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Ternium Informs the Market on Events Concerning Its Argentine Subsidiary Siderar
Ternium S.A. (NYSE:TX - News) provided today information to the market on certain events concerning its Argentine majority-owned subsidiary Siderar S.A.I.C.
As of the date hereof, 25.97% of Siderar is held by the Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social ("ANSeS"), Argentina's governmental social security agency. ANSeS became a shareholder of Siderar in the last quarter of 2008 as a result of the nationalization of Argentina's private pension system.
Investments held by the private pension funds were subject to certain restrictions, including a cap preventing them to exercise more than 5% of any company's voting rights (regardless of their share participation in any such company), and the act of Congress ordering the transfer of assets from the private pension funds to ANSeS provided that all limitations applicable to the pension funds would continue to apply to ANSeS. However, on April 13, 2011, the Argentine Executive Branch issued Decree 441/2011, which purports to abrogate the 5% cap on voting rights. Siderar and Ternium believe that Decree 441/2011 is unconstitutional based on, among other reasons, the absence of the urgency grounds that must be met for an act of Congress to be amended by a decree of the Executive Branch.
On April 15, 2011, Siderar's annual general shareholders' meeting resolved, among other things, to approve a dividend payment of AR$1.5 billion (US$370 million) to be made available to shareholders (including Ternium) beginning on May 6, 2011. At that meeting, Ternium objected to the exercise by ANSeS of voting rights in excess of the 5% cap; however, ANSeS was allowed to record its vote as though the 5% restriction did not apply. Although the ANSeS representative voted against the dividend payment and most other resolutions proposed by Siderar's board of directors, ANSeS did not prevail in any vote, even computing its votes without giving effect to the voting cap. Following the dividend approval, the shareholders' meeting was suspended until May 11, 2011.
After the meeting, the Comisión Nacional de Valores ("CNV"), Argentina's securities regulator, declared Siderar's shareholder meeting (including the resolution approving the US$370 million dividend) void for "administrative purposes." Siderar and Ternium believe that the CNV resolution is illegal and will challenge it in court. Ternium also intends to challenge in court Decree 441/2011. However, Ternium cannot give any assurance that it will collect the dividend approved by its subsidiary Siderar on its scheduled payment date.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements. These risks include but are not limited to risks arising from uncertainties as to gross domestic product, related market demand, global production capacity, tariffs, cyclicality in the industries that purchase steel products and other factors beyond Ternium's control.
Tags: provided private system restrictions