Regulated information, Leuven, 14 March 2013 (before trading)
Plaintiffs in minority claim against KBC Ancora lodge appeal
The four KBC Ancora shareholders whose claims were dismissed in their entirety by the Court of First Instance in Leuven on 24 October 2012 have lodged an appeal against the ruling.
Four KBC Ancora shareholders filed a minority claim in December 2008 against the statutory manager of KBC Ancora and against Cera. The plaintiffs contested the purchase of 2.3 million KBC Group shares by KBC Ancora in March 2007, which was effected in the context of the splitting of the KBC Ancora shares. The plaintiffs also contested the purchase of 3.9 million KBC Group shares by KBC Ancora which was effected in mid-2007 in order to ensure that, together with Cera, its shareholding in KBC Group would exceed the 30% threshold as set out in the Law of 1 April 2007 on public takeover bids, which came into force in Belgium on 1 September 2007. The main objective of their claim was that the defendants should acquire the purchased shares at the acquisition price.
In a ruling on 24 October 2012, the Court of First Instance in Leuven dismissed the claims in their entirety.
The plaintiffs lodged an appeal against this ruling on 13 March 2013.
The statutory manager of KBC Ancora is convinced that the transactions in question were decided upon and executed correctly, and accordingly looks forward to the outcome of the proceedings with every confidence.
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KBC Ancora is a listed company which holds almost 20% of the shares in KBC Group and which together with Cera, MRBB and the Other Permanent Shareholders is responsible for the shareholder stability and further development of the KBC group. As core shareholders of KBC Group, these parties have signed a shareholder agreement to this effect.
This press release is available in Dutch, French and English on the website www.kbcancora.be.
KBC Ancora Investor Relations & Press contact: Jan Bergmans
tel.: +32 (0)16 27 96 72
fax: +32 (0)16 27 96 94
e-mail: jan.bergmans@kbcancora.be
