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Exhibit 3.1

Companies Act 2014

 

 

A PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

 

 

CONSTITUTION

of

ALLERGAN PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

(as amended by all resolutions passed up to and including 5 May 2016)

 

1.

The name of the Company is Allergan public limited company.

 

2.

The Company is a public limited company deemed to be a PLC to which Part 17 of the Companies Act 2014 applies.

 

3.

The objects for which the Company is established are:

3.1

 

  (a)

To carry on the business of a pharmaceuticals company, and to research, develop, design, manufacture, produce, supply, buy, sell, distribute, import, export, provide, promote and otherwise deal in pharmaceuticals, active pharmaceutical ingredients and dosage pharmaceuticals and other devices or products of a pharmaceutical or healthcare character and to hold intellectual property rights and to do all things usually dealt in by persons carrying on the above mentioned businesses or any of them or likely to be required in connection with any of the said businesses.

 

  (b)

To carry on the business of a holding company and to co-ordinate the administration, finances and all other activities of any subsidiary companies or associated companies, to do all lawful acts and things whatever that are necessary or convenient in carrying on the business of such a holding company including the incorporation of any one or more subsidiaries and in particular to carry on the business of a management services company, to act as managers and to direct or coordinate the management of other companies or of the business, property and estates of any company or person and to undertake and carry out all such services in connection therewith as may be deemed expedient by the Company’s board of directors and to exercise its powers as a shareholder of other companies.

 

  (c)

To acquire the whole of the issued share capital of Warner Chilcott public limited company, a company incorporated under the laws of Ireland (registered number 471506).

 

3.2

To acquire shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, bonds, obligations and securities by original subscription, tender, purchase, exchange or otherwise and to subscribe for the same either conditionally or otherwise, and to guarantee the subscription thereof and to exercise and enforce all rights and powers conferred by or incidental to the ownership thereof.

 

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3.3

To facilitate and encourage the creation, issue or conversion of and to offer for public subscription debentures, debenture stocks, bonds, obligations, shares, stocks, and securities and to act as trustees in connection with any such securities and to take part in the conversion of business concerns and undertakings into companies.

 

3.4

To purchase or by any other means acquire any freehold, leasehold or other property and in particular lands, tenements and hereditaments of any tenure, whether subject or not to any charges or incumbrances, for any estate or interest whatever, and any rights, privileges or easements over or in respect of any property, and any buildings, factories, mills, works, wharves, roads, machinery, engines, plant, live and dead stock, barges, vessels or things, and any real or personal property or rights whatsoever which may be necessary for, or may conveniently be used with, or may enhance the value or property of the Company, and to hold or to sell, let, alienate, mortgage, charge or otherwise deal with all or any such freehold, leasehold, or other property, lands, tenements or hereditaments, rights, privileges or easements.

 

3.5

To establish and contribute to any scheme for the purchase of shares in the Company to be held for the benefit of the Company’s employees and to lend or otherwise provide money to such schemes or the Company’s employees or the employees of any of its subsidiary or associated companies to enable them to purchase shares of the Company.

 

3.6

To sell, lease, exchange, grant, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of the property, investment or assets of the Company of whatever nature or tenure for such price, consideration, sum or other return whether equal to or less than the market value thereof and whether by way of gift or otherwise as the Directors shall deem fit and to grant any fee, farm grant or lease or to enter into any agreement for letting or hire of any such property or asset for a rent or return equal to or less than the market or rack rent therefor or at no rent and subject to or free from covenants and restrictions as the Directors shall deem appropriate.

 

3.7

To acquire and undertake the whole or any part of the business, good-will and assets of any person, firm or company carrying on or proposing to carry on any of the businesses which this Company is authorised to carry on, and as part of the consideration for such acquisition to undertake all or any of the liabilities of such person, firm or company, or to acquire an interest in, amalgamate with, or enter into any arrangement for sharing profits, or for co-operation, or for limiting competition or for mutual assistance with any such person, firm or company and to give or accept by way of consideration for any of the acts or things aforesaid or property acquired, any shares, debentures, debenture stock or securities that may be agreed upon, and to hold and retain or sell, mortgage or deal with any shares, debentures, debenture stock or securities so received.

 

3.8

To apply for, register, purchase, lease, hold, use, control, license or otherwise acquire any patents, brevets d’invention, copyrights, trademarks, licences, concessions and the like conferring any exclusive or non-exclusive or limited rights to use or any secret or other inventing information as to any invention which may seem capable of being used for any of the purposes of the Company or the acquisition of which may seem calculated directly or indirectly to benefit the Company, and to use, exercise, develop or grant licences in respect of or otherwise turn to account the property, rights or information so acquired.

 

3.9

To enter into partnership or into any arrangement for sharing profits, union of interests, co-operation, joint venture, reciprocal concession or otherwise with any person or company carrying on or engaged in or about to carry on or engage in any business or transaction which the Company is authorised to carry on or engage in or any business or transaction capable of being conducted so as directly to benefit this Company.

 

3.10

To invest and deal with the moneys of the Company not immediately required upon such securities and in such manner as may from time to time be determined.

 

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3.11

To lend money to and guarantee the performance of the contracts or obligations of any company, firm or person, and the repayment of the capital and principal of, and dividends, interest or premiums payable on, any stock, shares and securities of any company, whether having objects similar to those of this Company or not, and to give all kinds of indemnities.

 

3.12

To engage in currency exchange and interest rate transactions including, but not limited to, dealings in foreign currency, spot and forward rate exchange contracts, futures, options, forward rate agreements, swaps, caps, floors, collars and any other foreign exchange or interest rate hedging arrangements and such other instruments as are similar to, or derived from, any of the foregoing whether for the purpose of making a profit or avoiding a loss or managing a currency or interest rate exposure or any other exposure or for any other purpose.

 

3.13

To guarantee, support or secure, whether by personal covenant or by mortgaging or charging all or any part of the undertaking, property and assets (both present and future) and uncalled capital of the Company, or by both such methods, the performance of the obligations of, and the repayment or payment of the principal amounts of and premiums, interest and dividends on any securities of, any person, firm or company including (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) any company which is for the time being the Company’s holding company as defined in the Companies Act 2014 or a subsidiary as therein defined of any such holding company or otherwise associated with the Company in business.

 

3.14

To borrow or secure the payment of money in such manner as the Company shall think fit, and in particular by the provision of a guarantee or by the issue of debentures, debenture stocks, bonds, obligations and securities of all kinds, either perpetual or terminable and either redeemable or otherwise and to secure the repayment of any money borrowed, raised or owing by trust deed, mortgage, charge, or lien upon the whole or any part of the Company’s property or assets (whether present or future) including its uncalled capital, and also by a similar trust deed, mortgage, charge or lien to secure and guarantee the performance by the Company of any obligation or liability it may undertake.

 

3.15

To draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, execute, negotiate and issue promissory notes, bills of exchange, bills of lading, warrants, debentures and other negotiable or transferable instruments.

 

3.16

To subscribe for, take, purchase or otherwise acquire and hold shares or other interests in, or securities of any other company having objects altogether or in part similar to those of this Company, or carrying on any business capable of being conducted so as directly or indirectly to benefit this Company.

 

3.17

To hold in trust as trustees or as nominees and to deal with, manage and turn to account, any real or personal property of any kind, and in particular shares, stocks, debentures, securities, policies, book debts, claims and choses in actions, lands, buildings, hereditaments, business concerns and undertakings, mortgages, charges, annuities, patents, licences, and any interest in real or personal property, and any claims against such property or against any person or company.

 

3.18

To constitute any trusts with a view to the issue of preferred and, deferred or other special stocks or securities based on or representing any shares, stocks and other assets specifically appropriated for the purpose of any such trust and to settle and regulate and if thought fit to undertake and execute any such trusts and to issue dispose of or hold any such preferred, deferred or other special stocks or securities.,

 

3.19

To give any guarantee in relation to the payment of any debentures, debenture stock, bonds, obligations or securities and to guarantee the payment of interest thereon or of dividends on any stocks or shares of any company.

 

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3.20

To construct, erect and maintain buildings, houses, flats, shops and all other works, erections, and things of any description whatsoever either upon the lands acquired by the Company or upon other lands and to hold, retain as investments or to sell, let, alienate, mortgage, charge or deal with all or any of the same and generally to alter, develop and improve the lands and other property of the Company,

 

3.21

To provide for the welfare of persons in the employment of or holding office under or formerly in the employment of or holding office under the Company including Directors and ex-Directors of the Company or any of its subsidiary or associated companies and the wives, widows and families, dependants or connections of such persons by grants of money, pensions or other payments and by forming and contributing to pension, provident or benefit funds or profit sharing or co-partnership schemes for the benefit of such persons and to form, subscribe to or otherwise aid charitable, benevolent, religious, scientific, national or other institutions, exhibitions or objects which shall have any moral or other claims to support or aid by the Company by reason of the locality of its operation or otherwise.

 

3.22

To remunerate by cash payments or allotment of shares or securities of the Company credited as fully paid up or otherwise any person or company for services rendered or to be rendered to the Company whether in the conduct or management of its business, or in placing or assisting to place or guaranteeing the placing of any of the shares of the Company’s capital, or any debentures or other securities of the Company or in or about the formation or promotion of the Company.

 

3.23

To enter into and carry into effect any arrangement for joint working in business or for sharing of profits or for amalgamation with any other company or association or any partnership or person carrying on any business within the objects of the Company.

 

3.24

To distribute in specie or otherwise as may be resolved, any assets of the Company among its members and in particular the shares, debentures or other securities of any other company belonging to this Company or of which this Company may have the power of disposing.

 

3.25

To vest any real or personal property, rights or interest acquired or belonging to the Company in any person or company on behalf of or for the benefit of the Company, and with or without any declared trust in favour of the Company.

 

3.26

To transact or carry on any business which may seem to be capable of being conveniently carried on in connection with any of these objects or calculated directly or indirectly to enhance the value of or facilitate the realisation of or render profitable any of the Company’s property or rights.

 

3.27

To accept stock or shares in or debentures, mortgages or securities of any other company in payment or part payment for any services rendered or for any sale made to or debt owing from any such company, whether such shares shall be wholly or partly paid up.

 

3.28

To pay all costs, charges and expenses incurred or sustained in or about the promotion and establishment of the Company or which the Company shall consider to be preliminary thereto and to issue shares as fully or in part paid up, and to pay out of the funds of the Company all brokerage and charges incidental thereto.

 

3.29

To procure the Company to be registered or recognised in any foreign country or in any colony or dependency of any such foreign country or that the central management and control of the Company be located in any country.

 

3.30

To do all or any of the matters hereby authorised in any part of the world or in conjunction with or as trustee or agent for any other company or person or by or through any factors, trustees or agents.

 

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3.31

To make gifts or grant bonuses to the Directors or any other persons who are or have been in the employment of the Company including substitute and alternate directors.

 

3.32

To do all such other things that the Company may consider incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects or as are capable of being conveniently carried on in connection therewith.

 

3.33

To carry on any business which the Company may lawfully engage in and to do all such things incidental or conducive to the business of the Company.

 

3.34

To make or receive gifts by way of capital contribution or otherwise.

 

3.35

To the extent permitted by law, to give whether directly or indirectly, any kind of financial assistance for the purchase of shares in or debentures of the Company or any corporation which is at any given time the Company’s holding company.

The objects set forth in any sub-clause of this clause shall be regarded as independent objects and shall not, except, where the context expressly so requires, be in any way limited or restricted by reference to or inference from the terms of any other sub-clause, or by the name of the Company. None of such sub-clauses or the objects therein specified or the powers thereby conferred shall be deemed subsidiary or auxiliary merely to the objects mentioned in the first sub-clause of this clause, but the Company shall have full power to exercise all or any of the powers conferred by any part of this clause in any part of the world notwithstanding that the business, property or acts proposed to be transacted, acquired or performed do not fall within the objects of the first sub-clause of this clause.

 

  NOTE:

It is hereby declared that the word “company” in this clause, except where used in reference to this Company shall be deemed to include any partnership or other body of persons whether incorporated or not incorporated and whether domiciled in Ireland or elsewhere and the intention is that the objects specified in each paragraph of this clause shall except where otherwise expressed in such paragraph be in no way limited or restricted by reference to or inference from the terms of any other paragraph.

 

4.

The liability of the members is limited.

 

5.

The share capital of the Company is €40,000 and US$101,000 divided into 40,000 deferred ordinary shares of €1.00 each, 1,000,000,000 ordinary shares of US$0.0001 each and 10,000,000 serial preferred shares of US$0.0001 each.

 

6.

The shares forming the capital, increased or reduced, may be increased or reduced and be divided into such classes and issued with any special rights, privileges and conditions or with such qualifications as regards preference, dividend, capital, voting or other special incidents, and be held upon such terms as may be attached thereto or as may from time to time be provided by the original or any substituted or amended Articles of association and regulations of the Company for the time being, but so that where shares are issued with any preferential or special rights attached thereto such rights shall not be alterable otherwise than pursuant to the provisions of the Company’s Articles of association for the time being.

 

5


Companies Act 2014

 

 

A PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

 

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

of

ALLERGAN PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

(as amended by Special Resolution passed on 14 October 2019 with the effectiveness of Article

171 being subject to the Scheme (as defined therein) itself becoming effective)

Preliminary

 

1.

The provisions set out in these Articles shall constitute the whole of the regulations applicable to the Company and no other “optional provisions” as defined by section 1007(2) of the Act (with the exception of sections 83 and 84 of the Companies Act) shall apply to the Company.

2.

 

2.1

In these Articles:

 

“Act”    means the Companies Act 2014 and every statutory modification and re-enactment thereof for the time being in force.
“Actavis Certificates”    has the meaning set out in Article 157.
“Actavis Exchange Fund”    has the meaning set out in Article 157.
“Actavis Share(s)”    means the common share(s) of Actavis, Inc., par value US$0.0033.
“Acts”    means the Act and all statutory instruments which are to be read as one with, or construed or read together as one with, the Act.
“Actual Board Size”    has the meaning set out in Article 95.
“address”    includes any number or address used for the purposes of communication, including by way of electronic mail or other electronic communication.
“Adoption Date”    has the meaning set out in Article 3.3.
“Applicable Escheatment Laws”    has the meaning set out in Article 169.2.
“Approved Nominee”    means a person holding shares or rights or interests in shares in the Company on a nominee basis who has been determined by the Company to be an “Approved Nominee”.

