders after such withholding or deduction of
such amounts as would have been received by them had no such
withholding or deduction been required, except that no such
additional amounts shall be payable in respect of any Note or
Coupon presented for payment:
(i) by or on behalf of a holder which is liable to such
taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges in respect of
such Note or Coupon by reason of its having some connection with
the jurisdiction by which such taxes, duties, assessments or
charges have been imposed, levied, collected, withheld or
assessed other than the mere holding of the Note or
Coupon; or
(ii) where such withholding or deduction is imposed on a
payment to or for an individual and is required to be made
pursuant to European Council Directive 2003/48/EC or any other
Directive implementing the conclusions of the ECOFIN Council
meeting of 26 — 27 November 2000 on the taxation
of savings income or any law of the EU or a non-Member State
implementing or complying with, or introduced in order to
conform to, such Directive; or
(iii) by or on behalf of a holder who would have been able
to avoid such withholding or deduction by presenting the
relevant Note or Coupon to another Paying Agent (if any); or
79
(iv) more than 30 days after the Relevant Date except
to the extent that the holder of such Note or Coupon would have
been entitled to such additional amounts on presenting such Note
or Coupon for payment on the last day of such period of
30 days.
(b) Taxing
jurisdiction
If the Issuer or any Guarantor becomes subject at any time to
any taxing jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom,
references in these Conditions to the United Kingdom shall be
construed as references to the United Kingdom
and/or such
other jurisdiction.
If any of the following events occurs and is continuing then the
Trustee may at its discretion and shall, if so requested in
writing by the holders of at least one fifth of the aggregate
principal amount of the outstanding Notes, or if so directed by
an Extraordinary Resolution (subject to the Trustee having been
indemnified
and/or
provided with security
and/or
prefunded by the Noteholders to its satisfaction) by written
notice to the Issuer, declare the Notes to be immediately due
and payable, whereupon they shall become immediately due and
payable at their Early Termination Amount together with accrued
interest (if any) without further action or formality:
(a) Non-payment
the Issuer fails to pay any amount of principal in respect of
the Notes within ten days of the due date for payment thereof or
any amount of interest in respect of the Notes within ten days
of the due date for payment thereof; or
(b) Breach
of other obligations
the Issuer or any Guarantor does not comply with any of their
other obligations under or in respect of the Notes or the
Trust Deed and (except in any case where, in the opinion of
the Trustee, such failure is incapable of remedy in which case
no continuation or notice as is hereinafter provided will be
required) such failure to comply continues unremedied for
30 days (or such longer period as the Trustee may permit)
after written notice thereof has been delivered by the Trustee
to the Issuer or such Guarantor, as the case may be; or
(c) Cross
Default
(i) any Indebtedness of the Issuer or any Guarantor or any
Material Subsidiary becomes due and repayable prematurely by
reason of an event of default (however described);
(ii) the Issuer or any Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary
fails to make any payment in respect of any Indebtedness on the
due date for payment or, as the case may be, within any
applicable grace period as originally provided;
(iii) any security given by the Issuer or any Guarantor or
any Material Subsidiary for any Indebtedness is enforced; or
80
(iv) default is made by the Issuer or any Guarantor or any
Material Subsidiary in making any payment due under any
guarantee
and/or
indemnity given by it in relation to any Indebtedness of any
other person,
provided that (i) no event described in this Condition
13(c) shall constitute an Event of Default where the Issuer or
the relevant Guarantor or the relevant Material Subsidiary, as
the case may be, satisfies the Trustee that it is contesting
such Event of Default in good faith and by appropriate action
and (ii) no event described in this Condition 13(c) shall
constitute an Event of Default unless the Indebtedness or other
relative liability, either alone or when aggregated with other
Indebtedness
and/or other
liabilities relative to all (if any) other events described in
this Condition 13(c) which have occurred and are continuing
(excluding where the Issuer
and/or the
relevant Guarantor
and/or the
relevant Material Subsidiary, as the case may be, has satisfied
the Trustee that it is contesting such event in good faith and
by appropriate action), amounts to at least U.S.$50,000,000 (or
its equivalent in any other currency); or
(d) Security
enforced
a secured party takes possession, or a receiver, manager or
other similar officer is appointed, of all or substantially all
of the undertaking, assets and revenues of the Issuer, a
Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary; or
(e) Creditor’s
process
any expropriation, attachment, sequestration, distress or
execution affects any asset or assets of the Issuer, any
Guarantor or a Material Subsidiary having an aggregate value of
and in respect of indebtedness aggregating at least
U.S.$50,000,000 (or its equivalent in any other currency or
currencies) and is not discharged within 30 days; or
(f) Insolvency
etc.
