Natural Resources: Recent Matters

• Acting for Noble & Company Limited in its role as nominated adviser and broker to Caza Oil & Gas, Inc. (a company jointly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and AIM), in connection with the Caza's secondary placing of shares on AIM, raising CAN$22m.
• Acting for European Gas Limited in its takeover of Heritage Petroleum Plc.
• Acting for HSBC Principal Investments in its investment in AIM-quoted diamond producer Kopane Diamond Developments Plc. The investment was structured with HSBC agreeing to take firm an initial 15% of the shares in Kopane with further shares being subscribed for as part of a general placing of Kopane to raise a total of £7 million before expenses.
• Acting for Petra Diamonds Limited in its acquisition of Kalahari Diamonds Limited.
• Advising an international mining company on its dispute with another mining company over an area of land in Sierra Leone, estimated to be home to around £2 billion worth of iron ore.
• Acting for Chariot Oil & Gas Limited in connection with the secondary placing of new ordinary shares and admission to AIM. The market capitalisation of Chariot on admission was £183.5 million, and the placing raised £45 million.
• Acting for Emerald Energy Plc in its acquisition of SNG Overseas Limited.
• Advising an international mining company on a major ICSID arbitration claim against the Government of Sierra Leone for breach by the Government of its international treaty obligations under a Bilateral Investment Treaty between the UK and Sierra Leone governments.
• Acting for Mintails Limited in its acquisition of Skeat Gold.
• Advising Carnegie Minerals and its Gambian subsidiary over the wrongful revocation of Carnegie's Mining Licence by the Government of the Gambia, the seizure of Carnegie's assets and the wrongful arrest and detention of Carnegie's General Manager.
• Acting for MDM Engineering Group Limited in connection with the placing of new common shares and admission to AIM. The market capitalisation of MDM Engineering on admission was £54.3 million, and the placing raised £4.4 million.
• Acting for Ambrian Partners Limited and Evolution Securities Limited in their role as joint brokers to Kalahari Minerals plc, in connection with Kalahari's secondary placing of new ordinary shares on AIM, which raised £14.4 million.
• Acting for Medoil Plc in its takeover by Cairn Energy.