 

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“Assistant Secretary”    means any person appointed by the Secretary or the Board from time to time to assist the Secretary.
“Auditor” or “Auditors”    means the statutory auditor or statutory auditors at any given time of the Company.
“Clear Days”    in relation to the period of notice to be given under these Articles, that period excluding the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given and the day of the event for which it is given or on which it is to take effect.
the “Company”    means the company whose name appears in the heading to these Articles.
“Company Shares”    has the meaning set out in Article 157.
“Company Subscriber Shares”    has the meaning set out in Article 157.
“Covered Person”    has the meaning set out in Article 168.3.
the “Directors” or the “Board”    means the directors from time to time and for the time being of the Company or the directors present at a meeting of the board of directors and includes any person occupying the position of director by whatever name called.
“Disclosure Notice”    means a notice given to a person in accordance with section 1062 of the Act.
“electronic communication”    has the meaning given to those words in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000.
“electronic signature”    has the meaning given to those words in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000.
“Euro Deferred Shares” or “deferred ordinary shares”    means euro deferred shares of nominal value €1.00 per share (or such other nominal value as may result from any reorganisation of capital) in the capital of the Company, having the rights and being subject to the limitations set out in these Articles.
“Exchange Act”    means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
“Exchange Agent”    has the meaning set out in Article 157.
“IAS Regulation”    means Regulation (EC) No. 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of international accounting standards.
“Member Associated Person”    of any member means (A) any person controlling, directly or indirectly, or acting as a “group” (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5(b) under the Exchange Act) with, such member, (B) any beneficial owner of shares of the Company owned of record or beneficially by such member and (C) any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such Member Associated Person.

 

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“Merger”    means the merger of MergerSub with and into Actavis, Inc., with Actavis, Inc. surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
“Merger Consideration”    has the meaning set out in Article 157.
“Merger Effective Time”    means Actavis W.C. Holding 2 LLC, a company organized in Nevada.
“MergerSub”    means an ordinary resolution of the Company’s members within the meaning of section 191 of the Act.
“Office”    means the registered office from time to time and for the time being of the Company.
“Ordinary Resolution”    means an ordinary resolution of the Company’s members within the meaning of section 191 of the Act.
“Ordinary Shares” or    means ordinary shares of nominal value US$0.0001 per
“ordinary shares”    share (or such other nominal value as may result from any reorganisation of capital) in the capital of the Company, having the rights and being subject to the limitations set out in these Articles.
“Redeemable Shares”    means redeemable shares as defined by section 64 of the Act.
“Register”    means the register of members to be kept as required in accordance with section 216 of the Act.
“the seal”    means the common seal of the Company and includes any duplicate seal.
“the Secretary”    means any person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary of the Company.
“Share” and “share”    mean, unless specified otherwise or the context otherwise requires, any share in the capital of the Company.
“Shareholder” or “the Holder”    means in relation to any share, the person whose name is entered in the Register as the holder of the share or, where the context permits, the persons whose names are entered in the Register as the joint holders of shares.
“Special Resolution”    means a special resolution of the Company’s members within the meaning of section 191 of the Act.
“these Articles”    means the articles of association of which this article forms part, as the same may be amended from time to time and for the time being in force.
“US Holdco”    means Actavis W.C. Holding LLC, a limited liability company organized in Nevada.

 

2.2

Expressions in these Articles referring to writing shall be construed, unless the contrary intention appears, as including references to printing, lithography, photography and any other modes of representing or reproducing words in a visible form except as provided in these

 

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  Articles and / or where it constitutes writing in electronic form sent to the Company, and the Company has agreed to its receipt in such form. Expressions in these Articles referring to execution of any document shall include any mode of execution whether under seal or under hand or any mode of electronic signature as shall be approved by the Directors. Expressions in these Articles referring to receipt or issuance of any electronic communications shall, be limited to receipt or issuance in such manner as the Company has approved or as set out in these Articles. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all written communication by the Company and the Directors may for the purposes of these Articles, to the extent permitted by law, be in electronic form.

 

2.3

Unless the contrary intention appears, words or expressions contained in these Articles shall bear the same meaning as in the Acts or in any statutory modification thereof in force at the date at which these Articles become binding on the Company.

 

2.4

References herein to any enactment shall mean such enactment as the same may be amended and may be from time to time and for the time being in force.

 

2.5

The masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter, and vice versa, and the singular number shall include the plural, and vice versa, and words importing persons shall include firms or companies.

 

2.6

Reference to US$, USD, or dollars shall mean the currency of the United States of America and to €, euro, EUR or cent shall mean the currency of Ireland.

Share capital and variation of rights

3.

 

3.1

The share capital of the Company is €40,000 and US$101,000 divided into 40,000 deferred ordinary shares of €1.00 each, 1,000,000,000 ordinary shares of US$0.0001 each and 10,000,000 serial preferred shares of US$0.0001 each.

 

3.2

The rights and restrictions attaching to the ordinary shares shall be as follows:

 

  (a)

subject to the right of the Company to set record dates for the purposes of determining the identity of members entitled to notice of and / or to vote at a general meeting, the right to attend and speak at any general meeting of the Company and to exercise one vote per ordinary share held at any general meeting of the Company;

 

  (b)

the right to participate pro rata in all dividends declared by the Company; and

 

  (c)

the right, in the event of the Company’s winding up, to participate pro rata in the total assets of the Company.

 

  

The rights attaching to the ordinary shares may be subject to the terms of issue of any series or class of preferred shares allotted by the Directors from time to time in accordance with Article 3.4.

 

3.3

The rights and restrictions attaching to the Euro Deferred Shares shall be as follows:

 

  (a)

The Holders of the Euro Deferred Shares shall not be entitled to receive any dividend or distribution and shall not be entitled to receive notice of, nor to attend, speak or vote at any meeting of some or all of the Shareholders of the Company. On a return of assets, whether on liquidation or otherwise, the Euro Deferred Shares shall entitle the Holder thereof only to the repayment of the amounts paid up on such shares after repayment of the capital paid up on the ordinary shares plus the payment of $5,000,000 on each of the ordinary shares and the Holders of the Euro Deferred Shares (as such) shall not be entitled to any further participation in the assets or profits of the Company.

 

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  (b)

The special resolution passed on the date of adoption of these Articles (the “Adoption Date”) shall be deemed to confer irrevocable authority on the Company at any time after the Adoption Date:

 

  (i)

to acquire all or any of the fully paid Euro Deferred Shares otherwise than for valuable consideration in accordance with section 102(1)(a) of the Act and without obtaining the sanction of the Holders thereof;

 

  (ii)

to appoint any person to execute on behalf of the Holders of the Euro Deferred Shares remaining in issue (if any) a transfer thereof and/or an agreement to transfer the same otherwise than for valuable consideration to the Company or to such other person as the Company may nominate;

 

  (iii)

to cancel any acquired Euro Deferred Shares; and

 

  (iv)

pending such acquisition and/or transfer and/or cancellation to retain the certificate (if any) for such Euro Deferred Shares.

 

  (c)

The Company shall, not later than three years after any acquisition by it of any Euro Deferred Shares as aforesaid, cancel such Shares (except those which, or any interest of the Company in which, it shall have previously disposed of) and reduce the amount of the issued share capital by the nominal value of the shares so cancelled and the Directors may take such steps as are requisite to enable the Company to carry out its obligations in this respect.

 

  (d)

Neither the acquisition by the Company otherwise than for valuable consideration of all or any of the Euro Deferred Shares nor the redemption thereof nor the cancellation thereof by the Company in accordance with this Article shall constitute a variation or abrogation of the rights or privileges attached to the Euro Deferred Shares, and accordingly the Euro Deferred Shares or any of them may be so acquired, redeemed and cancelled without any such consent or sanction on the part of the Holders thereof. The rights conferred upon the Holders of the Euro Deferred Shares shall not be deemed to be varied or abrogated by the creation of further shares ranking in priority thereto or pari passu therewith.

 

3.4

The Board is authorised to issue all or any of the authorised but unissued preferred shares from time to time in one or more classes or series, and to fix for each such class or series such voting power, full or limited, or no voting power, and such designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board providing for the issuance of such class or series, including, without limitation, the authority to provide that any such class or series may be:

 

  (a)

redeemable at the option of the Company, or the Holders, or both, with the manner of the redemption to be set by the Board, and redeemable at such time or times, including upon a fixed date, and at such price or prices;

 

  (b)

entitled to receive dividends (which may be cumulative or non-cumulative) at such rates, on such conditions and at such times, and payable in preference to, or in such relation to, the dividends payable on any other class or classes of shares or any other series;

 

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  (c)

entitled to such rights upon the dissolution of, or upon any distribution of the assets of, the Company;

 

  (d)

convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes of shares, or of any other series of the same or any other class or classes of shares, of the Company at such price or prices or at such rates of exchange and with such adjustments as the Directors determine; or

 

  (e)

entitled to the right, voting separately as a class or with other Holders, to elect or appoint Directors generally or in certain circumstances,

 

  

which rights and restrictions may be as stated in such resolution or resolutions of the Directors as determined by them in accordance with this Article. The Board may at any time before the allotment of any preferred share by further resolution in any way amend the designations, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions, or vary or revoke the designations of such preferred shares.

 

3.5

Unless the Board specifically elects to treat such acquisition as a purchase for the purposes of the Acts, an ordinary share shall be deemed to be a Redeemable Share on, and from the time of, the existence or creation of an agreement, transaction or trade between the Company and any third party pursuant to which the Company acquires or will acquire ordinary shares, or an interest in ordinary shares, from such third party. In these circumstances, the acquisition of such shares or interest in shares by the Company shall constitute the redemption of a Redeemable Share in accordance with the Act.

 

4.

Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Act and the other provisions of this Article, the Company may:

 

4.1

pursuant to section 66 of the Act, issue any shares of the Company which are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the member on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by the Company in a general meeting (by Special Resolution) on the recommendation of the Directors;

 

4.2

without prejudice to any relevant special rights attached to any class of shares, purchase any of its own shares of any class (including any Redeemable Shares and without any obligation to purchase on any pro rata basis as between members or members of the same class) at any price and may cancel any shares so purchased or hold them as treasury shares (as defined in section 106 of the Act) and may reissue any such shares as shares of any class or classes; or

 

4.3

pursuant to section 83(3) of the Act, convert any of its shares into Redeemable Shares.

 

5.

Without prejudice to any special rights previously conferred on the Holders of any existing shares or class of shares, any share in the Company may be issued with such preferred or deferred or other special rights or such restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise, as the Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution determine.

6.

 

6.1

Without prejudice to the authority conferred on the Directors pursuant to Articles to issue preferred shares in the capital of the Company, if at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares the rights attached to any class may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the Holders of three-fourths of the issued shares in that class, or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the Holders of the shares of that class, provided that, if the relevant class of Holders has only one Holder, that person present in person or by proxy, shall constitute the necessary quorum. To every such meeting the provisions of Article 52 shall apply.

 

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6.2

The redemption or purchase of preferred shares or any class of preferred shares shall not constitute a variation of rights of the preferred Holders where the redemption or purchase of the preferred shares has been authorised solely by a resolution of the ordinary Holders.

 

6.3

The issue, redemption or purchase of any of the 10,000,000 serial preferred shares of US$0.0001 each shall not constitute a variation of the rights of the Holders of ordinary shares.

 

6.4

The issue of preferred shares or any class of preferred shares which rank junior to any existing preferred shares or class of preferred shares shall not constitute a variation of the existing preferred shares or class of preferred shares.

 

7.

The rights conferred upon the Holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith.

8.

 

8.1

Subject to the provisions of these Articles relating to new shares, the unissued shares of the Company shall be at the disposal of the Directors, and they may (subject to the provisions of the Acts) allot, grant options over or otherwise dispose of them to such persons, on such terms and conditions and at such times as they may consider to be in the best interests of the Company and its members, but so that no share shall be issued at a discount save in accordance with the Act, and so that, in the case of shares offered to the public for subscription, the amount payable on application on each share shall not be less than one-quarter of the nominal amount of the share and the whole of any premium thereon.

 

8.2

Subject to any requirement to obtain the approval of members under any laws, regulations or the rules of any stock exchange to which the Company is subject, the Board is authorised, from time to time, in its discretion, to grant such persons, for such periods and upon such terms as the Board deems advisable, options to purchase or subscribe for such number of shares of any class or classes or of any series of any class as the Board may deem advisable, and to cause warrants or other appropriate instruments evidencing such options to be issued.

 

8.3

The Directors are, for the purposes of the Act, generally and unconditionally authorised to exercise all powers of the Company to allot and issue relevant securities (as defined by section 1021 of the Act) up to the amount of Company’s authorised share capital and to allot and issue any shares purchased by the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Act and held as treasury shares and this authority shall expire five years from 1 October 2013.

 

8.4

The Directors are hereby empowered pursuant to section 1023 of the Act to allot equity securities within the meaning of the said section 1023 for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by Article 8.3 as if section 1022(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment. The Company may before the expiry of such authority make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if the power conferred by this Article had not expired.

 

8.5

Nothing in these Articles shall preclude the Directors from recognising a renunciation of the allotment of any shares by any allottee in favour of some other person.

 

12


9.

The Company may pay commission to any person in consideration of a person subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, for any shares in the Company or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional, for any shares in the Company on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may determine, including, without limitation, by paying cash or allotting and issuing fully or partly paid shares or any combination of the two. The Company may also, on any issue of shares, pay such brokerage as may be lawful.

 

10.

Except as required by law, no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any share upon any trust, and the Company shall not be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any share or any interest in any fractional part of a share or (except only as by these Articles or by law otherwise provided) any other rights in respect of any share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the Holder. This shall not preclude the Company from requiring the members or a transferee of shares to furnish the Company with information as to the beneficial ownership of any share when such information is reasonably required by the Company.

 

11.

The shares of the Company may be either represented by certificates or, if the conditions of issue of the relevant shares so provide, by uncertificated shares. Except as required by law, the rights and obligations of the Holders of uncertificated shares and the rights and obligations of the Holders of shares represented by certificates of the same class shall be identical.

 

12.