(i) the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary
becomes insolvent or is unable to pay its debts as they fall
due, (ii) an administrator or liquidator of the Issuer, any
Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary of all or substantially all
of the undertaking, assets and revenues of the Issuer, such
Guarantor or such Material Subsidiary is appointed (otherwise
than for the purposes of or pursuant to an amalgamation,
reorganisation or restructuring whilst solvent on terms
previously approved in writing by the Trustee or by an
Extraordinary Resolution); or (iii) the Issuer, any
Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary makes a general assignment
or an arrangement or composition with or for the benefit of its
creditors generally or declares a moratorium in respect of any
of its Indebtedness given by it; or (iv) a person presents
a petition for the winding up, liquidation, dissolution,
administration or suspension of payments of the Issuer, any
Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary (excluding where the
Issuer, such Guarantor or such Material Subsidiary has satisfied
the Trustee that it is contesting such petition in good faith
and by appropriate action); or
81
(g) Winding
up etc.
an order is made or an effective resolution is passed for the
winding up, liquidation or dissolution of the Issuer, any
Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary (otherwise than for the
purposes of or pursuant to an amalgamation, reorganisation or
restructuring whilst solvent on terms previously approved in
writing by the Trustee or by an Extraordinary
Resolution); or
(h) Failure
to take action etc.
any action, condition or thing at any time required to be taken,
fulfilled or done in order (i) to enable the Issuer or the
Guarantors lawfully to enter into, exercise their respective
rights and perform and comply with their respective obligations
under and in respect of the Notes, the Coupons and the
Trust Deed, (ii) to ensure that those obligations are
legal, valid, binding and enforceable and (iii) to make the
Notes, the Coupons and the Trust Deed admissible in
evidence in the courts of England is not taken, fulfilled or
done; or
(i) Cessation
of business etc.
the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary ceases or
threatens to cease to carry on all or substantially all of its
business, save for (i) the purposes of or pursuant to an
amalgamation, reorganisation or restructuring neither involving
nor arising out of the insolvency of the Issuer or, as the case
may be, such Guarantor or Material Subsidiary, (ii) any
transfer of assets by the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Material
Subsidiary to any other member of the Group, (iii) any
transfer of assets by the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Material
Subsidiary to a third party or parties (whether associated or
not) on an arm’s length basis, (iv) any transfer of
assets by the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary
whereby the transferee is or immediately upon such transfer
becomes a Material Subsidiary, or (v) any transfer of
assets by the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Material Subsidiary
the terms of which have been previously approved by the Trustee
or by an Extraordinary Resolution of the Noteholders; or
(j) Guarantee
etc.
any Guarantee ceases to be, or is claimed by a Guarantor not to
be, in full force and effect; or
(k) Guarantors
etc.
any Guarantor ceases to be a Subsidiary controlled, directly or
indirectly, by the Issuer,
provided that, in the case of Conditions 13(b), (d) and
(f) to (i) inclusive, the Trustee shall have certified
in writing that such event is in its opinion materially
prejudicial to the interests of the Noteholders.
82
Claims for principal shall become void unless the relevant Notes
are presented for payment within ten years of the appropriate
Relevant Date. Claims for interest shall become void unless the
relevant Coupons are presented for payment within five years of
the appropriate Relevant Date.
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15.
