EXHIBIT 10.3
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Agreement is made as of
December 12, 2007 by and between LIBERTY ACQUISITION HOLDINGS
CORP. (the “ Company ”) and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company (the “ Trustee
”).
WHEREAS, the Company’s
(i) Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File
No. 333-145559), as amended (the “ Initial
Registration Statement ”) for its initial public offering
of securities (the “ IPO ”) has been declared
effective as of December 6, 2007 by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “ Effective Date ”) and
(ii) Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File
No. 333-147880) filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act of 1933 (the “ Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement ”) was effective upon filing on the Effective
Date (such Initial Registration Statement and Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement collectively referred to herein as the
“ Registration Statement ”);
WHEREAS, Citigroup Global Markets
Inc. (“ Citigroup ”) is acting as the
representative of the underwriters in the IPO; and
WHEREAS, as described in the
Registration Statement, $1,016,702,500 consisting of
(a) $1,004,702,500 of the net proceeds of the IPO after
adjusting for certain offering expenses and (b) $12,000,000 of
the proceeds from the sale of the Sponsors’ Warrants, will be
delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a trust
account for the benefit of (i) prior to the consummation of a
Business Combination (as defined, and in accordance with the terms
and conditions set forth, in the Registration Statement),
(A) the holders of the Company’s common stock, par value
$0.0001, issued in the IPO and (B) to the extent (and only to
the extent) that the amount held in such trust account is
distributable to the Company pursuant to Sections 2(a) and 2(b)
below, the Company, and (ii) after the consummation of a
Business Combination (as defined, and in accordance with the terms
and conditions set forth, in the Registration Statement), the
Company, in each case as hereinafter provided (the amount to be
delivered to the Trustee will be referred to herein as the “
Property ,” the stockholders for whose benefit the
Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “
Public Stockholders ,” and the Public Stockholders
and, to the extent that the Property is held in trust for the
benefit of the Company as specified in clauses (i) and
(ii) above, the Company will be referred to together as the
“ Beneficiaries ”); and
WHEREAS, a portion of the Property
consists $27,427,500 attributable to the underwriters’
discount which Citigroup has agreed to deposit in the Trust Account
(as defined below); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee
desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and
conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the
Property;
IT IS AGREED:
1. Agreements and Covenants
of Trustee . The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold
the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the
terms of this Agreement in segregated trust accounts (the “
Trust Account ”) established by the
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Trustee
at a branch of J.P. Morgan Chase N.Y. and at a brokerage
institution selected by the Trustee;
(b) Manage,
supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein;
(c) In
a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, to
invest and reinvest the Property in Government Securities and/or in
any open ended money market fund(s) selected by the Company meeting
the conditions of Sections (c)(2), (c)(3) and (c)(4) of
Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, as determined by the Company. As used herein,
“ Government Security ” means any Treasury Bill
issued by the United States, having a maturity of one hundred and
eighty days or less;
(d) Collect
and receive, when due, all principal and income arising from the
Property, which income, net of taxes and periodic payments of up to
1% of the gross proceeds of the IPO (including the
underwriters’ over-allotment option to the extent exercised)
made to the Company to fund its working capital requirements, shall
become part of the “Property,” as such term is used
herein;
(e) Notify
the Company of all communications received by it with respect to
any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply
any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the
Company in connection with the Company’s preparation of the
tax returns relating to income from the Property in the Trust
Account or otherwise;
(g) Participate
in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or
interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by
the Company and/or Citigroup in writing to do so;
(h) Render
to the Company, and to such other person as the Company may
instruct, monthly written statements of the activities of and
amounts in the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and
disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) If
there is any income or other tax obligation relating to the income
from the Property in the Trust Account as determined by the
Company, then, from time to time, at the written instruction of the
Company, the Trustee shall promptly, to the extent there is not
sufficient cash in the Trust Account to pay such tax obligation,
liquidate such assets held in the Trust Account as shall be
designated by the Company in writing, and disburse to the Company
by wire transfer, out of the Property in the Trust Account, the
amount indicated by the Company as owing in respect of such income
tax obligation; and
(j) Commence
liquidation of the Trust Account only upon receipt of and only in
accordance with the terms of a letter (the “ Termination
Letter ”), in a form substantially similar to that
attached hereto as either Exhibit A or
Exhibit B , signed on behalf of the Company by its
Chief Executive Officer or other authorized officer, and complete
the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in
the Trust Account only as directed in the Termination Letter and
the other documents referred to therein.
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2. Limited Distributions of
Income From Trust Account .
(a) If
there is any income or other tax obligation relating to the income
from the Property in the Trust Account as determined by the
Company, then, at the written instruction of the Company, the
Trustee shall disburse to the Company by wire transfer, out of the
Property in the Trust Account, the amount indicated by the Company
as required to pay income taxes;
(b) Upon
written request from the Company in a form substantially similar to
that attached hereto as Exhibit C , which may be given
not more than once in any month, the Trustee shall distribute to
the Company by wire transfer an amount equal to the income
collected on the Property through the last day of the month
immediately preceding the date of receipt of the Company’s
request; provided , however , that the maximum amount
of distributions, net of taxes, that the Company may request and
the Trustee shall distribute pursuant to this Section 2(b) shall be
1% of the gross proceeds of the IPO (including the
underwriters’ over-allotment option to the extent exercised).
The first such distribution shall include income through the end of
the month in which the effective date of the IPO occurred, with the
Company’s request made following the end of such month in
which the effective date of the IPO occurred. It is understood that
the Trustee’s only responsibility under this section is to
follow the instruction of the Company; and
(c) Except
as provided in Sections 2(a) and 2(b) above, no other distributions
from the Trust Account shall be permitted except in accordance with
Section 1(j) hereof.
3. Agreements and Covenants
of the Company . The Company hereby agrees and covenants
to:
(a) Give
all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the
Company’s Chief Executive Officer or other authorized officer
authorized in writing by the Chief Executive Officer. In addition,
except with respect to its duties under Section 1(i) above, the
Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in
relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it
in good faith believes to be given by any one of the persons
authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the
Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
(b) Hold
the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against,
any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and
disbursements, or loss suffered by the Trustee in connection with
any action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee
involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand
which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the
services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any income
earned from investment of the Property, except for expenses and
losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence or
willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of
notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit
or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek
indemnification under this Section, it shall notify the Company in
writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “
Indemnified Claim ”). The Trustee shall have the right
to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim
. The Company may participate in such action with its own
counsel; and
(c) Pay
the Trustee an initial acceptance fee, an annual fee and a
transaction processing fee for each disbursement made pursuant to
Sections 2(a) and 2(b) as set forth on
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Schedule A hereto, which fees shall be subject to
modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly
understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees and
further agreed that said transaction processing fees shall be
deducted by the Trustee from the disbursements made to the Company
pursuant to Section 2(b). The Company shall pay the Trustee
the initial acceptance fee and first year’s fee at the
consummation of the IPO and thereafter on the anniversary of the
Effective Date. The Trustee shall refund to the Company the annual
fee (on a pro rata basis) with respect to any period after
the liquidation of the Trust Fund. The Company shall not be
responsible for any other fees or charges of the Trustee except as
set forth in this Section 3(c) and as may be provided in Section
3(b) hereof (it being expressly understood that the Property shall
not be used to make any payments to the Trustee under such
Sections).
4. Limitations of
Liability . The Trustee shall have no responsibility or
liability to:
(a) Take
any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in
Section 1 hereof and the Trustee shall have no liability to
any party except for liability arising out of its own gross
negligence or willful misconduct;
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