Highlands Natural Resources Regulatory News (HNR)

27 Apr 2006 14:30

Hardman Resources Limited27 April 2006 STOCK EXCHANGE / MEDIA RELEASE RELEASE DATE: 27 April 2006 AUSTRALIAN CONTACT: Simon Potter Hardman Resources Ltd +61 8 9261 7600 Peter Thomas Hardman Resources Ltd +61 8 9261 7600 Jim Kelly Third Person Communications Pty Ltd +61 2 8298 6100 LONDON CONTACT: Patrick Handley Brunswick Group +44 207 404 5959 RE: RESULTS OF PLACING OF NEW ORDINARY SHARES PAGES: 3 NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, CANADA OR JAPAN Hardman Resources Limited ("Hardman" or the "Company") is pleased to announcethat, following this morning's announcement of its proposed placing of newordinary shares (the "Placing"), a total of 65,918,810 new ordinary shares inthe capital of Hardman (the "Placing Shares") have been placed by JPMorganCazenove Limited and Oriel Securities Limited subject to certain conditions at aprice of 98 pence per Placing Share, a 2 per cent discount to the previousnight's closing price on the London Stock Exchange of 100 pence per ordinaryshare. The gross proceeds of the Placing amount to approximately £64.6 million(A$153.3 million). It is expected that admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM, a marketoperated by London Stock Exchange plc, will become effective at 8:00 am (Londontime) on 3 May 2006 and that quotation of the Placing Shares on the officiallist of the Australian Stock Exchange will become effective at 10:00 am (Sydneytime) on 4 May 2006. The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid, rank in fullfor all future dividends and other distributions declared in respect of theexisting issued ordinary shares of Hardman on or after the date of issue of thePlacing Shares and will otherwise rank pari passu in all respects with theexisting issued ordinary shares of Hardman. Contacts for enquiries: Simon Potter / Peter ThomasHardman Resources Ltd+61 8 9261 7600 Laurence Hollingworth / Colin CarscaddenJPMorgan Cazenove Limited+44 207 588 2828 Simon Bragg / Andrew EdwardsOriel Securities Limited+44 207 710 7600 Patrick HandleyBrunswick Group+44 207 404 5959 Jim KellyThird Person Communications Pty Ltd+61 2 8298 6100 Pursuant to ASX Listing Rule 15.7, this announcement has been released at thesame time to AIM as the rules of AIM require it. This announcement is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representationor warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to,and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by JP Morgan CazenoveLimited or Oriel Securities Limited or by any of their respective affiliates oragents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of thisannouncement, or any other written or oral information made available to orpublicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liabilitytherefor is hereby expressly disclaimed. JPMorgan Cazenove Limited and Oriel Securities Limited, each of which isauthorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial ServicesAuthority, are acting for Hardman Resources Limited and no one else inconnection with the Placing and will not be responsible to anyone other thanHardman Resources Limited for providing the protections afforded to clients ofJPMorgan Cazenove Limited and Oriel Securities Limited nor for providing advicein relation to the Placing or any matter referred to in this announcement. The distribution of this announcement and the Placing Shares may be restrictedby law in certain jurisdictions. No action has been taken by the Company,JPMorgan Cazenove Limited or Oriel Securities Limited that would permit an offerof the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this announcement or anyother offering or publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in anyjurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whosepossession this announcement comes are required by the Company, JPMorganCazenove Limited and Oriel Securities Limited to inform themselves about and toobserve any such restrictions. The information contained in this announcement is not for release, publicationor distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in the United States. Thisannouncement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The Placing Shares have not been andwill not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, asamended and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in the UnitedStates absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offering of securities in the UnitedStates. The Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered with anyregulatory authority of any state within the United States. Members of the general public were not eligible to take part in the Placing.This announcement is only addressed to and directed at persons in member statesof the European Economic Area who are "qualified investors" within the meaningof Article 2(l)(e) of the Prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC ("QualifiedInvestors"). In addition, in the UK, this announcement is only addressed to anddirected at, Qualified Investors (i) who have professional experience in mattersrelating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Servicesand Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order")and Qualified Investors failing within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, and(ii) to whom they may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such personstogether with Qualified Investors being referred to as "relevant persons"). Thisannouncement must not be acted on or relied on (i) in the UK, by persons who arenot relevant persons, and (ii) in any member state of the European Economic Areaother than the UK, by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment orinvestment activity to which this document relates is available only to (i) inthe UK, relevant persons, and (ii) in any member state of the European EconomicArea other than the UK, Qualified Investors, and will be engaged in only withsuch persons. This announcement does not constitute an offer for sale or subscription of anysecurities in the Company. RICHARD O'SHANNASSYCOMPANY SECRETARY This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange