
Federal Court approves Rio Tinto buyout of ERA shares
The Federal Court of Australia has approved mining giant Rio Tinto's (ASX:RIO) application for the compulsory acquisition of all remaining ordinary shares in Energy Resources of Australia (ASX:ERA).
The judgement was handed down on June 5, overruling formal objections lodged by minority shareholders who collectively held more than 10% of the remaining stock.
The legal battle commenced under section 664F of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) following Rio Tinto's initial acquisition notice filed on April 11.
With the court's green light, Rio Tinto will now move forward to buy out the outstanding shares it does not already own at a consideration price of $0.002 per share.
As a direct consequence of the ruling, the Australian Securities Exchange is scheduled to automatically suspend trading of ERA’s securities in five business days, effective at the close of market on June 15.
While shares will continue to trade normally until the suspension date, ERA's board clarified that individuals who sell their shares on the open market prior to the deadline will forfeit their entitlement to the buyout payment under the acquisition notice.
At the company's request, the ASX has confirmed that ERA will remain on the official list until the 28-day appeal period has formally lapsed, giving stakeholders a final window to review the full judgement via the Commonwealth Courts web portal.