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Replacement
of Notes and Coupons
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If any Note or Coupon is lost, stolen, mutilated, defaced or
destroyed, it may be replaced at the Specified Office of the
Principal Paying Agent (and, if the Notes are then admitted to
listing, trading
and/or
quotation by any competent authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system which requires the appointment of a Paying
Agent in any particular place, a Paying Agent having its
Specified Office in the place required by such competent
authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system), subject to all applicable laws and competent
authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system requirements, upon payment by the claimant of
the expenses incurred in connection with such replacement and on
such terms as to evidence, security, indemnity and otherwise as
the Issuer and the Guarantors may reasonably require. Mutilated
or defaced Notes or Coupons must be surrendered before
replacements will be issued.
The Trust Deed contains provisions for the indemnification
of the Trustee and for its relief from responsibility, including
provisions relieving it from any obligation to take proceedings
to enforce repayment unless indemnified
and/or
secured to its satisfaction and to be paid its costs and
expenses in priority to the claims of Noteholders. The
Trust Deed also contains provisions pursuant to which the
Trustee is entitled, inter alia, (i) to enter into
business transactions with the Issuer, the Guarantors
and/or any
other Subsidiary
and/or any
related entity thereof and to act as trustee for the holders of
any other securities issued or guaranteed by or relating to the
Issuer, the Guarantors or any other Subsidiary, (ii) to
exercise and enforce its rights, comply with its obligations and
perform its duties under or in relation to any such transactions
or, as the case may be, any such trusteeship without regard to
the interests of, or consequences for, the Noteholders or
Couponholders, and (iii) to retain and not be liable to
account for any profit made or any other amount or benefit
received thereby or in connection therewith.
In the exercise of its powers and discretions under these
Conditions
and/or the
Trust Deed, the Trustee will have regard to the interests
of the Noteholders as a class and will not be responsible for
any consequences for individual holders of Notes, Coupons or
Talons as a result of such holders being connected in any way
with a particular territory or taxing jurisdiction.
In acting under the Agency Agreement and in connection with the
Notes and the Coupons, the Paying Agents and the Calculation
Agent (if any) act solely as agents of the Issuer or, following
the occurrence of an Event of Default, the Trustee and do not
assume any obligations towards or relationship of agency or
trust for or with any of the Noteholders or Couponholders.
83
The Principal Paying Agent and its initial Specified Office is
set out below. The initial Calculation Agent (if any) is
specified in the relevant Final Terms. The Issuer reserves the
right at any time, with the prior written consent of the
Trustee, to vary or terminate the appointment of any Paying
Agent or Calculation Agent and to appoint a successor principal
paying agent or calculation agent and additional or successor
paying agents; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT:
(a) the Issuer shall at all times maintain a Principal
Paying Agent; and
(b) the Issuer shall at all times maintain a paying agent
in an EU member state that will not be obliged to withhold or
deduct tax pursuant to European Council Directive 2003/48/EC or
any other Directive implementing the conclusions of the ECOFIN
Council meeting of
26-27 November
2000; and
(c) if a Calculation Agent is specified in the relevant
Final Terms, the Issuer shall at all times maintain a
Calculation Agent; and
(d) if and for so long as the Notes are admitted to
listing, trading
and/or
quotation by any competent authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system which requires the appointment of a Paying
Agent in any particular place, the Issuer shall maintain a
Paying Agent having its Specified Office in the place required
by such competent authority, stock exchange
and/or
quotation system.
Notice of any appointment of, or change in, any of the Paying
Agents or in their Specified Offices shall promptly be given to
the Noteholders in accordance with Condition 19 (Notices).
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17.
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Meetings
of Noteholders; Modification and Waiver
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(a) Meetings
of Noteholders
The Trust Deed contains provisions for convening meetings
of Noteholders to consider matters relating to the Notes,
including the modification of any provision of these Conditions
or the Trust Deed. Any such modification may be made if
sanctioned by an Extraordinary Resolution. Such a meeting may be
convened by the Issuer or the Trustee and shall be convened by
the Trustee upon the request in writing of Noteholders holding
not less than one-tenth of the aggregate principal amount of the
outstanding Notes. The quorum at any meeting convened to vote on
an Extraordinary Resolution will be two or more Persons holding
or representing more than half of the aggregate principal amount
of the outstanding Notes or, at any adjourned meeting, two or
more Persons being or representing Noteholders whatever the
principal amount of the Notes held or represented; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, THAT Reserved Matters may only be sanctioned by an
Extraordinary Resolution passed at a meeting of Noteholders at
which two or more Persons holding or representing not less than
three-quarters or, at any adjourned meeting, not less than one
quarter of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding
Notes form a quorum. Any Extraordinary Resolution duly passed at
any such meeting shall be binding on all the Noteholders and
Couponholders, whether present or not.
84
In addition, a resolution in writing signed by or on behalf of
at least 75 per cent. of the Noteholders who for the time
being are entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Noteholders
under the Trust Deed will take effect as if it were an
Extraordinary Resolution. Such a resolution in writing may be
contained in one document or several documents in the same form,
each signed by or on behalf of one or more Noteholders.
(b) Modification
and waiver
The Trustee may agree, without the consent of the Noteholders or
Couponholders, to (i) any modification to or of these
Conditions, the Notes or the Trust Deed (other than in
respect of a Reserved Matter) which is, in the opinion of the
Trustee, proper to make if, in the opinion of the Trustee, such
modification will not be materially prejudicial to the interests
of Noteholders, (ii) any modification of these Conditions,
the Notes or the Trust Deed that is of a formal, minor or
technical nature or is made to correct a manifest error or to
correct an error which, in the opinion of the Trustee, is
proven, and (iii) any waiver or authorisation of any breach
or proposed breach, of any of the provisions of these
Conditions, the Notes or the Trust Deed (other than a
proposed breach or breach relating to the subject of a Reserved
Matter) that is in the opinion of the Trustee not materially
prejudicial to the interests of the Noteholders. Any such
modification, authorisation or waiver shall be binding on the
Noteholders and the Couponholders and, if the Trustee so
requires, such modification, authorisation or waiver shall be
notified to the Noteholders as soon as practicable in accordance
with Condition 19 (Notices).
(c) Substitution
The Trust Deed contains provisions permitting the Trustee
to agree, without the consent of the Noteholders, the
Receiptholders or the Couponholders, to the substitution of
certain other entities in place of the Issuer or any Guarantor
(or in either case any previously substituted company) as
principal debtor or, as the case may be, guarantor under the
Trust Deed in relation to the Notes, Receipts and Coupons of any
Series of Notes, subject to (i) the Notes being
unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by the Issuer or, as
the case may be, the relevant Guarantor, (ii) the Trustee
being satisfied that such substitution is not materially
prejudicial to the interests of Noteholders; and
(iii) certain other conditions set out in the
Trust Deed being complied with.
No Noteholder or Couponholder shall, in connection with any
substitution, be entitled to claim any indemnification or
payment in respect of any tax consequence thereof for such
Noteholder or (as the case may be) Couponholder except to the
extent provided for in Condition 12 (Taxation) (or any
undertaking given in addition to or substitution for it pursuant
to the provisions of the Trust Deed).
The Trustee may, at any time, at its discretion and without
further notice, institute such proceedings against the Issuer
and/or the
Guarantors as it thinks fit to enforce any obligation, condition
or provision binding on the Issuer
85
and/or the
Guarantors under these Conditions, the Notes or the
Trust Deed, but shall not be bound to do so unless:
(a) it has been so directed by an Extraordinary Resolution
or it has been so requested in writing by the holders of at
least one fifth of the nominal amount of the Notes
outstanding; and
(b) it has been indemnified
and/or
secured
and/or
prefunded by the Noteholders to its satisfaction.
No Noteholder or Couponholder shall be entitled to institute
proceedings directly against the Issuer or a Guarantor unless
the Trustee, having become bound to proceed as aforesaid, fails
to do so within a reasonable time and such failure is continuing.
(a) Valid
Notices
Notices to the Noteholders shall be valid if published in a
leading English language daily newspaper published in London
(which is expected to be the Financial Times) or, if such
publication is not practicable, in a leading English language
daily newspaper having general circulation in Europe. Any such
notice shall be deemed to have been given on the date of first
publication (or if required to be published in more than one
newspaper, on the first date on which publication shall have
been made in all the required newspapers).
