Vengold Expected To Reschedule Loans
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday August 3, 1999
Lihir Gold's second-largest shareholder, Canadian gold company Vengold, is expected to roll forward its debt repayment schedule on two separate loans worth $83 million in total, by the time the loans fall due tomorrow.
Vengold's move follows months of speculation over the future of its Lihir Gold shareholding, which it was forced to sell down in early June after shares in the Papua New Guinean goldminer fell below $1.
Speculation about Vengold's fragile financial state coupled with other ructions on the Lihir Gold register involving Niugini Mining sent the shares to a record low of 90c on June 23.
Vengold sold 25 million Lihir Gold shares it held directly after being margin-called by ANZ Investment Bank when it breached the loan-to-asset ratio coverage, reducing its total Lihir Gold stake to 15.8 per cent.
Vengold had earlier offloaded its 5 per cent stake in Niugini Mining, whose main investment is a 17.1 per cent shareholding in Lihir Gold, realising a loss on the investment. US goldminer Battle Mountain Gold has since announced its intention to sell its 50.1 per cent holding in Niugini.
Since their late-June lows, Lihir shares have risen strongly, closing at $1.17 yesterday, down 3c.
The first of the loans to be rescheduled on a long-term basis is a $52 million loan with ANZ Investment Bank that is secured over the 97.5 million Lihir shares, or 9.9 per cent, Vengold holds directly.
The second loan of $31 million to be rolled forward with ING Bank is secured through the remaining 5.9 per cent it holds indirectly through its joint shareholding vehicle with Rio Tinto, Southern Gold.
© 1999 Sydney Morning Herald