European Goldfields, which is also quoted in Toronto, in October said that Qatar Holding, the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, would lend it $750m to fund the development of its flagship mines in Greece.
The loan agreement was a coup for the Qataris, who are planning to build an investment vehicle focused on gold. The fund, which owns nearly 10 per cent of the company, could have ended up with about 30 per cent under the deal.
But on Sunday, European Goldfields said its board had recommended a C$13.08-a-share offer from Eldorado, based on the buyer’s closing price on Friday, with European Goldfields shareholders receiving 0.85 Eldorado shares and a token amount of cash C$0.0001 per share.
The deal represents a premium of about 48.4 per cent based on where its stocks were trading earlier this month, the day before European Goldfields said it had received preliminary takeover approaches.
European Goldfields shareholders had been set to vote on the Qatar investment this week. The company said on Sunday that it intended to adjourn that investor meeting until after shareholders had a chance to vote on the Eldorado deal in February. But people familiar with the matter did not rule out another bid for the gold miner.
European Goldfields shares jumped almost 30 per cent over the past month. Canadian mining company Centerra Gold is also rumoured to have expressed interest in it.
Martyn Konig, chairman of European Goldfields, said: “Today’s transaction offers excellent value to shareholders through an immediate premium, reduced execution risk and future upside through participation in Eldorado, a leading gold growth story with a world-class asset portfolio and a compelling dividend policy.”
The company said combining with Eldorado would reduce its “single region” risk. While European Goldfields’ main asset is in Greece, Eldorado has a presence in Brazil, China, Greece and Turkey. Together the groups would have gold production of 650,000 ounces, projected to grow to over 1.5m by 2015. For the latest updates on the stock market, visit Stock Market Today For the latest updates PRESS CTR + D or visit Stock Market news Today
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