(b) Other
Methods
Notwithstanding paragraph (a) above, the Trustee may
approve some other method of giving notice to the Noteholders
if, in its opinion, that other method is reasonable having
regard to market practice then prevailing and to the
requirements of any stock exchange on which Notes are then
listed and PROVIDED THAT notice of that other method is
given to the Noteholders in the manner required by the Trustee.
(c) Couponholders
Couponholders shall be deemed for all purposes to have notice of
the contents of any notice given to the Noteholders.
For the purposes of any calculations referred to in these
Conditions (unless otherwise specified in these Conditions or
the relevant Final Terms), (a) all percentages resulting
from such calculations will be rounded, if necessary, to the
nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point (with
0.000005 per cent. being rounded up to 0.00001 per
cent.), (b) all United States dollar amounts used in or
resulting from such calculations will be rounded to the nearest
cent (with one half cent being rounded up), (c) all
Japanese Yen amounts used in or resulting from such calculations
will be rounded downwards to the next lower whole Japanese Yen
amount, and (d) all amounts
86
denominated in any other currency used in or resulting from such
calculations will be rounded to the nearest two decimal places
in such currency, with 0.005 being rounded upwards.
The Issuer may from time to time without the consent of the
Noteholders or Couponholders create and issue further securities
either having the same terms and conditions as the Notes in all
respects (or in all respects except for the first payment of
interest on them) and so that such further issue shall be
consolidated and form a single series with the outstanding
securities of any series (including the Notes) or upon such
terms as the Issuer may determine at the time of their issue.
References in these Conditions to the Notes include (unless the
context requires otherwise) any other securities issued pursuant
to this Condition and forming a single series with the Notes.
The Trust Deed contains provisions for convening a single
meeting of the Noteholders and the holders of securities of
other series where the Trustee so decides.
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22.
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Governing
Law and Jurisdiction
|
(a) Governing
law
The Notes and the Trust Deed, and any non-contractual
obligations arising out of or in connection with the Notes and
the Trust Deed, are governed by, and construed in
accordance with, English law.
(b) English
courts
The courts of England have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any
dispute (a “Dispute”) arising out of or in
connection with the Notes and the Trust Deed (including a
dispute relating to the existence, validity or cancellation of
the Notes or any non-contractual obligation arising out of or in
connection with the Notes or the Trust Deed) or the
consequences of their nullity.
(c) Appropriate
forum
The Issuer and each of the Guarantors agree that the courts of
England are the most appropriate and convenient courts to settle
any Dispute and, accordingly, that they will not argue to the
contrary.
87
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The Issuer
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EXECUTED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
|
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) XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX
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|
|
)
|
as attorney for
|
|
)
|
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP PLC
|
|
)
|
|
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Witness:
|
|
Signature:
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|
XXXXX XXXXXXXX
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|
Name:
|
|
XXXXX XXXXXXXX
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The Guarantors
|
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|
EXECUTED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
|
|
)
|
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS LIMITED
|
|
)
|
a company incorporated in England and Wales acting by
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|
)
|
|
|
)
|
, a
director of the Company and
|
|
) XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX
|
, a
director of the company/
|
|
) XXXXXX XXXXXX
|
|
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|
EXECUTED and DELIVERED as a DEED by
|
|
)
|
SIX CONTINENTS LIMITED
|
|
)
|
a company incorporated in England and Wales acting by
|
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)
|
|
|
)
|
, a
director of the Company and
|
|
) XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX
|
, a
director of the company/
|
|
) XXXXXX XXXXXX
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|
|
The Trustee
|
|
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EXECUTED as a DEED by Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
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|
)
|
as attorney for
|
|
)
|
HSBC CORPORATE TRUSTEE
|
|
)
|
COMPANY (UK) LIMITED
|
|
) XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Attorney
|
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Witness:
|
|
Signature:
|
|
XXXXXX XXXXXX
|
|
|
Name:
|
|
XXXXXX XXXXXX
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