Any person claiming a share certificate to have been lost, destroyed or stolen, shall make an affidavit or affirmation of that fact, and if required by the Board shall advertise the same in such manner as the Board may require, and shall give the Company, its transfer agents and its registrars a bond of indemnity, in form and with one or more sureties satisfactory to the Board or anyone designated by the Board with authority to act thereon, whereupon a new certificate may be executed and delivered of the same tenor and for the same number of shares as the one alleged to have been lost, destroyed or stolen.

Disclosure of beneficial ownership

13.

 

13.1

If at any time the Directors are satisfied that any member, or any other person appearing to be interested in shares held by such member: (x) has been duly served with a Disclosure Notice and is in default for the prescribed period (as defined in Article 13.6(b)) in supplying to the Company the information thereby required; or (y) in purported compliance with such a notice, has made a statement which is false or inadequate in a material particular, then the Directors may, in their absolute discretion at any time thereafter by notice (a “direction notice”) to such member direct that:

 

  (a)

in respect of the shares in relation to which the default occurred (the “default shares”) the member shall not be entitled to attend or to vote at a general meeting either personally or by proxy or to exercise any other right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company; and

 

  (b)

where the nominal value of the default shares represents at least 0.25 per cent. of the nominal value of the issued shares of the class concerned, then the direction notice may additionally direct that:

 

  (i)

except in a liquidation of the Company, no payment shall be made of any sums due from the Company on the default shares, whether in respect of capital or dividend or otherwise, and the Company shall not have any liability to pay interest on any such payment when it is finally paid to the member;

 

  (ii)

no other distribution shall be made on the default shares; and / or

 

13


  (iii)

no transfer of any of the default shares held by such member shall be registered unless:

 

  (1)

the member is not himself in default as regards supplying the information requested and the transfer when presented for registration is accompanied by a certificate by the member in such form as the Directors may in their absolute discretion require to the effect that after due and careful enquiry the member is satisfied that no person in default as regards supplying such information is interested in any of the shares the subject of the transfer; or

 

  (2)

the transfer is an approved transfer (as defined in Article 13.6(c)),

 

  

the Company shall send to each other person appearing to be interested in the shares the subject of any direction notice a copy of the notice, but the failure or omission by the Company to do so shall not invalidate such notice.

 

13.2

Where any person appearing to be interested in the default shares has been duly served with a direction notice or copy thereof and the default shares which are the subject of such direction notice are held by an Approved Nominee, the provisions of this Article shall be treated as applying only to such default shares held by the Approved Nominee and not (insofar as such person’s apparent interest is concerned) to any other shares held by the Approved Nominee.

 

13.3

Where the member upon whom a Disclosure Notice is served is an Approved Nominee acting in its capacity as such, the obligations of the Approved Nominee as a member of the Company shall be limited to disclosing to the Company such information as has been recorded by it relating to any person appearing to be interested in the shares held by it.

 

13.4

Any direction notice shall cease to have effect:

 

  (a)

in relation to any shares which are transferred by such member by means of an approved transfer; or

 

  (b)

when the Directors are satisfied that such member, and any other person appearing to be interested in shares held by such member, has given to the Company the information required by the relevant Disclosure Notice.

 

13.5

The Directors may at any time give notice cancelling a direction notice.

 

13.6

For the purposes of this Article:

 

  (a)

a person shall be treated as appearing to be interested in any shares if the member holding such shares has given to the Company a response to a Disclosure Notice which either (a) names such person as being so interested or (b) fails to establish the identities of all those interested in the shares and (after taking into account the said response and any other relevant information provided pursuant to a Disclosure Notice) the Company knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the person in question is or may be interested in the shares;

 

  (b)

the prescribed period is 28 days from the date of service of the said Disclosure Notice unless the nominal value of the default shares represents at least 0.25 per cent of the nominal value of the issued shares of that class, when the prescribed period is 14 days from that date;

 

14


  (c)

a transfer of shares is an approved transfer if but only if:

 

  (i)

it is a transfer of shares to an offeror by way or in pursuance of acceptance of an offer made to all the Holders (or all the Holders other than the person making the offer and his nominees) of the shares in the Company to acquire those shares or a specified proportion of them; or

 

  (ii)

the Directors are satisfied that the transfer is made pursuant to a sale of the whole of the beneficial ownership of the shares the subject of the transfer to a party unconnected with the member and with other persons appearing to be interested in such shares; or

 

  (iii)

the transfer results from a sale made through a stock exchange on which the Company’s shares are normally traded.

 

13.7

Nothing contained in this Article shall limit the power of the Company under section 1066 of the Act.

 

13.8

For the purpose of establishing whether or not the terms of any notice served under this Article shall have been complied with the decision of the Directors in this regard shall be final and conclusive and shall bind all persons interested.

Lien

 

14.

The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on every share (not being a fully paid share) for all moneys (whether immediately payable or not) called or payable at a fixed time or in accordance with the terms of issue of such share in respect of such share. The Directors may at any time declare any share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company’s lien on a share shall extend to all dividends payable thereon.

 

15.

The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any shares on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless a sum in respect of which the lien exists is immediately payable, nor until the expiration of 14 days after a notice in writing, stating and demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is immediately payable, has been given to the Holder for the time being of the share or the person entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy.

 

16.

To give effect to any such sale, the Directors may authorise some person to transfer the shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall be registered as the Holder of the shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale. Where a share, which is to be sold as provided for in Article 26, is held in uncertificated form, the Directors may authorise some person to do all that is necessary under the Companies Act 1990 (Uncertificated Securities) Regulations 1996 (S.I. No. 68 of 1996) and / or under any regulations made under section 1086 of the Act to change such share into certificated form prior to its sale.

 

17.

The proceeds of the sale shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is immediately payable, and the residue, if any, shall (subject to a like lien for sums not immediately payable as existed upon the shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the shares at the date of the sale.

 

18.

Whenever any law for the time being of any country, state or place imposes or purports to impose any immediate or future or possible liability upon the Company to make any payment or empowers any government or taxing authority or government official to require the Company to make any payment in respect of any shares registered in the Register as held either jointly or solely by any Holder or in respect of any dividends, bonuses or other moneys due or payable or accruing due or which may become due or payable to such Holder by the Company on or in respect of any shares registered as aforesaid or for or on account or in respect of any Holder and whether in consequence of:

 

  (a)

the death of such Holder;

 

15


  (b)

the non-payment of any income tax or other tax by such Holder;

 

  (c)

the non-payment of any estate, probate, succession, death, stamp, or other duty by the executor or administrator of such Holder or by or out of his estate; or

 

  (d)

any other act or thing,

 

  

in every such case (except to the extent that the rights conferred upon Holders of any class of shares render the Company liable to make additional payments in respect of sums withheld on account of the foregoing):

 

  (A)

the Company shall be fully indemnified by such Holder or his executor or administrator from all liability;

 

  (B)

the Company shall have a lien upon all dividends and other moneys payable in respect of the shares registered in the Register as held either jointly or solely by such Holder for all moneys paid or payable by the Company in respect of such shares or in respect of any dividends or other moneys as aforesaid thereon or for or on account or in respect of such Holder under or in consequence of any such law together with interest at the rate of fifteen percent per annum thereon from the date of payment to date of repayment and may deduct or set off against such dividends or other moneys payable as aforesaid any moneys paid or payable by the Company as aforesaid together with interest as aforesaid;

 

  (C)

the Company may recover as a debt due from such Holder or his executor or administrator wherever constituted any moneys paid by the Company under or in consequence of any such law and interest thereon at the rate and for the period aforesaid in excess of any dividends or other moneys as aforesaid then due or payable by the Company;

 

  (D)

the Company may, if any such money is paid or payable by it under any such law as aforesaid, refuse to register a transfer of any shares by any such Holder or his executor or administrator until such money and interest as aforesaid is set off or deducted as aforesaid, or in case the same exceeds the amount of any such dividends or other moneys as aforesaid then due or payable by the Company, until such excess is paid to the Company; and

 

  (E)

subject to the rights conferred upon the Holders of any class of shares, nothing herein contained shall prejudice or affect any right or remedy which any law may confer or purport to confer on the Company and as between the Company and every such Holder as aforesaid, his estate representative, executor, administrator and estate wheresoever constituted or situate, any right or remedy which such law shall confer or purport to confer on the Company shall be enforceable by the Company.

Calls on shares

 

19.

The Directors may from time to time make calls upon the members in respect of any moneys unpaid on their shares (whether on account of the nominal value of the shares or by way of premium) and not by the conditions of allotment thereof made payable at fixed times or in accordance with such terms of allotment, and each member shall (subject to receiving at least 14 days’ notice specifying the time or times and place of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times and place so specified the amount called on his shares. A call may be revoked or postponed as the Directors may determine.

 

16


20.

A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising the call was passed and may be required to be paid by instalments.

 

21.

The joint Holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.

 

22.

If a sum called in respect of a share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest on the sum from the day appointed for payment thereof to the time of actual payment at such rate as the Directors may determine, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of such interest wholly or in part.

 

23.

Any sum which by the terms of issue of a share becomes payable on allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the nominal value of the share or by way of premium, shall for the purpose of these Articles be deemed to be a call duly made and payable on the date on which, by the terms of issue, the same becomes payable, and in case of non-payment all the relevant provisions of these Articles as to payment of interest and expenses, forfeiture or otherwise, shall apply as if such sum had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

24.

The Directors may, on the issue of shares, differentiate between the Holders as to the amount of calls to be paid and the time of payment.

 

25.

The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any member willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become payable) pay interest at such rate not exceeding (unless the Company in general meeting otherwise directs) fifteen per cent per annum, as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the member paying such sum in advance.

Transfer of Shares

26.

 

26.1

Subject to compliance with the Acts and to any applicable restrictions contained in these Articles, applicable law, including U.S. securities laws, and any agreement binding on such Holder as to which the Company is aware, any Holder may transfer all or any of its shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual common form or in any other form or by any other method permissible under applicable law, as may be approved by the Directors. The instrument of transfer of any share may be executed for and on behalf of the transferor by the Secretary, Assistant Secretary or any duly authorised delegate or attorney of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary (whether an individual, a corporation or other body of persons, whether corporate or not, and whether in respect of specific transfers or pursuant to a general standing authorisation) and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary or a relevant authorised delegate shall be deemed to have been irrevocably appointed agent for the transferor of such share or shares with full power to execute, complete and deliver in the name of and on behalf of the transferor of such share or shares all such transfers of shares held by the members in the share capital of the Company. Any document which records the name of the transferor, the name of the transferee, the class and number of shares agreed to be transferred and the date of the agreement to transfer shares, shall, once executed by the transferor or the Secretary or Assistant Secretary or relevant authorised delegate as agent for the transferor, be deemed to be a proper instrument of transfer for the purposes of section 94 of the Act. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the Holder of the share until the name of the transferee is entered on the Register in respect thereof, and neither the title of the transferee nor the title of the transferor shall be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale should the Directors so determine.

 

17


26.2

The Company, at its absolute discretion, may, or may procure that a subsidiary of the Company shall, pay Irish stamp duty arising on a transfer of shares on behalf of the transferee of such shares of the Company. If stamp duty resulting from the transfer of shares in the Company which would otherwise be payable by the transferee is paid by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company on behalf of the transferee, then in those circumstances, the Company shall, on its behalf or on behalf of its subsidiary (as the case may be), be entitled to (i) seek reimbursement of the stamp duty from either the transferee or, at the Company’s sole discretion, the transferor; (ii) set-off the stamp duty against any dividends payable to the transferee of those shares; and (iii) claim a first and permanent lien on the shares on which stamp duty has been paid by the Company or its subsidiary for the amount of stamp duty paid. The Company’s lien shall extend to all dividends paid on those shares.

 

26.3

Notwithstanding the provisions of these Articles and subject to any regulations made under section 239 of the Companies Act 1990 or section 1086 of the Act, title to any shares in the Company may also be evidenced and transferred without a written instrument in accordance with regulations made under section 239 of the Companies Act 1990 or under section 1086 of the Act. The Directors shall have power to permit any class of shares to be held in uncertificated form and to implement any arrangements they think fit for such evidencing and transfer which accord with such regulations and in particular shall, where appropriate, be entitled to disapply or modify all or part of the provisions in these Articles with respect to the requirement for written instruments of transfer and share certificates (if any), in order to give effect to such regulations.

 

27.

Subject to such of the restrictions of these Articles and to such of the conditions of issue of any share warrants as may be applicable, any share warrant may be transferred by instrument in writing in any usual or common form or any other form which the Directors may approve.

 

28.

The Directors in their absolute discretion and without assigning any reason therefor may decline to register any transfer of a share which is not fully paid. The Directors may also decline to recognise any instrument of transfer unless:

 

28.1

the instrument of transfer is duly stamped (if required by law) and lodged with the Company, at such place as the Directors shall appoint for the purpose, accompanied by the certificate for the shares (if any has been issued) to which it relates, and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

28.2

the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of share; and

 

28.3

they are satisfied that all applicable consents, authorisations, permissions or approvals required to be obtained pursuant to any applicable law or agreement prior to such transfer have been obtained or that no such consents, authorisations, permissions or approvals are required.

 

29.

If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within two months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company, send to the transferee notice of the refusal.

 

30.

In order that the Directors may determine the members entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the members entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of shares, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining members for such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Directors adopt the resolution relating thereto.

 

18


31.

Registration of transfers may be suspended at such times and for such period, not exceeding in the whole 30 days in each year, as the Directors may from time to time determine subject to the requirements of section 174 of the Act.

 

32.

All instruments of transfer shall upon their being lodged with the Company remain the property of the Company and the Company shall be entitled to retain them.

Transmission of Shares

 

33.

In the case of the death of a member, the survivor or survivors, where the deceased was a joint Holder, and the personal representatives of the deceased where he was a sole Holder, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his interest in the shares; but nothing herein contained shall release the estate of a deceased joint Holder from any liability in respect of any share which had been jointly held by him with other persons. For greater certainty, where two or more persons are registered as joint Holders of a share or shares, then in the event of the death of any joint Holder or Holders the remaining joint Holder or Holders shall be absolutely entitled to the said share or shares and the Company shall recognise no claim in respect of the estate of any joint Holder except in the case of the last survivor of such joint Holders.

 

34.

