Exhibit 1.1
[•] Shares
SUNPOWER
CORPORATION
Class A Common
Stock
FORM OF UNDERWRITING
AGREEMENT
May [•], 2006
C REDIT S UISSE S ECURITIES (USA) LLC
L EHMAN B ROTHERS I NC
.
D EUTSCHE B ANK S ECURITIES I NC
.
C OWEN AND C OMPANY ,
LLC
F IRST A LBANY C APITAL I NC
.
J EFFERIES & C OMPANY ,
I NC .
As Representatives of the Several
Underwriters,
|
c/o
|
Credit Suisse
Securities (USA) LLC
|
Eleven Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010-3629
and
745 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019-6801
Dear Sirs:
1. Introductory
. SunPower Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“
Company ”), proposes to issue and sell
[•] shares ( “Firm Securities” ) of
its Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“
Securities ”). The Company also proposes to sell to
the Underwriters, at the option of the Underwriters, an aggregate
of not more than [•] additional shares of its Securities (
“Optional Securities”) . The Firm Securities and
the Optional Securities are herein collectively called the (“
Offered Securities ”). The Company is currently a
subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (“ Parent ”). The Company hereby
agrees with the several Underwriters named in Schedule A
hereto (“ Underwriters ”) as follows:
2. Representations and Warranties
of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and
agrees with, the several Underwriters that:
(i) A registration statement
(No. 333-[•]) relating to the Offered Securities,
including a form of prospectus, has been filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (“ Commission ”) and
either (A) has been declared effective under the Securities
Act of 1933 (“ Act ”) and is not proposed to be
amended or (B) is proposed to be amended by amendment or
post-effective amendment. If such registration statement (“
initial registration statement ”) has been declared
effective, either (A) an additional registration statement
(“ additional registration statement ”) relating
to the Offered Securities may have been filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 462(b) (“ Rule 462(b) ”) under
the Act and, if so filed, has become effective upon filing pursuant
to such Rule and
the Offered Securities all have been
duly registered under the Act pursuant to the initial registration
statement and, if applicable, the additional registration statement
or (B) such an additional registration statement is proposed
to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(b) and will
become effective upon filing pursuant to such Rule and upon such
filing the Offered Securities will all have been duly registered
under the Act pursuant to the initial registration statement and
such additional registration statement. If the Company does not
propose to amend the initial registration statement or if an
additional registration statement has been filed and the Company
does not propose to amend it, and if any post-effective amendment
to either such registration statement has been filed with the
Commission prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement,
the most recent amendment (if any) to each such registration
statement has been declared effective by the Commission or has
become effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(c) (“
Rule 462(c) ”) under the Act or, in the case of the
additional registration statement, Rule 462(b). For purposes of
this Agreement, “ Effective Time ” with respect
to the initial registration statement or, if filed prior to the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, the additional
registration statement means (A) if the Company has advised
the Representatives that it does not propose to amend such
registration statement, the date and time as of which such
registration statement, or the most recent post-effective amendment
thereto (if any) filed prior to the execution and delivery of this
Agreement, was declared effective by the Commission or has become
effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(c), or (B) if the
Company has advised the Representatives that it proposes to file an
amendment or post-effective amendment to such registration
statement, the date and time as of which such registration
statement, as amended by such amendment or post-effective
amendment, as the case may be, is declared effective by the
Commission. If an additional registration statement has not been
filed prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement but the
Company has advised the Representatives that it proposes to file
one, “ Effective Time ” with respect to such
additional registration statement means the date and time as of
which such registration statement is filed and becomes effective
pursuant to Rule 462(b). “ Effective Date ” with
respect to the initial registration statement or the additional
registration statement (if any) means the date of the Effective
Time thereof. The initial registration statement, as amended at its
Effective Time, including all information contained in the
additional registration statement (if any) and deemed to be a part
of the initial registration statement as of the Effective Time of
the additional registration statement pursuant to the General
Instructions of the Form on which it is filed and including all
information (if any) deemed to be a part of the initial
registration statement as of its Effective Time pursuant to
Rule 430A(b) (“ Rule 430A(b) ”) under the
Act, is hereinafter referred to as the “ Initial
Registration Statement ”. The additional registration
statement, as amended at its Effective Time, including the contents
of the initial registration statement incorporated by reference
therein and including all information (if any) deemed to be a part
of the additional registration statement as of its Effective Time
pursuant to Rule 430A(b), is hereinafter referred to as the “
Additional Registration Statement ”. The Initial
Registration Statement and the Additional Registration Statement
are herein referred to collectively as the “ Registration
Statements ” and individually as a “
Registration Statement ”. Registration
Statement ” without reference to a time means the
Registration Statement as of its Effective Time. “
Registration Statement ” at a particular time means
the initial registration statement and any additional registration
statement in the form then filed with the Commission, including any
amendment thereto, any document incorporated by reference therein
and any prospectus deemed or retroactively deemed to be a part
thereof that has not been superseded or modified. For purposes of
the previous sentence, information contained in a form of
prospectus or prospectus supplement that is deemed retroactively to
be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A shall
be considered to be included in the Registration Statement as of
the time specified in Rule 430A. “ Statutory
Prospectus ” at a particular time means the prospectus
included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that
time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and
any prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been
superseded or modified. For purposes of the preceding sentence,
information contained in a form of prospectus that is deemed
retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant
to Rule 430A shall be considered to be included in the Statutory
Prospectus as of the actual time that form of prospectus
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is filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) (“ Rule 424(b) ”) under
the Act and not retroactively. “ Prospectus ”
means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public offering
price and other final terms of the Offered Securities and otherwise
satisfies Section 10(a) of the Act. “ Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus ” means any “issuer free writing
prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Offered
Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the
Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in
the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g). “
General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” means any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general
distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being
specified in a schedule to this Agreement. “ Limited Use
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” means any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus. “ Applicable Time ” means
[•]:00 [a/p]m (Eastern time) on the date of this
Agreement.
(ii) If the Effective Time of
the Initial Registration Statement is prior to the execution and
delivery of this Agreement: (A) on the Effective Date of the
Initial Registration Statement, the Initial Registration Statement
conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act
and the rules and regulations of the Commission (“ Rules
and Regulations ”) and did not include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, (B) on the Effective Date of the
Additional Registration Statement (if any), each Registration
Statement conformed, or will conform, in all material respects to
the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations and did
not include, or will not include, any untrue statement of a
material fact and did not omit, or will not omit, to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading and (C) on the date of
this Agreement, the Initial Registration Statement and, if the
Effective Time of the Additional Registration Statement is prior to
the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Additional
Registration Statement each conforms, and at the time of filing of
the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) or (if no such filing is
required) at the Effective Date of the Additional Registration
Statement in which the Prospectus is included, each Registration
Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects
to the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and
neither of such documents includes, or will include, any untrue
statement of a material fact or omits, or will omit, to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading. If the Effective Time of the
Initial Registration Statement is subsequent to the execution and
delivery of this Agreement: on the Effective Date of the Initial
Registration Statement, the Initial Registration Statement and the
Prospectus will conform in all material respects to the
requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, neither of
such documents will include any untrue statement of a material fact
or will omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
and no Additional Registration Statement has been or will be filed.
The two preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or
omissions from a Registration Statement or the Prospectus based
upon written information furnished to the Company by any
Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use
therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such
information is that described as such in Section 8(b)
hereof.
(iii) (A) At the time of the
initial filing of the Registration Statement and (B) at the
date of this Agreement, the Company was not and is not an
“ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, including
(x) the Company or any other subsidiary in the preceding three
years not having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or
having been made the subject of a judicial or administrative decree
or order as described in Rule 405 and (y) the Company in the
preceding three years not having been the subject of a bankruptcy
petition or insolvency or similar proceeding, not having had a
registration statement be the subject of a proceeding under
Section 8 of the Act and not being the subject of a proceeding
under Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of
the Offered Securities, all as described in Rule 405.
(iv) As of the Applicable Time and
of the Closing Date (as defined below), neither (i) the
General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior
to the Applicable Time, the
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Statutory Prospectus and the
information set forth in Schedule B to this Agreement, all
considered together (collectively, the “ General
Disclosure Package ”), nor (ii) any individual
Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered
together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The
preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions
from any prospectus included in the Registration Statement or any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity
with written information furnished to the Company by any
Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use
therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such
information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the
information described as such in Section 8(b)
hereof.
(v) Each Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times
through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Offered
Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or
notifies Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (“ CS
”) and Lehman Brothers Inc. (“ Lehman Brothers
”) as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and
will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will
conflict with the information then contained in the Registration
Statement. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development
as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted
or would conflict with the information then contained in the
Registration Statement or included or would include an untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time,
not misleading, (i) the Company has promptly notified or will
promptly notify CS and Lehman Brothers and (ii) the Company
has promptly amended or supplemented or will promptly amend or
supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or
correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission. The foregoing
two sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity
with written information furnished to the Company by any
Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use
therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such
information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the
information described as such in Section 8(b)
hereof.
(vi) The Company has been duly
incorporated and is an existing corporation in good standing under
the laws of the State of Delaware, with power and authority
(corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its
business as described in the Prospectus; and the Company is duly
qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing
in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of
property or the conduct of its business requires such
qualification, except for any jurisdiction where the failure to be
so qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other),
business, properties or results of operations of the Company and
its subsidiaries taken as a whole (“ Material Adverse
Effect ”).
(vii) Each subsidiary of the Company
has been duly incorporated and is an existing corporation in good
standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation,
with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its
properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;
and each subsidiary of the Company is duly qualified to do business
as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other
jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the
conduct of its business requires such qualification; except for any
such jurisdiction where the failure to be so qualified would not
have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued and outstanding
capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company has been duly
authorized and validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable;
and the capital stock of each subsidiary owned by the Company,
directly or through subsidiaries, is owned free from liens,
encumbrances and defects.
(viii) The Offered Securities and
all other outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have
been duly authorized and; all outstanding shares of capital stock
of the Company are, and,
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when the Offered Securities have
been delivered and paid for in accordance with this Agreement on
each Closing Date (as defined below), such Offered Securities will
have been, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will
conform in all material respects to the description thereof
contained in the Prospectus; and the securityholders of the Company
have no preemptive rights with respect to the Securities; and
except as disclosed in the Prospectus, there are no outstanding
options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase,
any securities or obligations convertible into, or any contracts or
commitments to issue or sell, shares of the Company’s capital
stock or any such options, warrants, rights, convertible securities
or obligations.
(ix) Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings
between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid
claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage
commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection
with this offering.
(x) Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings
between the Company and any person granting such person the right
to require the Company to file a registration statement under the
Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be
owned by such person or to require the Company to include such
securities in the securities registered pursuant to a Registration
Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any
other registration statement filed by the Company under the
Act.
(xi) The Company is subject to and
in compliance in all material respects with the reporting
requirements of Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”). The
Securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the
Exchange Act and are listed on The Nasdaq National Market, and the
Company has taken no action designed to, or reasonably likely to
have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Securities
under the Exchange Act or delisting the Securities from The Nasdaq
National Market, nor has the Company received any notification that
the Commission or the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc. is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. No
consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing,
notification or registration with, The Nasdaq National Market is
required for the listing and trading of the Offered Securities on
The Nasdaq National Market.
(xii) No consent, approval,
authorization, or order of, or filing with, any governmental agency
or body or any court is required to be obtained or made by the
Company for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement in connection with the issuance and sale of the
Offered Securities by the Company, except such as have been
obtained and made under the Act and such as may be required under
state securities laws.
(xiii) The execution, delivery and
performance of this Agreement, and the issuance and sale of the
Offered Securities will not result in a breach or violation of any
of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under
(a) any statute, any rule, regulation or order of any
governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign,
having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary of the
Company or any of their properties, (b) any agreement or
instrument to which the Company or any such subsidiary is a party
or by which the Company or any such subsidiary is bound or to which
any of the properties of the Company or any such subsidiary is
subject, or (c) the charter or by-laws of the Company or any
such subsidiary, except, in the cases of clauses (a) and
(b) above, as would not have a Material Adverse Effect, and
the Company has full power and authority to authorize, issue and
sell the Offered Securities as contemplated by this
Agreement.
(xiv) This Agreement has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(xv) Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries have good and
marketable title to all real properties and all other properties
and assets owned by them and material to the Company’s
business, in each case free from liens, encumbrances and defects
that
5
would materially affect the value
thereof or materially interfere with the use made or to be made
thereof by them; and except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the
Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal
property material to the Company’s business under valid and
enforceable leases with no exceptions that would materially
interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by
them.
(xvi) The Company and its
subsidiaries possess adequate certificates, authorities or permits
issued by appropriate governmental agencies or bodies necessary to
conduct the business now operated by them and have not received any
notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of
any such certificate, authority or permit that, if determined
adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would
individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse
Effect .
(xvii) No labor dispute with the
employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the
knowledge of the Company, is imminent that is reasonably likely to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xviii) The Company and its
subsidiaries own, possess or can acquire on reasonable terms,
adequate trademarks, trade names and other rights to inventions,
know-how, patents, copyrights, confidential information and other
intellectual property (collectively, “ intellectual
property rights ”) necessary to conduct the business now
operated by them, or presently employed by them, and have not
received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted
rights of others with respect to any intellectual property rights
that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(xix) Except as disclosed in
the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is
in violation of any statute, any rule, regulation, decision or
order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or
foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or
toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of
the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances
(collectively, “ Environmental Laws ”), owns or
operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is
subject to any environmental laws, is liable for any off-site
disposal or contamination pursuant to any environmental laws, or is
subject to any claim or threatened action relating to any
environmental laws, which violation, contamination, liability or
claim would individually or in the aggregate have a Material
Adverse Effect or otherwise require disclosure in the Prospectus;
and the Company is not aware of any pending or threatened
investigation which might lead to such a claim. In the ordinary
course of business, the Company (i) conducts a periodic review
of the effect of Environmental Laws on its business, operations and
properties, and the Company has identified and evaluated associated
costs and liabilities, and any capital or operating expenditures,
required for cleanup or closure of properties under, or compliance
with, Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any
related constraints on operating activities, and any potential
liabilities to third parties; and (ii) has conducted
environmental investigations of, and has reviewed information
regarding, its business, properties and operations, and those of
other properties within the vicinity of its businesses, properties
and operations; on the basis of such review and investigations, the
Company has reasonably concluded that, except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, any costs and liabilities associated with such matters
would not have a Material Adverse Effect or otherwise require
disclosure in the Prospectus.
(xx) Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, there are no pending actions, suits, charges (by any
governmental entity), investigations, requests for information (by
any governmental entity) or proceedings against or affecting the
Company, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective
properties that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of
its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a
Material Adverse Effect or otherwise require disclosure in the
Prospectus, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of
the Company to perform its
6
obligations under this Agreement, or
which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the
Offered Securities; and no such actions, suits or proceedings are
threatened or, to the Company’s knowledge,
contemplated.
(xxi) The financial statements
included in each Registration Statement and the Prospectus present
fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated
subsidiaries as of the dates shown and their results of operations
and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements
have been prepared in conformity with the generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States (“ U.S.
GAAP ”) applied on a consistent basis and the assumptions
used in preparing the pro forma and as adjusted financial
information included in each Registration Statement and the
Prospectus provide a reasonable basis for presenting the
significant effects directly attributable to the transactions or
events described therein, the related pro forma adjustments give
appropriate effect to those assumptions, and the pro forma columns
therein reflect the proper application of those adjustments to the
corresponding historical financial statement amounts.
(xxii) Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, since the date of the latest audited financial
statements included in the Prospectus there has been no material
adverse change, nor any development or event involving a
prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or
other), business, properties or results of operations of the
Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, and, except as
disclosed in or contemplated by the Prospectus, there has been no
dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the
Company on any class of its capital stock.
