22 May 2009 14:23
LONDON, 22 MAY 2009
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO THE SAME WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION
Invitation to Offer for Sale Shares in Sibir Energy Plc ("Sibir")
on behalf of JSC Gazprom Neft ("Gazprom Neft")
Response to Press Speculation
In response to recent speculation, Gazprom Neft confirms that it has not entered in to any agreement to acquire shares in Sibir other than any in accordance with Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited's ("Renaissance Capital") announcement of earlier today inviting offers for the sale of shares in Sibir (and the previous announcement made on 23 April 2009). Gazprom Neft has no intention to acquire 30% or more of Sibir's shares pursuant to today's invitation for offers for sale.
Sibir is listed on AIM (Ticker: SBE:LN). The shares are currently suspended and Renaissance Capital makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of public information regarding Sibir.
RESTRICTIONS:
This information is directed only at qualified investors under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and non-US persons under Regulation S of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The distribution of this communication is restricted by US, Canadian, Australian and Japanese regulation. It must not be distributed or forwarded to any person who is not a person described in the first sentence of this paragraph.
Sibir's shares are currently suspended from trading on AIM. Sales will be off-market, on terms which will be provided on request.
By offering shares for sale, a person will be deemed to represent that they are not offering for sale any shares that they, or any other person(s), are not permitted to sell (whether as a result of a freezing order issued by a court in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or for any other reason). If you (or any other person(s)) are for any reason prohibited or restricted from selling Sibir shares, you must not offer such shares for sale.
Regulation S outside the US.
No invitation to offer shares for sale is extended to shareholders in the US, Canada, Australia or Japan.
For further information, please contact:
Dominic Bokor-Ingram, Equity Sales, +44 207 367 7723
Brien McMahon, Sales Trading, +44 207 367 7711
Richard Betson, Sales Trading, +44 207 367 7714
Arie Kravtchin, Equity Syndicate +7 495 783 5691
Notes to editors
Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited, which is authorised and regulated in Cyprus by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission and enjoys passporting rights allowing it to do investment business in the UK, is acting for Gazprom Neft in relation to the matters described in this announcement and is not advising any other person and accordingly will not be responsible to any person other than Gazprom Neft for providing the protections afforded to the customers of Renaissance Securities (Cyprus) Limited or for providing advice in relation to the matters described in this announcement.