Any person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member may, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time properly be required by the Directors and subject as herein provided, elect either to be registered himself as Holder of the share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the transferee thereof, but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the shares by that member before his death or bankruptcy, as the case may be. If the person so becoming entitled elects to be registered himself, he shall deliver or send to the Company a notice in writing signed by him stating that he so elects. If he elects to have another person registered, he shall testify his election by executing to that person a transfer of the share. All the limitations, restrictions and provisions of these Articles relating to the right to transfer and the registration of transfers of shares shall be applicable to any such notice or transfer as aforesaid as if the death or bankruptcy of the member had not occurred and the notice of transfer were a transfer signed by that member.

 

35.

A person becoming entitled to a share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the Holder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Holder of the share, except that he shall not, before being registered as a member in respect of the share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to the meetings of the Company, so, however, that the Directors may at any time give notice requiring such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the share, and if the notice is not complied with within 60 days, the Directors may thereupon withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other moneys payable in respect of the share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.

Forfeiture of Shares

 

36.

If a member fails to pay any call or instalment of a call on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of the call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued.

 

37.

The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of 14 days from the date of service of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that, in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed, the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

19


38.

If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with any shares in respect of which the notice has been given, may, at any time thereafter, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect. Such forfeiture shall include all dividends declared in respect of the forfeited shares and not actually paid before the forfeiture.

 

39.

A forfeited share shall be deemed to be the property of the Company and may be sold, reoffered or otherwise disposed of either to the person who was, before the forfeiture, the Holder thereof or entitled thereto or to any other person on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit.

 

40.

When any share has been forfeited, notice of the forfeiture shall be served upon the person who was before forfeiture the Holder of the share, but no forfeiture shall be in any manner invalidated by any omission or neglect to give such notice.

 

41.

A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a member in respect of the forfeited shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which, at the date of forfeiture, were payable by him to the Company in respect of the shares, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all such moneys in respect of the shares.

 

42.

A statutory declaration that the declarant is a Director or the Secretary, and that a share in the Company has been duly forfeited on the date stated in the declaration, shall be conclusive evidence of the facts therein stated as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share. The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for the share on any sale or disposition thereof and may execute a transfer of the share in favour of the person to whom the share is sold or disposed of and he shall thereupon be registered as the Holder of the share, and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the share.

 

43.

The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the nominal value of the share or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

44.

The Directors may accept the surrender of any share which the Directors have resolved to have been forfeited upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed and, subject to any such terms and conditions, a surrendered share shall be treated as if it has been forfeited.

Financial assistance

 

45.

The Company may give any form of financial assistance which is permitted by the Acts for the purpose of or in connection with an acquisition by subscription, purchase, exchange or otherwise, made or to be made by any person of or for any shares in the Company or in the Company’s holding company.

Alteration of Capital

 

46.

The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase its authorised share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such amount, as the resolution shall prescribe.

 

47.

In addition, and without prejudice, to the Company’s rights under section 83 of the Act, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

20


47.1

reduce its authorised share capital;

 

47.2

consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into shares of larger amount than its existing shares;

 

47.3

subdivide its existing shares, or any of them, into shares of smaller amount than is fixed by this constitution;

 

47.4

make provision for the issue and allotment of shares which do not carry any voting rights;

 

47.5

cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and reduce the amount of its authorised share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled; and

 

47.6

subject to applicable law, change the currency denomination of its share capital.

Where any difficulty arises in regard to any division, consolidation or sub-division under this Article 47, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular, may arrange for the sale of the shares representing fractions and the distribution of the net proceeds of sale in due proportion amongst the Holders who would have been entitled to the fractions, and for this purpose the Directors may authorise some person to transfer the shares representing fractions to the purchaser thereof, who shall not be bound to see to the application of purchase money nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings related to the sale.

 

48.

In accordance with section 84 of the Act, the Company may by Special Resolution reduce its issued share capital, any capital redemption reserve fund, any share premium account or any undenominated capital in any manner and with and subject to any incident authorised, and consent required, by law. Nothing in this Article 48 shall, however, prejudice or limit the Company’s ability to perform or engage in any of the actions described in section 83(1) of the Act by way of Ordinary Resolution only.

General meetings

 

49.

The Company shall in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting in addition to any other meeting in that year, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Not more than 15 months shall elapse between the date of one annual general meeting of the Company and that of the next. Subject to section 176 of the Act, all general meetings of the Company may be held outside of Ireland.

 

50.

All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

51.

The Directors may, whenever they think fit, convene an extraordinary general meeting, and extraordinary general meetings shall also be convened on such requisition, or in default may be convened by such requisitionists, as provided in section 178(3) of the Act.

 

52.

All provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to every separate general meeting of the Holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, except that:

 

52.1

the necessary quorum shall be two or more persons holding or representing by proxy (whether or not such Holder actually exercises his voting rights in whole, in part or at all at the relevant general meeting) more than 50% of the total issued-voting rights of the Company’s shares, provided, however, that if the class of shares shall have only one Holder, one Holder present in person or by proxy shall constitute the necessary quorum;

 

21


52.2

any Holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll; and

 

52.3

on a poll, each Holder of shares of the class shall have one vote in respect of every share of the class held by him.

 

53.

A Director shall be entitled, notwithstanding that he is not a member, to attend and speak at any general meeting and at any separate meeting of the Holders of any class of shares in the Company.

Notice of General Meetings

54.

 

54.1

Subject to the provisions of the Acts allowing a general meeting to be called by shorter notice, an annual general meeting, and an extraordinary general meeting called for the passing of a Special Resolution, shall be called by not less than 21 Clear Days’ notice and all other extraordinary general meetings shall be called by not less than 14 Clear Days’ notice.

 

54.2

Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner permitted by these Articles to all Shareholders (other than those who, under the provisions of these Articles or the terms of issue of the shares which they hold, are not entitled to receive such notice from the Company) and to each Director and to the Auditors.

 

54.3

Any notice convening a general meeting shall specify the time and place of the meeting and, in the case of special business, the general nature of that business and, in reasonable prominence, that a member entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend, speak and vote in his place and that a proxy need not be a member of the Company. It shall also give particulars of any Directors who are to retire at the meeting and of any persons who are recommended by the Directors for election or re- election as Directors at the meeting or in respect of whom notice has been duly given to the Company of the intention to propose them for election or re-election as Directors at the meeting. Provided that the latter requirement shall only apply where the intention to propose the person has been received by the Company in accordance with the provisions of these Articles. Subject to any restrictions imposed on any shares, the notice of the meeting shall be given to all the Holders of any class of shares of the Company as of the record date set by the Directors other than shares which, under the terms of these Articles or the terms of allotment of such shares, are not entitled to receive such notice from the Company, and to the Directors and the Auditors.

 

54.4

The Board may fix a future time not exceeding 60 days preceding any meeting of Shareholders as a record date for the determination of the Shareholders entitled to attend and vote at any such meeting or any adjournments thereof, and, in such case, only Shareholders of record at the time so fixed shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at such meetings or any adjournment thereof. Subject to section 174 of the Act, the Board may close the Register against transfers of Shares during the whole or part of the period between the record date so fixed and the date of such meeting or the date to which such meeting is adjourned. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining the Shareholders who are entitled to vote at a meeting of Shareholders shall be close of business on the date preceding the day on which notice is given.

 

54.5

The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or, in cases where instruments of proxy are sent out without the notice, the accidental omission to send such instrument of proxy to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting or instrument of proxy by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at the meeting.

 

54.6

A Holder of shares present, either in person or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company or of the Holders of any class of shares in the Company shall be deemed to have received notice of the meeting and, where required, of the purposes for which it was called.

 

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54.7

Upon request in writing of Shareholders holding such number of shares as is prescribed by section 178(3) of the Act, delivered to the Office, it shall be the duty of the Directors to convene a general meeting to be held within two months from the date of the deposit of the requisition in accordance with the section 178(3) of the Act. If such notice is not given within two months after the delivery of such request, the requisitionists, or any one of them representing more than one half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three months from the said date and any notice of such meeting shall be in compliance with these Articles.

55.

 

55.1

The Directors may postpone a general meeting of the members (other than a meeting requisitioned by a member in accordance with section 178(3) of the Act or where the postponement of which would be contrary to the Acts or a court order pursuant to the Acts) after it has been convened, and notice of such postponement shall be served in accordance with Article 54 upon all members entitled to notice of the meeting so postponed setting out, where the meeting is postponed to a specific date, notice of the new meeting in accordance with Article 54.

 

55.2

The Directors may cancel a general meeting of the members (other than a meeting requisitioned by a member in accordance with section 178(3) of the Act or where the cancellation of which would be contrary to the Acts or a court order pursuant to the Acts) after it has been convened, and notice of such cancellation shall be served in accordance with Article 54 upon all members entitled to notice of the meeting so cancelled.

Proceedings at General Meetings

 

56.

No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, a quorum shall be two or more persons holding or representing by proxy (whether or not such Holder actually exercises his voting rights in whole, in part or at all at the relevant general meeting) more than 50% of the total issued voting rights of the Company’s shares, provided that if the Company has only one member, one member present in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted as present for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum.

 

57.

If within five minutes from the time appointed for a general meeting (or such longer interval as the chairman of the meeting may think fit to allow) a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of members, shall be dissolved. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to such other day and such other time and place as the chairman of the meeting shall determine. The Company shall give not less than five days’ notice of any meeting adjourned through want of a quorum.

 

58.

All business shall be deemed special that is transacted at an extraordinary general meeting. All business that is transacted at an annual general meeting shall also be deemed special, with the exception of:

 

  (a)

the consideration of the Company’s statutory financial statements and the report of the Directors and the report of the Auditors on those statements and that report;

 

  (b)

the review by the members of the Company’s affairs;

 

  (c)

the declaration of a dividend (if any) of an amount not exceeding the amount recommended by the Directors;

 

  (d)

the authorisation of the Directors to approve the remuneration of the Auditors;

 

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  (e)

the election of Directors in place of those retiring (whether by rotation or otherwise); and

 

  (f)

(subject to sections 380 and 382 to 385 of the Act) the appointment or re-appointment of Auditors.

 

59.

A meeting of the members or any class thereof may be held by means of such telephone, electronic or other communication facilities (including, without limitation of the foregoing, by telephone or video conferencing) as permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously, and participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence at such meeting.

 

60.

No business may be transacted at a meeting of members, other than business that is either proposed by or at the direction of the Directors; proposed at the direction of the High Court of Ireland; proposed on the requisition in writing of such number of members as is prescribed by, and is made in accordance with, the relevant provisions of the Acts and, in respect of an annual general meeting only, these Articles; or the chairman of the meeting determines in his absolute and sole discretion that the business may properly be regarded as within the scope of the meeting. For business or nominations to be properly brought by a member at any general meeting, the member proposing such business must be a Holder of record at the time of giving of the notice provided for in Articles 54 and 55 and must be entitled to vote at such meeting and any proposed business must be a proper matter for member action.

61.

 

61.1

Subject to the Acts, a resolution may only be put to a vote at a general meeting of the Company if:

 

  (a)

it is specified in the notice of the meeting; or

 

  (b)

it is otherwise properly brought before the meeting by the chairman of the meeting or by or at the direction of the Board; or

 

  (c)

it is proposed at the direction of a court of competent jurisdiction; or

 

  (d)

it is proposed with respect to an extraordinary general meeting in the requisition in writing for such meeting made by such number of Shareholders as is prescribed by (and such requisition in writing is made in accordance with) section 178(3) of the Act; or

 

  (e)

in the case of an annual general meeting, it is proposed in accordance with Article 70; or

 

  (f)

it is proposed in accordance with Article 118; or

 

  (g)

the chairman of the meeting in his discretion decides that the resolution may properly be regarded as within the scope of the meeting.

 

62.

No amendment may be made to a resolution at or before the time when it is put to a vote unless the chairman of the meeting in his absolute discretion decides that the amendment or the amended resolution may properly be put to a vote at that meeting.

 

63.

If the chairman of the meeting rules a resolution or an amendment to a resolution admissible or out of order, as the case may be, the proceedings of the meeting or on the resolution in question shall not be invalidated by any error in his ruling. Any ruling by the chairman of the meeting in relation to a resolution or an amendment to a resolution shall be final and conclusive, subject to any subsequent order by a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

24


64.

The Chairman, if any, of the Board, shall preside as chairman at every meeting of the Company, or if there is no such Chairman, or if he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

65.

If at any meeting no Director is willing to act as chairman of the meeting or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

66.

The chairman of the meeting may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present, and shall if so directed by the meeting, adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting is adjourned for three months or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of the original meeting. Save as aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.

 

67.

The Board may, and at any general meeting or meeting of a class of members, the chairman of such meeting may, make any arrangement and impose any requirement or restriction it or he considers appropriate to ensure the security of the meeting including, without limitation, requirements for evidence of identity to be produced by those attending the meeting, the searching of their personal property and the restriction of items that may be taken into the meeting place. The Board and, at any general meeting or meeting of a class of members, the chairman of such meeting, is entitled to refuse entry to a person who refuses to comply with any such arrangements, requirements or restrictions.

68.

 

68.1

The Board may make such arrangements as it considers appropriate to enable the members to participate in any general meeting by means of two-way, audio-visual electronic facilities, so as to permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously, and participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

 

68.2

The Board may, and at any general meeting or meeting of a class of members, the chairman of such meeting may make any arrangement and impose any requirement as may be reasonable for the purpose of verifying the identity of members participating by way of electronic facilities, as described in Article 68.1.

 

69.

Subject to section 193 of the Act and the requirements of the Acts, anything which may be done by resolution in general meeting may, without a meeting and without any previous notice being required, be done by resolution in writing, signed by all of the Shareholders entitled generally to vote at general meetings who at the date of the resolution in writing would be entitled to attend a meeting and vote on the resolution and if described as a Special Resolution shall be deemed to be a Special Resolution or a Special Resolution of the class, as applicable. Such resolution in writing may be signed in as many counterparts as may be necessary. This Article 69 shall not apply to those matters required by the Acts to be carried out in a meeting.

 

69.1

For the purposes of any written resolution under this Article 69, the date of the resolution in writing is the date when the resolution is signed by, or on behalf of, the last Shareholder to sign and any reference in any enactment to the date of passing of a resolution is, in relation to a resolution in writing made in accordance with this Article 69, a reference to such date.

 

69.2

A resolution in writing made in accordance with this Article 69 is as valid as if it had been passed by the Company in general meeting.

 

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Advance notice of member business and nominations for Annual General Meetings

 

70.

In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business or nominations to be properly brought before an annual general meeting by a member, such member must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary of the Company.

 

71.

