Nigerian independent Midwestern Oil &Gas has entered into a binding agreement with SunTrust Oil Company Nigeria Limited, to acquire the latter’s equity interest in San Leon Energy.
San Leon holds 10% economic interest in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18, in which Midwestern is also an equity holder.
The AIM listed San Leon reports that Midwestern has notified the Company that Pursuant to the agreement, Midwestern will acquire a total of 71,487,179 ordinary shares in San Leon (representing 14.29 % of the issued ordinary shares of the Company and SunTrust’s entire remaining interest in the Company).
There is something curious about this breaking story for anyone who has chanced on the dispute between San Leon and Sun Trust. Just three months ago, Suntrust summoned San Leon Energy Plc and six other defendants to appear before a Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria, within 30 days in the suit number FHC/L/CS/793/2018 in respect of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18. The six other defendants in the suit are Midwestern Leon Petroleum Limited, Martwestern Energy Limited, Midwestern Oil and Gas Company Limited, Mart Resources Inc; Minister of Petroleum Resources and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). In the statements of claim Suntrust alleged that in order to acquire an indirect economic interest in OML 18, San Leon Energy Plc began acquiring direct and indirect interests in Martwestern Energy’s shareholding from March 2016, contrary to the November 2013 shareholders’ agreement between the plaintiff, Martwestern Energy, Midwestern Oil, and Mart Resources Inc. “San Leon Energy and Midwestern Oil and Gas formed Midwestern Leon Petroleum Limited as a special purpose vehicle to acquire and restore the entire shareholding in the Martwestern Energy outside the framework of the shareholders’ agreement,” Suntrust Oil alleges. The plaintiff argued that Midwestern Oil and Mart Resources Inc. transferred all their shareholdings, four million shares each, to Midwestern Leon Energy (Sale Shares), adding that Midwestern Leon did not execute the Deed of Accession as required by Clause 13 of the shareholders’ agreement.
San Leon had not made any public statement about resolution of this court dispute before the new story about Midwestern purchasing Sun Trust’s shares in San Leon.
San Leon merely states that Sun Trust’s shares in San Leon are being transferred to Midwestern in exchange for the transfer of interests in certain assets currently owned by Midwestern. San Leon has been informed by Midwestern that 47,243,590 ordinary shares in San Leon (representing 9.44% of issued ordinary shares) have already been transferred to Midwestern, and that the remaining shares will be transferred by SunTrust in the coming weeks.
San Leon says that the transaction does not directly involve San Leon or its assets.
I need a Leon to carry my market