GOVERNANCE & SECURITIES LAW FOCUS

Proxima Nova A ExCn 35pt

MAY 2020/LATIN AMERICA

Below is a summary of the main developments in US, EU, and UK corporate governance and securities law since our last update in February 2020.

Financial regulatory developments are available here.

IN THIS ISSUE

On Wednesday 29 April the Outer House of the Court of Session in Edinburgh issued an opinion sanctioning two schemes of arrangement proposed by Premier Oil Plc and Premier Oil UK Limited (together, Premier Oil) (the Schemes). The Court addressed multiple grounds of challenge and did so without hearing live evidence, despite disputes of fact between the parties.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVID-19: Summary of Key Issues.................................................................................... 1

The oil and gas industry in Texas is currently facing a double whammy from the recent oil price shock and COVID-19 related demand reductions. While exploration and production operators in Texas are proactively taking self-help measures to reinforce their financial frameworks — reducing capital spending, operating expenses, overhead and dividends — the outlook remains highly uncertain.

International Trade Compliance (Covering Customs and Other Import Requirements, Export Controls and Sanctions, Trade Remedies, WTO and Anti-Corruption) In This Issue: World Trade Organization (WTO) World Customs Organization (WCO) Other International Matters The Americas - Central America The Americas - North America The Americas - South America Asia-Pacific Europe and Middle East Africa Trade compliance enforcement actions - import, export, IPR, FCPA Newsletters, reports, articles, etc. Webinars, Meetings, Seminars, etc.

Year in Review – Latin America in 2016

Argentina

Sovereign debt restructuring: On April 22, 2016, after Congress approved a settlement proposal, Argentina issued US$16.5bn of new debt securities in the international capital markets, and applied US$9.3bn of these proceeds to satisfy settlement payments on agreements with holders.          

This is the twenty-ninth in our series of General Counsel Updates which aim to summarise major developments in key areas.

This week’s TGIF considers the latest chapter in the story of Legend International Holdings Inc, where the Court of Appeal considered whether Legend was insolvent, whether mining tenements held by Legend’s subsidiary constituted ‘readily realisable assets’, and whether various deeds entered into by Legend were void as uncommercial transactions.

The appeal decision of the Full Federal Court in AIG Australia Limited v Kaboko Mining Limited confirmed that an insolvency exclusion was not triggered where a cause of action by a company against its former directors did not contain allegations of insolvency, notwithstanding that the directors’ actions arguably led to the company’s insolvency.

Background

The Federal Court of Australia in Kaboko Mining Limited v Van Heerden (No 3) [2018] FCA 2055 handed down a significant decision which clarified the operation of "insolvency exclusion" clauses in a D&O liability insurance policy. The issue arose after Administrators commenced proceedings against four former directors of the company, and the insurer relied on an insolvency exclusion to decline to indemnify the former directors in respect of the claims made in the proceedings.

The facts