(xxiii) All material Tax returns
required to be filed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries have
been filed in all jurisdictions where such returns are required to
be filed, which returns are true, complete, and correct in all
material respects and all Taxes shown on such returns have been
paid. All material Taxes due or claimed to be due from the Company
and each of its subsidiaries have been paid, other than those
(A) currently payable without penalty or interest or
(B) being contested in good faith and by appropriate
proceedings and for which, in the case of both clauses (A) and
(B), adequate reserves have been established on the books and
records of the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with U.S.
GAAP. No material deficiency or adjustment for any Taxes has been
threatened, proposed, asserted or assessed against the Company or
any of its subsidiaries. To the knowledge of the Company, the
reserves on the books and records of the Company and its
subsidiaries in respect of any Tax liability for any taxable period
not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments of Tax
for any such period. For purposes of this Agreement, the term
“Tax” and “Taxes” shall mean all Federal,
state, local and foreign taxes, and other assessments of a similar
nature (whether imposed directly or through withholding), including
any interest, additions to tax, or penalties applicable
thereto.
(xxiv) The Company is not and, after
giving effect to the offering and sale of the Offered Securities
and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the
Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(xxv) Neither the Company nor any of
its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any
director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or
any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action,
directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such
persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended,
and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “ FCPA
”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or
any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in
furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization
of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to
give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any
“foreign official” (as such term is defined in the
FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any
candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the
FCPA and the Company, its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the
Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in
compliance with the
7
FCPA and have instituted and
maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are
reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance
therewith and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor,
to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent,
employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
has otherwise made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment,
kickback or other unlawful payment.
(xxvi) The operations of the Company
and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in
compliance with applicable financial record keeping and reporting
requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act
of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all
jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related
or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered
or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “
Money Laundering Laws ”) and no action, suit or
proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority
or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its
subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(xxvii) There is and has been no
failure on the part of the Company and any of the Company’s
directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with
the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and
regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “
Sarbanes-Oxley Act ”) applicable to the Company as of
the date of this Agreement.
(xxviii) Each of the Company and its
subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls
sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that
(A) transactions are executed in accordance with
management’s general or specific authorizations;
(B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset
accountability; (C) access to assets is permitted only in
accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets
is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and
appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The
general accounting records of the Company and of each of its
subsidiaries provide the basis for the preparation of the
Company’s consolidated financial statements under U.S. GAAP
and have been maintained in compliance with applicable laws. The
Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term
is defined in Rule 13a-14 under the Exchange Act) that are
effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by
the Company in the reports that it will file or submit under the
Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported,
within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the
Commission, including, without limitation, controls and procedures
designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the
Company in the reports that it will file or submit under the
Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s
management, including its principal executive officer or officers
and its principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate to
allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
(xxix) The section entitled
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting
Policies” in the Prospectus accurately and fully describes in
all material respects (A) the accounting policies that the
Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the
Company’s financial condition and results of operations and
that require management’s most difficult, subjective or
complex judgments (“ Critical Accounting Policies
”); (B) the judgments and uncertainties affecting the
application of Critical Accounting Policies; and (C) the
likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported
under different conditions or using different assumptions and an
explanation thereof.
(xxx) Except as disclosed in the
Prospectus, no material indebtedness (actual or contingent) and no
material contract or arrangement is outstanding between the Company
or any of its subsidiaries and any director or executive officer of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any person connected with
such director or executive officer (including his/her spouse,
children, and
8
any company or undertaking in which
he/she holds a controlling interest). There are no relationships or
transactions between the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the
one hand, and its affiliates, officers and directors or their
stockholders, customers or suppliers, on the other, which, although
required to be disclosed, are not disclosed in the
Prospectus.
(xxxi) There are no material
contracts or documents that are required to be described in the
Registration Statements or the Prospectus or to be filed as
exhibits thereto that have not been so described and filed as
required.
(xxxii) PriceWaterhouse Coopers LLP,
who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and
its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by
the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder;
(xxxiii) The Company meets
the