Regional news: Congo, the Democratic Republic of the

Mauritius-registered telecoms group Smile Holdings has won sanction of its restructuring plan, after the English High Court found it had jurisdiction to alter the constitution and share capital of the company without the need for a parallel plan in its place of incorporation.

30 March 2022

African telecoms group Smile Telecoms has asked the High Court in London to sanction its second restructuring plan in a year, arguing the plan is likely to be effective in its key jurisdictions of Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa.

10 March 2022

A senior lender to African telecoms group Smile Telecoms has raised last-minute valuation issues with the company’s restructuring plan, despite the English High Court finding it was out of the money last month.

28 February 2022

Pan-African telecoms group Smile Telecoms has won approval to convene a plan meeting for a single creditor after convincing the English High Court to employ a never-before-used tool to exclude other plan participants because they are out of the money.

12 January 2022

African telecoms business Smile Telecoms is gearing up to launch another UK restructuring plan in the new year, with Kirkland & Ellis advising in place of Latham & Watkins.

20 December 2021

UPDATED: A court in Western Australia has issued its reasons for allowing creditors to decide whether a Congolese-Australian miner’s delayed second meeting may be adjourned again, in the face of competing deed of company arrangement proposals from interested parties.

14 April 2021

Africa’s Smile Telecoms Holdings has had its UK restructuring plan sanctioned after a judge found it had fixed “the last piece of the jigsaw”: a third party whose exercise of a put option had given it the discretion on whether the plan came into effect.

30 March 2021

UPDATED: A pan-African telecoms group’s UK restructuring plan sanction hearing has been adjourned, after a court found that the sole dissenting creditor had the discretion on whether the plan would come into effect.

19 March 2021

A BVI court has blocked the enforcement of a deed held by a local arm of Harneys, after an Australian judge found it was subject to an Australian administration moratorium that has effect in foreign jurisdictions.

26 February 2021

In separate actions in Australia, the voluntary administrators of a Congolese gold mine owner have secured permission to serve a security interest claim on a Harneys arm in the BVI, while a Queensland court is to consider recognising a Singaporean personal bankruptcy.

23 February 2021