To be timely for an annual general meeting, a member’s notice to the Secretary as to the business or nominations to be brought before the meeting must be delivered to or mailed and received at the Office not less than 120 calendar days nor more than 150 calendar days before the first anniversary of the notice convening the Company’s annual general meeting for the prior year; provided, however, that in the event that less than 70 days’ notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the meeting is given or made to Shareholders, notice by the Shareholder must be so delivered not later than the close of business on the 15th calendar day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual general meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a member’s notice as described in Articles 72 and 73.

 

72.

A member’s notice to the Secretary must set forth as to each matter such member proposes to bring before the meeting:

 

72.1

a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and if such business includes a proposal to amend the Articles of the Company, the text of the proposed amendment) and the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting;

 

72.2

as to the member giving the notice:

 

  (a)

the name and address, as they appear in the Register, of such member and any Member Associated Person covered by clauses (b) and (c) below;

 

  (b)

(A) the class and number of shares of the Company which are held of record or are beneficially owned by the member and by any Member Associated Person with respect to the Company’s securities; (B) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding in connection with the proposal of such business between or among such member and any Member Associated Person, any of their respective affiliates or associates, and any others (including their names) acting as a “group” (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5(b) under the Exchange Act) with any of the foregoing; (C) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including, regardless of the form of settlement, any derivative, long or short positions, profit interests, options, warrants, convertible securities, stock appreciation or similar rights, hedging transactions, and borrowed or loaned securities) that has been entered into, the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, manage risk or benefit from share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, such member or such Member Associated Person, with respect to shares of the Company; (D) a representation that the member is a Holder of shares of the Company (either of record or beneficially) entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such business; (E) a representation whether the member or the Member Associated Person, if any, intends or is part of a group which intends (x) to deliver a proxy statement and / or form of proxy to Holders of at least the percentage of the Company’s outstanding shares required to adopt the proposal and / or (y) otherwise to solicit proxies from members in support of such proposal. If requested by the Company, the information required under clauses (A), (B) and (C) of the preceding sentence shall be supplemented by such member and any Member Associated Person not later than ten days after the later of the record date for the meeting or the date notice of the record date is first publicly disclosed to disclose such information as of the record date; and

 

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  (c)

any material interest of the member or any Member Associated Person in such business.

 

  

The chairman of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether any business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article, and if any proposed business is not in compliance with this Article, to declare that such defective proposal shall be disregarded. The chairman of such meeting shall, if the facts reasonably warrant, refuse to acknowledge that a proposal that is not made in compliance with the procedure specified in this Article, and any such proposal not properly brought before the meeting, be considered.

73.

 

73.1

A member’s notice to the Secretary must set forth as to each person whom the member proposes to nominate for election as a Director all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors in an election contest, or as otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as nominee and to serving as Director if elected); and

 

  (a)

the name and address, as they appear in the Register, of such member and any Member Associated Person covered by clause (b) below; and

 

  (b)

(A) the class and number of shares of the Company which are held of record or are beneficially owned by the member and by any Member Associated Person with respect to the Company’s securities; (B) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding in connection with the nomination between or among such member and any Member Associated Person, any of their respective affiliates or associates, and any others (including their names) acting as a “group” (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5(b) under the Exchange Act) with any of the foregoing; (C) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including, regardless of the form of settlement, any derivative, long or short positions, profit interests, options, warrants, convertible securities, stock appreciation or similar rights, hedging transactions, and borrowed or loaned securities) that has been entered into as of the date of the member’s notice by, or on behalf of, such member and any Member Associated Person, the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, manage risk or benefit from share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, such member or such Member Associated Person, with respect to shares of the Company; (D) a representation that the member is a Holder of shares of the Company (either of record or beneficially) entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such nomination; (E) a representation whether the member or the Member Associated Person, if any, intends or is part of a group which intends (x) to deliver a proxy statement and / or form of proxy to Holders of at least the percentage of the Company’s outstanding shares required to adopt the proposal and / or (y) otherwise to solicit proxies from members in support of such proposal. If requested by the Company, the information required under clauses (A), (B) and (C) of the preceding sentence shall be supplemented by such member and any Member Associated Person not later than ten days after the later of the record date for the meeting or the date notice of the record date is first publicly disclosed to disclose such information as of the record date.

 

73.2

The Company may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as it may reasonably require, including the completion of any questionnaires to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Director of the Company and the impact that such service would have on the ability of the Company to satisfy the requirements of laws, rules, regulations and listing standards applicable to the Company or its Directors.

 

27


73.3

The chairman of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article, and if any proposed nomination is not in compliance with this Article, to declare that such defective nomination shall be disregarded. The chairman of such meeting shall, if the facts reasonably warrant, refuse to acknowledge a nomination that is not made in compliance with the procedure specified in this Article, and any such nomination not properly brought before the meeting shall not be considered.

 

74.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of Articles 72 and 73, unless otherwise required by law, if the member (or a qualified representative of the member) does not appear at the annual general meeting to present a nomination or proposed business, such nomination shall be disregarded and such proposed business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Company. For purposes of Articles 72 and 73, to be considered a qualified representative of the member, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such member or must be authorized by a writing executed by such member or an electronic transmission delivered by such member to act for such member as proxy at the meeting of member and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the general meeting of members.

 

75.

In addition, if the member intends to solicit proxies from the members of the Company, such member shall notify the Company of this intent in accordance with Rule 14a-4 and / or Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act. Any references in these Articles to the Exchange Act or the rules promulgated thereunder are not intended to and shall not limit any requirements applicable to member nominations or proposals as to any other business to be considered pursuant to these Articles and compliance with these Articles shall be the exclusive means for a member to make nominations or submit proposals for any other business to be considered at an annual general meeting (other than matters brought properly under and in compliance with Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, or any successor rule). Nothing in these Articles shall be deemed to affect any rights of members to request inclusion of proposals in the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act.

Voting, proxies and corporate representatives

 

76.

Except where (i) a greater majority is required by the Acts or these Articles; or (ii) where plurality voting is required pursuant to Article 121.2, any question, business or resolution proposed at any general meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast.

 

77.

Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any class of shares, at any meeting of the Company each member present in person shall be entitled to one vote on any question to be decided on a show of hands and each member in person or by proxy shall be entitled on a poll to one vote for each share held by him.

 

78.

At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by:

 

78.1

the chairman of the meeting; or

 

78.2

by at least three members present in person or represented by proxy; or

 

78.3

by any member or members present in person or represented by proxy and representing not less than one-tenth of the total voting rights of all the members having the right to vote at the meeting; or

 

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78.4

by a member or members holding shares in the Company conferring the right to vote at the meeting being shares on which an aggregate sum has been paid up equal to not less than one-tenth of the total sum paid up on all the shares conferring that right.

 

  

Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman of the meeting that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book containing the minutes of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution.

 

  

The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.

 

79.

Except as provided in Article 80, if a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the Chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

80.

A poll demanded on the election of the Chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the Chairman of the meeting directs, and any business other than that on which a poll has been demanded may be proceeded with pending the taking of the poll.

 

81.

When there are joint Holders, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint Holders; and for this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register.

 

82.

A member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction (whether in Ireland or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder, may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, receiver, guardian or other person appointed by that court and any such committee, receiver, guardian or other person may vote by proxy on a show of hands or on a poll. Evidence to the satisfaction of the Directors of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote shall be received at the Office or at such other address as is specified in accordance with these Articles for the receipt of appointments of proxy, not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the right to vote is to be exercised and in default the right to vote shall not be exercisable.

 

83.

No member shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless any calls or other sums immediately payable by him in respect of shares in the Company have been paid.

 

84.

No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered, and every vote not disallowed at such meeting shall be valid for all purposes. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the Chairman of the meeting, whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

85.

A Holder entitled to more than one vote on a poll need not use all his votes or cast all the votes he uses in the same way.

 

86.

If:

 

86.1

any objection shall be raised as to the qualification of any voter; or

 

86.2

any votes have been counted which ought not to have been counted or which might have been rejected; or

 

86.3

any votes are not counted which ought to have been counted,

 

29


  

the objection or error shall not vitiate the decision of the meeting or adjourned meeting on any resolution unless the same is raised or pointed out at the meeting or, as the case may be, the adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered or at which the error occurs. Any objection or error shall be referred to the chairman of the meeting and shall only vitiate the decision of the meeting on any resolution if the chairman decides that the same may have affected the decision of the meeting. The decision of the chairman on such matters shall be final and conclusive.

 

87.

Votes may be given either personally or by proxy.

88.

 

88.1

Every member entitled to attend and vote at a general meeting may appoint a proxy to attend, speak and vote on his behalf and may appoint more than one proxy to attend, speak and vote at the same meeting. The appointment of a proxy shall be in any form consistent with the Acts which the Directors may approve and, if required by the Company, shall be signed by or on behalf of the appointor. In relation to written proxies, a body corporate may sign a form of proxy under its common seal or under the hand of a duly authorised officer thereof or in such other manner as the Directors may approve. A proxy need not be a member of the Company. The appointment of a proxy in electronic or other form shall only be effective in such manner as the Directors may approve. An instrument or other form of communication appointing or evidencing the appointment of a proxy or a corporate representative (other than a standing proxy or representative) together with such evidence as to its due execution as the board may from time to time require, may be returned to the address or addresses stated in the notice of meeting or adjourned meeting or any other information or communication by such time or times as may be specified in the notice of meeting or adjourned meeting or in any other such information or communication (which times may differ when more than one place is so specified) or, if no such time is specified, at any time prior to the holding of the relevant meeting or adjourned meeting at which the appointee proposes to vote, and, subject to the Acts, if not so delivered the appointment shall not be treated as valid.

 

88.2

Without limiting the foregoing, the Directors may from time to time permit appointments of a proxy to be made by means of an electronic or internet communication or facility and may in a similar manner permit supplements to, or amendments or revocations of, any such electronic or internet communication or facility to be made. The Directors may in addition prescribe the method of determining the time at which any such electronic or internet communication or facility is to be treated as received by the Company. The Directors may treat any such electronic or Internet communication or facility which purports to be or is expressed to be sent on behalf of a Holder of a share as sufficient evidence of the authority of the person sending that instruction to send it on behalf of that Holder.

 

89.

Any body corporate which is a member of the Company may authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of members of the Company and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the body corporate which he represents as that body corporate could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company. The Company may require evidence from the body corporate of the due authorisation of such person to act as the representative of the relevant body corporate.

 

90.

An appointment of proxy relating to more than one meeting (including any adjournment thereof) having once been received by the Company for the purposes of any meeting shall not require to be delivered, deposited or received again by the Company for the purposes of any subsequent meeting to which it relates.

 

91.

Receipt by the Company of an appointment of proxy in respect of a meeting shall not preclude a member from attending and voting at the meeting or at any adjournment thereof. An

 

30


  appointment proxy shall be valid, unless the contrary is stated therein, as well for any adjournment of the meeting as for the meeting to which it relates. A standing proxy shall be valid for all meetings and adjournments thereof or resolutions in writing, as the case may be, until notice of revocation is received by the Company. Where a standing proxy exists, its operation shall be deemed to have been suspended at any meeting or adjournment thereof at which the Holder is present or in respect to which the Holder has specially appointed a proxy. The Directors may from time to time require such evidence as it shall deem necessary as to the due execution and continuing validity of any standing proxy and the operation of any such standing proxy shall be deemed to be suspended until such time as the Directors determine that they have received the requested evidence or other evidence satisfactory to it.

 

92.

A vote given or poll demanded in accordance with the terms of an appointment of proxy or a resolution authorising a representative to act on behalf of a body corporate shall be valid notwithstanding the death or insanity of the principal, or the revocation of the appointment of proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was appointed or of the resolution authorising the representative to act or transfer of the share in respect of which the proxy was appointed or the authorisation of the representative to act was given, provided that no intimation in writing (whether in electronic form or otherwise) of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer shall have been received by the Company at the Office before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the appointment of proxy is used or at which the representative acts PROVIDED HOWEVER, that where such intimation is given in electronic form it shall have been received by the Company before the commencement of the meeting.

 

93.

The Directors may send, at the expense of the Company, by post, electronic mail or otherwise, to the members forms for the appointment of a proxy (with or without stamped envelopes for their return) for use at any general meeting or at any class meeting, either in blank or nominating any one or more of the Directors or any other persons in the alternative.

 

94.

The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll.

Directors

 

95.

The number of Directors shall (subject to: (a) automatic increases to accommodate the exercise of the rights of Holders of any class or series of shares then in issue having special rights to nominate or appoint Directors in accordance with the terms of issue of such class or series of shares; and / or (b) any resolution passed in accordance with Article 121.1) not be less than five nor more than fourteen, with the exact number of Directors (the “Actual Board Size”) determined from time to time solely by the Board. The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, provided that if the number of the Directors is reduced below the prescribed minimum the remaining Director or Directors shall appoint forthwith an additional Director or additional Directors to make up such minimum or shall convene a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment.

96.

 

96.1

Each Director shall be entitled to receive such fees for his services as a Director, if any, as the Board may from time to time determine. Each Director shall be paid all expenses properly and reasonably incurred by him in the conduct of the Company’s business or in the discharge of his duties as a Director, including his reasonable travelling, hotel and incidental expenses in attending and returning from meetings of the Board or any committee of the Board or general meetings.

 

96.2

Each Director is expressly permitted (for the purposes of section 228(1)(d) of the Act) to use the Company’s property subject to such conditions as may be approved by the Board or such conditions as may have been approved pursuant to such authority as may be delegated by the Board in accordance with these Articles and including in each case for a Director’s own benefit or for the benefit of another person.

 

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97.

The Board may from time to time determine that, subject to the requirements of the Acts, all or part of any fees or other remuneration payable to any Director of the Company shall be provided in the form of shares or other securities of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, or options or rights to acquire such shares or other securities, on such terms as the Board may decide.

 

98.

If any Director shall be called upon to perform extra services which in the opinion of the Directors are outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a Director, the Company may remunerate such Director either by a fixed sum or by a percentage of profits or otherwise as may be determined by a resolution passed at a meeting of the Directors and such remuneration may be either in addition to or in substitution for any other remuneration to which he may be entitled as a Director.

 

99.

No shareholding qualification for Directors shall be required. A Director who is not a member of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to attend and speak at general meetings.

 

100.

Unless the Company otherwise directs, a Director of the Company may be or become a Director or other officer of, or otherwise interested in, any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as Holder or otherwise, and no such Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a Director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company.

Borrowing powers

 

101.

Subject to the Act, the Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow or raise money, and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property, assets and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock, guarantees and other securities whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party, without any limitation as to amount.

Powers and duties of the Directors

 

102.

Subject to the provisions of the Acts and these Articles, the Board shall manage the business and affairs of the Company and may exercise all of the powers of the Company as are not required by the Acts or by these Articles to be exercised by the Company in general meeting. No alteration of these Articles shall invalidate any prior act of the Board which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made. The powers given by this Article shall not be limited by any special power given to the Board by these Articles and, except as otherwise expressly provided in these Articles, a meeting of the Board at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in or exercisable by the Board.

 

103.

The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney appoint any company, firm or person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney may contain such provisions for the protection of persons dealing with any such attorney as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such attorney to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.

 

104.

The Company may exercise the powers conferred by the Act with regard to having an official seal for use abroad and such powers shall be vested in the Directors.

 

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105.

A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors in accordance with section 231 of the Act.

106.

 

106.1

A Director who to his knowledge is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract, transaction or arrangement with the Company and has complied with the Acts and these Articles with regard to disclosure of his interest shall be entitled to vote in respect of any contract, transaction or arrangement in which he is so interested and if he shall do so his vote shall be counted, and he shall be taken into account in ascertaining whether a quorum is present, but the resolution with respect to the contract, transaction or arrangement will fail unless it is approved by a majority of the disinterested Directors voting on the resolution.

 

106.2

Where proposals are under consideration concerning the appointment (including fixing or varying the terms of appointment) of two or more Directors to offices or employments with the Company or any company in which the Company is interested, such proposals may be divided and considered in relation to each Director separately and in such case each of the Directors concerned shall be entitled to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of each resolution except that concerning his own appointment.

 

106.3

For the purposes of this Article, an interest of a person who is the spouse or a minor child of a Director shall be treated as an interest of the Director.

 

106.4

Nothing in section 228(1)(e) of the Act shall restrict a director from entering into any commitment which has been approved by the Board or has been approved pursuant to such authority as may be delegated by the Board in accordance with these Articles. It shall be the duty of each Director to obtain the prior approval of the Board, before entering into any commitment permitted by section 228(1)(e)(ii) and 228(2) of the Act.

 

106.5

The Company by Ordinary Resolution may suspend or relax the provisions of this Article to any extent or ratify any transaction not duly authorised by reason of a contravention of this Article.

 

107.

A Director may hold and be remunerated in respect of any other office or place of profit under the Company or any other company in which the Company may be interested (other than the office of auditor of the Company or any subsidiary thereof) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine, and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting or being interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract or arrangement with the Company or any such other company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profits and advantages accruing to him from any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established.

 

108.

So long as, where it is necessary, a Director declares the nature of his interest at the first opportunity at a meeting of the Board or by writing to the Directors, a Director shall not by reason of his office be accountable to the Company for any benefit which he derives from any office or employment to which these Articles allow him to be appointed or from any transaction or arrangement in which these Articles allow him to be interested, and no such transaction or arrangement shall be liable to be avoided on the ground of any interest or benefit.

 

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109.

To the maximum extent permitted from time to time under the laws of Ireland, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities that are from time to time presented to its Directors, officers or members or the affiliates of the foregoing, other than those Directors, officers or members or affiliates who are employees of the Company. No amendment or repeal of this Article shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any such Director, officer or member or affiliate of the Company for or with respect to any opportunities of which such Director, officer or member or affiliate becomes aware prior to such amendment or repeal.

 

110.

The Directors may exercise the voting powers conferred by shares of any other company held or owned by the Company in such manner in all respects as they think fit and in particular they may exercise their voting powers in favour of any resolution appointing the Directors or any of them as Directors or officers of such other company or providing for the payment of remuneration or pensions to the Directors or officers of such other company.

 

111.

Any Director may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director, but nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor for the Company.

 

112.

All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and all receipts for money paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed, as the case may be, by such person or persons and in such manner as the Directors shall from time to time by resolution determine.

 

113.

The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books provided for the purpose:

 

113.1

of all appointments of officers made by the Directors;

 

113.2

of the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and

 

113.3

of all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company and of the Directors and of committees of Directors.

 

114.

The Directors, on behalf of the Company, may procure the establishment and maintenance of or participate in, or contribute to any non-contributory or contributory pension or superannuation fund, scheme or arrangement or life assurance scheme or arrangement for the benefit of, and pay, provide for or procure the grant of donations, gratuities, pensions, allowances, benefits or emoluments to any persons (including Directors or other officers) who are or shall have been at any time in the employment or service of the Company or of any company which is or was a subsidiary of the Company or of the predecessor in business of the Company or any such subsidiary or holding Company and the wives, widows, families, relatives or dependants of any such persons. The Directors may also procure the establishment and subsidy of or subscription to and support of any institutions, associations, clubs, funds or trusts calculated to be for the benefit of any such persons as aforesaid or otherwise to advance the interests and well-being of the Company or of any such other Company as aforesaid, or its members, and payments for or towards the insurance of any such persons as aforesaid and subscriptions or guarantees of money for charitable or benevolent objects or for any exhibition or for any public, general or useful object. Any Director shall be entitled to retain any benefit received by him under this Article, subject only, where the Acts require, to disclosure to the members and the approval of the Company in general meeting.

Disqualification of Directors

 

115.

The office of a Director shall be vacated ipso facto if the Director:

 

115.1

is restricted or disqualified to act as a Director under the provisions of Part 14 of the Act; or

 

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115.2

is prohibited by law from being a director; or

 

115.3

resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company or in writing offers to resign and the Directors resolve to accept such offer; or

 

115.4

is removed from office under Article 122.

Appointment, rotation and removal of Directors

 

116.

At each annual general meeting of the Company, all the Directors shall retire from office and be re-eligible for re-election.

 

117.

Upon the resignation or termination of office of any Director, if a new Director shall be appointed to the Board he will be designated to fill the vacancy arising.

 

118.

 

118.1

No person shall be appointed a Director, unless nominated in accordance with the provisions of this Article 118. Nominations of persons for appointment as Directors may be made:

 

  (a)

by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Board; or

 

  (b)

with respect to election at an annual general meeting, by any Shareholder who holds Ordinary Shares or other shares carrying the general right to vote at general meetings of the Company, who is a Shareholder at the time of the giving of the notice provided for in Article 70 and at the time of the relevant annual general meeting, and who timely complies with the notice procedures set forth in Articles 71 - 73; or

 

  (c)

with respect to election at an extraordinary general meeting requisitioned in accordance with section 178(3) of the Act, by a Shareholder or Shareholders who hold Ordinary Shares or other shares carrying the general right to vote at general meetings of the Company and who make such nomination in the written requisition of the extraordinary general meeting and in compliance with the other provisions of these Articles and the Acts relating to nominations of Directors and the proper bringing of special business before an extraordinary general meeting; or

 

  (d)

by Holders of any class or series of shares in the Company then in issue having special rights to nominate or appoint Directors in accordance with the terms of issue of such class or series, but only to the extent provided in such terms of issue,

 

  

(sub-clauses (b), (c) and (d) being the exclusive means for a Shareholder to make nominations of persons for election to the Board).

 

118.2

For nominations of persons for election as Directors at an extraordinary general meeting to be in proper written form, a Shareholder’s notice must comply with the requirements outlined in Articles 72 and 73.

 

118.3

The determination of whether a nomination of a candidate for election as a Director of the Company has been timely and properly brought before such meeting in accordance with this Article 118 will be made by the presiding officer of such meeting. If the presiding officer determines that any nomination has not been timely and properly brought before such meeting, he or she will so declare to the meeting and such defective nomination will be disregarded.

 

119.

A retiring Director shall be eligible to be nominated for re-election at an annual general meeting.

 

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120.

If a Director stands for re-election in circumstances other than a contested election (as such term is defined in Article 121.2 below), he shall be deemed to have been re-elected, unless at such meeting the Ordinary Resolution for the re-election of such Director has been defeated.

121.

 

121.1

The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the maximum number of Directors.

 

121.2

Each Director shall be elected by an Ordinary Resolution at an annual general meeting (or an extraordinary general meeting called for that purpose), provided that if, at any general meeting, the election of all Director nominees in this manner would cause the Actual Board Size to be exceeded (a “contested election”), each of those nominees shall be voted upon as a separate resolution and the Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at any such meeting and entitled to vote on the election of Directors.

 

  

For the purposes of this Article 121.2, “elected by a plurality of the votes” means the election of those Director nominees, equalling in number to the number of positions available to be filled at the relevant general meeting (i.e. such that the Actual Board Size is not exceeded), that received the highest number of votes cast in their favour.

 

122.

The Company may, by Ordinary Resolution, remove any Director before the expiration of his period of office notwithstanding anything in these Articles or in any agreement between the Company and such Director. Such removal shall be without prejudice to any claim such Director may have for damages for breach of any contract of service between him and the Company.

 

123.

The Directors may appoint a person who is willing to act to be a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director, provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with these Articles as the maximum number of Directors.

 

124.

Subject to the requirements and restrictions contained in these Articles (in particular, Article 95), the Company may by Ordinary Resolution elect another person in place of a Director removed from office under Article 122; and without prejudice to the powers of the Directors under Article 123 the Company in general meeting may elect any person to be a Director either to fill a vacancy or (subject to not exceeding the Actual Board Size) an additional Director.

Officers

 

125.

The Board may elect a chairman of the Board and determine the period for which he is to hold office and may appoint any person (whether or not a Director) to fill the position of chief executive officer (who may be the same person as the chairman of the Board). The chairman of the Board shall vacate that office if he vacates his office as a Director (otherwise than by the expiration of his term of office at a general meeting of the Company at which he is re-appointed).

 

126.

The Board may from time to time appoint one or more of its body to hold any office or position with the Company for such period and on such terms as the Board may determine and may revoke or terminate any such appointment. Any such revocation or termination shall be without prejudice to any claim for damages that such Director may have against the Company or the Company may have against such Director for any breach of any contract of service between him and the Company that may be involved in such revocation or termination or otherwise. Any person so appointed shall receive such remuneration, if any (whether by way of salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise), as the Board may determine.

 

36


127.

In addition, the Board may appoint any person, whether or not he is a Director, to hold such executive or official position (except that of Auditor) as the Board may from time to time determine. The same person may hold more than one office or executive or official position.

 

128.

Any person elected or appointed pursuant to Articles 125 to 127 (inclusive) shall hold his office or other position for such period and on such terms as the Board may determine and the Board may revoke or vary any such election or appointment at any time by resolution of the Board. Any such revocation or variation shall be without prejudice to any claim for damages that such person may have against the Company or the Company may have against such person for any breach of any contract of service between him and the Company which may be involved in such revocation or variation. If any such office or other position becomes vacant for any reason, the vacancy may be filled by the Board.

 

129.

Except as provided in the Act or these Articles, the powers and duties of any person elected or appointed to any office or executive or official position pursuant to Articles 125 to 127 (inclusive) shall be such as are determined from time to time by the Board.

 

130.

The use or inclusion of the word “officer” (or similar words) in the title of any executive or other position shall not be deemed to imply that the person holding such executive or other position is an “officer” of the Company within the meaning of the Acts.

 

131.

The Secretary (including one or more deputy or Assistant Secretaries) shall be appointed by the Directors at such remuneration (if any) and upon such terms as it may think fit and any Secretary so appointed may be removed by the Directors.

 

131.1

It shall be the duty of the Secretary to make and keep records of the votes, doings and proceedings of all meetings of the members and Board of the Company, and of its committees, and to authenticate records of the Company.

 

131.2

A provision of the Acts or these Articles requiring or authorising a thing to be done by or to a Director and the Secretary shall not be satisfied by its being done by or to the same person acting both as Director and as, or in place of, the Secretary.

Proceedings of Directors

132.

 

132.1

The Directors may meet together for the dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings as they may think fit. The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors shall be a majority of the Directors in office at the time when the meeting is convened. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. Each Director present and voting shall have one vote.

 

132.2

Any Director may participate in a meeting of the Directors by means of telephonic or other similar communication whereby all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other speak, and participation in a meeting in this manner shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at such meeting and any Director may be situated in any part of the world for any such meeting.

 

132.3

A meeting of the Directors or any committee appointed by the Directors may be held by means of such telephone, electronic or other communication facilities (including, without limiting the foregoing, by telephone or by video conferencing) as permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously and participation

 

37


  in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such meeting. Such a meeting shall be deemed to take place where the largest group of those Directors participating in the meeting is physically assembled, or, if there is no such group, where the chairman of the meeting then is.

 

133.

The President or Chairman, as the case may be, or any four Directors, may, and the Secretary on the requisition of the President or Chairman, as the case may be, or any four Directors shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors.

 

134.

The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their number but, if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to that number or of summoning a general meeting of the Company but for no other purpose.

 

135.

The Board may from time to time designate committees of the Board, with such powers and duties as the Board may decide to confer on such committees, and shall, for those committees and any others provided for herein, elect a Director or Directors to serve as the member or members, designating, if it desires, other Directors as alternate members who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. Adequate provision shall be made for notice to members of all meetings of committees; a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum unless the committee shall consist of one or two members, in which event one member shall constitute a quorum; and all matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present. Action may be taken by any committee without a meeting if all members thereof consent thereto in writing, and the writing or writings are filed with the minutes of the proceedings of such committees.

 

136.

A committee may elect a chairman of its meeting. If no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

137.

All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors or by any person acting as a Director shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director.

 

138.

Notwithstanding anything in these Articles or in the Acts which might be construed as providing to the contrary, notice of every meeting of the Directors shall be given to all Directors either by mail not less than 48 hours before the date of the meeting, by telephone, email, or any other electronic means on not less than 24 hours’ notice, or on such shorter notice as person or persons calling such meeting may deem necessary or appropriate and which is reasonable in the circumstances. Any Director may waive any notice required to be given under these Articles, and the attendance of a Director at a meeting shall be deemed to be a waiver by such Director.

 

139.

A resolution or other document in writing (in electronic form or otherwise) signed (whether by electronic signature, advanced electronic signature or otherwise as approved by the Directors) by all the Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or of a committee of Directors shall be as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of Directors or (as the case may be) a committee of Directors duly convened and held and may consist of several documents in the like form each signed by one or more Directors, and such resolution or other document or documents when duly signed may be delivered or transmitted (unless the Directors shall otherwise determine either generally or in any specific case) by facsimile transmission, electronic mail or some other similar means of transmitting the contents of documents.

 

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Rights plan

 

140.

Subject to applicable law, the Board is hereby expressly authorised to adopt any shareholder rights plan or similar plan, agreement or arrangement pursuant to which, under circumstances provided therein, some or all Shareholders will have rights to acquire Shares or interests in Shares at a discounted price, upon such terms and conditions as the Board deems expedient and in the best interests of the Company.

The seal

 

141.

The Company, in accordance with Article 104, may have for use in any territory outside Ireland one or more additional Seals, each of which shall be a duplicate of the Seal with or without the addition on its face of the name of one or more territories, districts or places where it is to be used and a securities seal as provided for in the Act.

 

142.

Any Authorised Person may affix the Seal of the Company over his signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated or executed under Seal. Subject to the Acts, any instrument to which a Seal is affixed shall be signed by one or more Authorised Persons. As used in this Article 142, “Authorised Person” means (i) any Director, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, and (ii) any other person authorised for such purpose by the Board from time to time (whether, in the case of this clause (ii), identified individually or collectively and whether identified by name, title, function or such other criteria as the Board may determine).

Dividends and reserves

 

143.

The Company in general meeting may declare dividends, but no dividends shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.

 

144.

The Directors may from time to time pay to the members such interim dividends as appear to the Directors to be justified by the profits of the Company.

 

145.

No dividend or interim dividend shall be paid otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

 

146.

The Directors may, before recommending any dividend, set aside out of the profits of the Company such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose to which the profits of the Company may be properly applied and pending such application may at the like discretion either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments as the Directors may lawfully determine. The Directors may also, without placing the same to reserve, carry forward any profits which they may think it prudent not to divide.

 

147.

Subject to the rights of persons, if any, entitled to shares with special rights as to dividends, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the shares in respect whereof the dividend is paid, but no amount paid or credited as paid on a share in advance of calls shall be treated for the purposes of this Article as paid on the share. All dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the shares during any portion or portions of the period in respect of which the dividend is paid; but if any share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, such share shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

148.

The Directors may deduct from any dividend payable to any member all sums of money (if any) immediately payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise in relation to the shares of the Company.

 

39


149.

Any general meeting declaring a dividend or bonus and any resolution of the Directors declaring an interim dividend may direct payment of such dividend, bonus or interim dividend wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of paid up shares, debentures or debenture stocks of any other company or in any one or more of such ways, and the Directors shall give effect to such resolution, and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient, and in particular may fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any members upon the footing of the value so fixed, in order to adjust the rights of all the parties, and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors.

 

150.

Any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of any share may be paid by cheque or warrant sent by post, at the risk of the person or persons entitled thereto, to the registered address of the Holder or, where there are joint Holders, to the registered address of that one of the joint Holders who is first named on the members Register or to such person and to such address as the Holder or joint Holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent and payment of the cheque or warrant shall be a good discharge to the Company. Any joint Holder or other person jointly entitled to a share as aforesaid may give receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of the share. Any such dividend or other distribution may also be paid by any other method (including payment in a currency other than US$, electronic funds transfer, direct debit, bank transfer or by means of a relevant system) which the Directors consider appropriate and any member who elects for such method of payment shall be deemed to have accepted all of the risks inherent therein. The debiting of the Company’s account in respect of the relevant amount shall be evidence of good discharge of the Company’s obligations in respect of any payment made by any such methods.

 

151.

No dividend shall bear interest against the Company.

 

152.

If the Directors so resolve, any dividend which has remained unclaimed for six years from the date of its declaration shall be forfeited and cease to remain owing by the Company. The payment by the Directors of any unclaimed dividend or other moneys payable in respect of a share into a separate account shall not constitute the Company a trustee in respect thereof.

Accounting Records and Financial Statements

153.

 

153.1

The Directors shall, in accordance with Chapter 2 Part 6 of the Act, cause to be kept adequate accounting records, whether in the form of documents, electronic form or otherwise, that are sufficient to:

 

  (a)

correctly record and explain the transactions of the Company;

 

  (b)

enable, at any time, the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company to be determined with reasonable accuracy;

 

  (c)

enable the Directors to ensure that any financial statements of the Company, required to be prepared under section 290 or 293 of the Act, and any directors’ report required to be prepared under section 325 of the Act, comply with the requirements of the Act and, where applicable, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation; and

 

  (d)

enable those financial statements of the Company so prepared to be audited.

 

153.2

The accounting records shall be kept on a continuous and consistent basis, which is to say, the entries in them shall be made in a timely manner and be consistent from one period to the next.

 

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  Adequate accounting records shall be deemed to have been maintained if they comply with the provisions of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of the Act and explain the Company’s transactions and facilitate the preparation of financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company, and, if relevant, the group and include any information and returns referred to in Section 282(3) of the Act.

 

153.3

The accounting records shall be kept at the Office or, subject to the provisions of the Act, at such other place as the Directors think fit and shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of the Directors.

 

153.4

In accordance with the provisions of the Acts, the Directors shall cause to be prepared and to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company from time to time such statutory financial statements of the Company and reports as are required by the Acts to be prepared and laid before such meeting.

 

153.5

A copy of the statutory financial statements of the Company (including every document required by law to be annexed thereto) which is to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company together with a copy of the Directors’ report and Auditors’ report, or, summary financial statements prepared in accordance with section 1119 of the Act, shall be sent by post, electronic mail or any other means of communication (electronic or otherwise), not less than 21 Clear Days before the date of the annual general meeting, to every person entitled under the provisions of the Acts to receive them; provided that in the case of those documents sent by electronic mail or any other means of electronic communication, such documents shall be sent with the consent of the recipient, to the address of the recipient notified to the Company by the recipient for such purposes; and provided, where the Directors elect to send summary financial statements to the members, any member may request that he be sent a copy of the statutory financial statements of the Company.

Capitalisation of profits

 

154.

The Directors may resolve to capitalise any part of the amount for the time being standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or to the credit of the profit and loss account which is not available for distribution by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued shares to be allotted as fully paid bonus shares to those members of the Company who would have been entitled to that sum if it were distributable and had been distributed by way of dividend (and in the same proportions). In pursuance of any such resolution under this Article 154, the Directors shall make all appropriations and applications of the undivided profits resolved to be capitalised thereby and all allotments and issues of fully paid shares or debentures, if any, and generally shall do all acts and things required to give effect thereto with full power to the Directors to make such provisions as they shall think fit for the case of shares or debentures becoming distributable in fractions (and, in particular, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, either to disregard such fractions or to sell the shares or debentures represented by such fractions and distribute the net proceeds of such sale to and for the benefit of the Company or to and for the benefit of the members otherwise entitled to such fractions in due proportions) and to authorise any person to enter on behalf of all the members concerned into an agreement with the Company providing for the allotment to them respectively, credited as fully paid up, of any further shares or debentures to which they may become entitled on such capitalisation or, as the case may require, for the payment up by the application thereto of their respective proportions of the profits resolved to be capitalised of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing shares and any agreement made under such authority shall be binding on all such members.

Amendment of Articles

 

155.

Subject to the provisions of the Acts, the Company may by Special Resolution alter or add to its Articles.

 

41


Audit

 

156.

The Auditors shall be appointed and their duties regulated in accordance with the Act.

Merger mechanism

 

157.

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger, at the time the Merger became effective (the “Merger Effective Time”), US Holdco deposited with the exchange agent (the “Exchange Agent”) certificates or, at the Company’s option, evidence of shares in book entry form, representing all of the ordinary shares of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company (the “Company Shares”) in issue immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time (other than the seven Company Shares in issue at the date of adoption of these Articles (the “Company Subscriber Shares”). All certificates or evidence of shares in book entry form representing the Company Shares deposited with the Exchange Agent pursuant to the preceding sentence shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Actavis Exchange Fund”. After the Merger Effective Time, the Company caused the Exchange Agent to mail to each Holder of record of a certificate or certificates, which immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time represented outstanding Actavis Shares (the “Actavis Certificates”); and to each Holder of record of non-certificated outstanding Actavis Shares represented by book entry (the “Actavis Book Entry Shares”), which at the Merger Effective Time were converted into the right to receive, for each such Actavis Share, one Company Share (the “Merger Consideration”):

 

  (a)

a letter of transmittal which specified that delivery would be effected, and that risk of loss and title to the Actavis Certificates would pass, only upon delivery of the Actavis Certificates to the Exchange Agent or, in the case of the Actavis Book Entry Shares, upon adherence to the procedures set forth in the letter Of transmittal, and

 

  (b)

instructions for use in effecting the surrender of the Actavis Certificates and the Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable), in exchange for payment of the Merger Consideration therefor.

 

158.

Upon surrender of Actavis Certificates and / or Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) for cancellation to the Exchange Agent, together with such letter of transmittal, duly completed and validly executed in accordance with the instructions thereto, and such other documents as were reasonably required by the Exchange Agent, the Holder of such Actavis Certificates or Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) was entitled to receive in exchange therefore (i) that number of Company Shares into which such Holder’s Actavis shares represented by such Holder’s properly surrendered Actavis Certificates or Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) were converted pursuant to the Merger, and (ii) a cheque in an amount of US dollars equal to any cash dividends or other distributions that such Holder had a right to receive and the amount of any cash payable in lieu of any fractions of shares in the Company that such Holder had the right to receive pursuant to the Merger. In the event of transfers of ownership of shares of Actavis common stock which were not registered in the transfer records of Actavis, the proper number of Company Shares were capable of being transferred to a person other than the person in whose name the Actavis Certificate or the Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) so surrendered were registered, if such Actavis Certificate or the Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) were properly endorsed or otherwise were in proper form for transfer and the person requesting such transfer paid any transfer or other taxes required by reason of the transfer of Company Shares to a person other than the registered Holder of such Actavis Certificate or Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) or established to the reasonable satisfaction of the Exchange Agent that such tax was paid or was not applicable. Any portion of the Actavis Exchange Fund which was not transferred to the Holders of the Actavis Certificates or the Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) as of the one year anniversary of the Merger Effective Time, was delivered to the Company or its designee, upon demand, and the Company Shares included therein were sold at the best price reasonably

 

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  obtainable at that time. Any Holder of Actavis Certificates or Actavis Book Entry Shares (as applicable) who has not complied with the applicable exchange procedures or duly completed and validly executed the applicable documents necessary to receive the Merger Consideration, prior to the one year anniversary of the Merger Effective Time shall now look only to the Company for payment of such Holder’s claim for the Merger Consideration (subject to abandoned property, escheat or other similar applicable laws), such claim only being a claim for cash equal to the amount of monies received by the Company for sale of the Company Shares to which such Holder had been entitled pursuant to the Merger.

Notices

 

159.

Any notice to be given, served, sent or delivered pursuant to these Articles shall be in writing (whether in electronic form or otherwise).

160.

 

160.1

A notice or document to be given, served, sent or delivered in pursuance of these Articles may be given to, served on or delivered to any member by the Company:

 

  (a)

by handing same to him or his authorised agent;

 

  (b)

by leaving the same at his registered address;

 

  (c)

by sending the same by the post in a pre-paid cover addressed to him at his registered address;

 

  (d)

by sending the same by courier in a pre-paid cover addressed to him at his registered address; or

 

  (e)

by sending, with the consent of the member, the same by means of electronic mail or facsimile or other means of electronic communication approved by the Directors, with the consent of the member, to the address of the member notified to the Company by the member for such purpose (or if not so notified, then to the address of the member last known to the Company).

 

160.2

For the purposes of these Articles and the Act, a document shall be deemed to have been sent to a member if a notice is given, served, sent or delivered to the member and the notice specifies the website or hotlink or other electronic link at or through which the member may obtain a copy of the relevant document.

 

160.3

Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to Article 160.1(b) of this Article, the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the time the same was handed to the member or his authorised agent, or left at his registered address (as the case may be).

 

160.4

Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to Article 160.1(c) of this Article, the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the expiration of 48 hours after the cover containing it was posted.

 

160.5

Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to Article 160.1(d) of this Article the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the expiration of 24 hours after the cover containing it was posted. In proving service or delivery it shall be sufficient to prove that such cover was properly addressed, stamped and posted.

 

160.6

Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to Article 160.1(e) of this Article, the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the expiration of 12 hours after dispatch.

 

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160.7

Every legal personal representative, committee, receiver, curator bonis or other legal curator, assignee in bankruptcy, examiner or liquidator of a member shall be bound by a notice given as aforesaid if sent to the last registered address of such member, or, in the event of notice given or delivered pursuant to Article 160.1(e) of this Article, if sent to the address notified by the Company by the member for such purpose notwithstanding that the Company may have notice of the death, lunacy, bankruptcy, liquidation or disability of such member.

 

160.8

Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article the Company shall not be obliged to take account of or make any investigations as to the existence of any suspension or curtailment of postal services within or in relation to all or any part of any jurisdiction or other area other than Ireland.

 

160.9

Any requirement in these Articles for the consent of a member in regard to the receipt by such member of electronic mail or other means of electronic communications approved by the Directors, including the receipt of the Company’s audited accounts and the Directors’ and Auditor’s reports thereon, shall be deemed to have been satisfied where the Company has written to the member informing him/her of its intention to use electronic communications for such purposes and the member has not, within four weeks of the issue of such notice, served an objection in writing on the Company to such proposal. Where a member has given, or is deemed to have given, his/her consent to the receipt by such member of electronic mail or other means of electronic communications approved by the Directors, he/she may revoke such consent at any time by requesting the Company to communicate with him/her in documented form PROVIDED HOWEVER that such revocation shall not take effect until five days after written notice of the revocation is received by the Company.

 

160.10

Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 160.1(a) and 160.1(b), if at any time by reason of the suspension or curtailment of postal services in any territory, the Company is unable effectively to convene a general meeting by notices sent through the post, a general meeting may be convened by a public announcement and such notice shall be deemed to have been duly served on all members entitled thereto at noon on the day on which the said public announcement is made. In any such case the Company shall put a full copy of the notice of the general meeting on its website.

 

161.

A notice may be given by the Company to the joint Holders of a share by giving the notice to the joint Holder whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the share and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint Holders.

162.

 

162.1

Every person who becomes entitled to a share shall before his name is entered in the Register in respect of the share, be bound by any notice in respect of that share which has been duly given to a person from whom he derives his title.

 

162.2

A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member by sending or delivering it, in any manner authorised by these Articles for the giving of notice to a member, addressed to them at the address, if any, supplied by them for that purpose. Until such an address has been supplied, a notice may be given in any manner in which it might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

163.

The signature (whether electronic signature, an advanced electronic signature or otherwise) to any notice to be given by the Company may be written (in electronic form or otherwise) or printed.

 

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Winding up

 

164.

If the Company shall be wound up and the assets available for distribution among the members as such shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the paid up or credited as paid up share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the members in proportion to the capital paid up or credited as paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them respectively. And if in a winding up the assets available for distribution among the members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital paid up or credited as paid up at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributed among the members in proportion to the capital at the commencement of the winding up paid up or credited as paid up on the said shares held by them respectively. Provided that this Article shall not affect the rights of the Holders of shares issued upon special terms and conditions.

165.

 

165.1

In case of a sale by the liquidator under the Act, the liquidator may by the contract of sale agree so as to bind all the members for the allotment to the members directly of the proceeds of sale in proportion to their respective interests in the Company and may further by the contract limit a time at the expiration of which ’obligations or shares not accepted or required to be sold shall be deemed to have been irrevocably refused and be at the disposal of the Company, but so that nothing herein contained shall be taken to diminish, prejudice or affect the rights of dissenting members conferred by the said section.

 

165.2

The power of sale of the liquidator shall include a power to sell wholly or partially for debentures, debenture stock, or other obligations of another company, either then already constituted or about to be constituted for the purpose of carrying out the sale.

 

166.

If the Company is wound up, the liquidator, with the sanction of a Special Resolution and any other sanction required by the Acts, may divide among the members in specie or kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not), and, for such purpose, may value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the members or different classes of members. The liquidator, with the like sanction, may vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the contributories as, with the like sanction, he determines, but so that no member shall be compelled to accept any assets upon which there is a liability.

Limitation on liability

 

167.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, no Director or officer of the Company shall be personally liable to the Company or its Shareholders for monetary damages for his or her acts or omissions save where such acts or omissions involve negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust.

Indemnity

168.

 

168.1

Subject to the provisions of and so far as may be admitted by the Acts, every Director. and the Secretary of the Company shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company against all costs, charges, losses, expenses and liabilities incurred by him in the execution and discharge of his duties or in relation thereto including any liability incurred by him in defending any proceedings, civil or criminal, which relate to anything done or omitted or alleged to have been done or omitted by him as an officer or employee of the Company and in which judgment is given in his favour (or the proceedings are otherwise disposed of without any finding or admission of any material breach of duty on his part) or in which he is acquitted or in connection with any application under any statute for relief from liability in respect of any such act or omission in which relief is granted to him by the Court.

 

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168.2

The Directors shall have power to purchase and maintain for any Director, the Secretary or other employees of the Company insurance against any such liability as referred to in section 235 of the Act.

 

168.3

As far as is permissible under the Acts, the Company shall indemnify any current or former executive officer of the Company (excluding any present or former Directors of the Company or Secretary of the Company), or any person who is serving or has served at the request of the Company as a Director or executive officer of another company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including any Company subsidiary (each individually, a “Covered Person”), against any expenses, including attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, to which he or she was, is, or is threatened to be made a party, or is otherwise involved (a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a Covered Person; provided, however, that this provision shall not indemnify any Covered Person against any liability arising out of (a) any fraud or dishonesty in the performance of such Covered Person’s duty to the Company, or (b)(a) such Covered Party’s conscious, intentional or wilful breach of the obligation to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, this section shall not extend to any matter which would render it void pursuant to the Acts or to any person holding the office of auditor in relation to the Company.

 

168.4

In the case of any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding by or in the name of the Company, the Company shall indemnify each Covered Person against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defence or the settlement thereof, except no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for fraud or dishonesty in the performance of his or her duty to the Company, or for conscious, intentional or wilful breach of his or her obligation to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company, unless and only to the extent that the High Court of Ireland or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that despite the adjudication of liability, but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such Covered Person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court shall deem proper. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, this section shall not extend to any matter which would render it void pursuant to the Acts or to any person holding the office of Auditor in relation to the Company.

 

168.5

Any indemnification under this Article (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Company only as authorised in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Covered Person is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Article. Such determination shall be made by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the Company. To the extent, however, that any Covered Person has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defence of any proceeding, or in defence of any claim, issue or matter therein, such Covered Person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without necessity of authorisation in the specific case.

 

168.6

As far as permissible under the Acts, expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in defending any proceeding for which indemnification is permitted pursuant to this Article shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such proceeding upon receipt by the Board of an undertaking by the particular indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company pursuant to these Articles.

 

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168.7

It being the policy of the Company that indemnification of the persons specified in this Article shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law, the indemnification provided by this Article shall not be deemed exclusive (i) of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under these Articles, any agreement, any insurance purchased by the Company, vote of members or disinterested Directors, or pursuant to the direction (however embodied) of any court of competent jurisdiction, or otherwise, both as to action in his or her official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, or (ii) of the power of the Company to indemnify any person who is or was an employee or agent of the Company or of another company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise which he or she is serving or has served at the request of the Company, to the same extent and in the same situations and subject to the same determinations as are hereinabove set forth. As used in this Article, references to the “Company” include all constituent companies in a consolidation or merger in which the Company or a predecessor to the Company by consolidation or merger was involved. The indemnification provided by this Article shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of their heirs, executors, and administrators.

Untraced Holders

169.

 

169.1

The Company shall be entitled to sell at the best price reasonably obtainable any share of a member or any share to which a person is entitled by transmission if and provided that:

 

  (a)

for a period of six years (not less than three dividends having been declared and paid) no cheque or warrant sent by the Company through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to the member or to the person entitled by transmission to the share or stock at his address on the Register or other the last known address given by the member or the person entitled by transmission to which cheques and warrants are to be sent has been cashed and no communication has been received by the Company from the member or the person entitled by transmission;

 

  (b)

at the expiration of the said period of six years the Company has given notice by advertisement in a leading Dublin newspaper and a newspaper circulating in the area in which the address referred to in Article 169.1(a) is located of its intention to sell such share or stock;

 

  (c)

the Company has not during the further period of three months after the date of the advertisement and prior to the exercise of the power of sale received any communication from the member or person entitled by transmission; and

 

  (d)

if so required by the rules of any securities exchange upon which the shares in question are listed, notice has been given to that exchange of the Company’s intention to make such sale.

 

169.2

To the extent necessary in order to comply with any laws or regulations to which the Company is subject in relation to escheatment, abandonment of property or other similar or analogous laws or regulations (Applicable Escheatment Laws”), the Company may deal with any share of any member and any unclaimed cash payments relating to such share in any manner which it sees fit, including (but not limited to) transferring or selling such share and transferring to third parties any unclaimed cash payments relating to such share.

 

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169.3

The Company may only exercise the powers granted to it in this Article 169 in circumstances where it has complied with, or procured compliance with, the required procedures (as set out in Applicable Escheatment Laws) with respect to attempting to identify and locate the relevant member of the Company.

 

169.4

If during any six year period referred to in Article 169.1, further shares have been issued in right of those held at the beginning of such period or of any previously issued during such period and all the other requirements of this Article (other than the requirement that they be in issue for six years) have been satisfied in regard to the further shares, the Company may also sell the further shares.

 

169.5

To give effect to any such sale the Company may appoint any person to execute as transferor an instrument of transfer of such share and such instrument of transfer shall be as effective as if it had been executed by the registered Holder of or person entitled by transmission to such share.

 

169.6

The Company shall account to the member or other person entitled to such share for the net proceeds of such sale by carrying all moneys in respect thereof to a separate account which shall be a permanent debt of the Company and the Company shall be deemed to be a debtor and not a trustee in respect thereof for such member or other person. Monies carried to such separate account may either be employed in the business of the Company or invested in such investments (other than shares of the Company or its holding company if any) as the Directors may from time to time think fit.

Destruction of documents

 

170.

The Company may destroy:

 

170.1

any dividend mandate or any variation or cancellation thereof or any notification of change of name or address, at any time after the expiry of two years from the date such mandate variation, cancellation or notification was recorded by the Company;

 

170.2

any instrument of transfer of shares which has been registered, at any time after the expiry of six years from the date of registration;

 

170.3

all share certificates which have been cancelled at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of cancellation thereof;

 

170.4

all paid dividend warrants and cheques at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of actual payment thereof;

 

170.5

all instruments of proxy which have been used for the purpose of a poll at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of such use;

 

170.6

all instruments of proxy which have not been used for the purpose of a poll at any time after one month from the end of the meeting to which the instrument of proxy relates and at which no poll was demanded; and

 

170.7

any other document on the basis of which any entry in the Register was made, at any time after the expiry of six years from the date an entry in the Register was first made in respect of it,

 

  

and it shall be presumed conclusively in favour of the Company that every share certificate (if any) so destroyed was a valid certificate duly and properly sealed and that every instrument of transfer so destroyed was a valid and effective instrument duly and properly registered and that every other document destroyed hereunder was a valid and effective document in accordance with the recorded particulars thereof in the books or records of the Company provided always that:

 

  (a)

the foregoing provisions of this Article shall apply only to the destruction of a document in good faith and without express notice to the Company that the preservation of such document was relevant to a claim;

 

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  (b)

nothing contained in this Article shall be construed as imposing upon the Company any liability in respect of the destruction of any such document earlier than as aforesaid or in any case where the conditions of proviso (a) are not fulfilled; and

 

  (c)

references in this Article to the destruction of any document include references to its disposal in any manner.

Scheme of Arrangement

171.

 

  (a)

In these Articles, the “Scheme” or the “Scheme of Arrangement” means the scheme of arrangement dated 16 September 2019 between the Company and the holders of the scheme shares (which comprise the ordinary shares of the Company that are cancelled or transferred under the Scheme) (the “Scheme Shares”) under Chapter 1 of Part 9 of the Companies Act 2014 in its original form or with or subject to any modification, addition or condition approved or imposed by the Irish High Court and expressions defined in the Scheme and (if not so defined) in the document containing the explanatory statement circulated with the Scheme under Section 452 of the Companies Act 2014 shall have the same meanings in this Article 171.

 

  (b)

Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, if the Company allots and issues any ordinary shares (other than to Venice Subsidiary LLC (“Acquirer Sub”) and/or its nominee(s)) on or after the Voting Record Time (as defined in the Scheme of Arrangement) and prior to the Scheme Record Time (as defined in the Scheme of Arrangement), such shares shall be allotted and issued subject to the terms of the Scheme and the holder of holders of those shares shall be bound by the Scheme accordingly.

 

  (c)

Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, if any new ordinary shares of the Company are allotted or issued to any person (a “new member”) (other than to Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s)) on or after the Scheme Record Time, the new member shall, provided that the Scheme has become effective, have such shares (the “Post-Scheme Shares”) transferred immediately, free of all encumbrances, to Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s) as Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s) may direct in consideration of and conditional on the payment by Acquirer Sub to the new member of the consideration to which the new member would have been entitled under the terms of the Scheme had such ordinary shares transferred to Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s) hereunder been Scheme Shares at the Scheme Record Time.

 

  (d)

On any reorganisation of, or material alteration to, the share capital of the Company or AbbVie Inc. (“AbbVie”) (including, without limitation, any subdivision and/or consolidation), the value of the consideration per Post-Scheme Share under paragraph (c) above shall be adjusted by the Company and AbbVie in such manner as the auditors of the Company or an independent investment bank selected by the Company and AbbVie may determine to be fair and reasonable to reflect such reorganisation or alteration. References in this Article to shares shall, following such adjustment, be construed accordingly.

 

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  (e)

Fractions of shares of AbbVie common stock will not be issued or transferred to new members pursuant to this Article 171. Instead, new members shall receive in lieu of such fractional entitlements, cash in an amount in U.S. dollars (rounded down to the nearest cent) equal to such fractional amount multiplied by the last reported sale price of shares of AbbVie common stock on NYSE (as reported in The Wall Street Journal or, if not reported therein, in another authoritative source selected by AbbVie) on the last Business Day prior to the Effective Date.

 

  (f)

In order to give effect to any such transfer required by this Article 171, the Company may appoint any person to execute and deliver a form of transfer on behalf of or as attorney for, the new member in favour of Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s) without the need for any further action being required to give effect thereto. Pending the registration of Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s) as a holder of any share to be transferred under this Article 171, the new member shall not be entitled to exercise any rights attaching to any such share unless so agreed by Acquirer Sub and Acquirer Sub shall be irrevocably empowered to appoint a person nominated by Acquirer Sub to act as attorney or agent on behalf of any holder of that share in accordance with any directions Acquirer Sub may give in relation to any dealings with or disposal of that share (or any interest in it), the exercise of any rights attached to it or receipt of any distribution or other benefit accruing or payable in respect of it, and any holder(s) of that share must exercise all rights attaching to it in accordance with the directions of Acquirer Sub. The Company shall not be obliged to issue a certificate to the new member for any such share.

 

  (g)

In addition to the power in Article 154, the distributable reserve arising in the books of account of the Company as a result of the cancellation of the Cancellation Shares (as defined in the Scheme of Arrangement) may be applied by the Board at such time as the Board shall determine in paying up in full at par such number of New Allergan Shares (as defined in the Scheme of Arrangement) as shall be equal to the aggregate of the number of Cancellation Shares, such New Allergan Shares to be allotted and issued to Acquirer Sub and/or its nominee(s) in the manner described in the Scheme, credited as fully paid up and free from all liens, charges, encumbrances, rights of pre-emption and any other third-party rights of any nature whatsoever.

 

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We, the several persons whose names, addresses and descriptions are subscribed, wish to be formed into a company in pursuance of this constitution, and we agree to take the number of shares in the capital of the Company set opposite our respective names.

 

Name, address and description of subscriber

 

Number of shares taken by the subscriber

Signed:

 

Patrick Spicer

For and on behalf of

Matsack Nominees Limited

70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay

Dublin 2

Ireland

 

Body Corporate

 

1

 

(One)

Total shares taken   1 (One)
Dated 16 day of May 2013  

Witness to the above signature:

 

Name: Amelia Drumm

Address: 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2

Occupation: Company Secretary

 

 

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