Recognised intermediary

A recognised intermediary is that part of the trading operations of a bank or securities house which is accepted by the Panel as a recognised intermediary for the purposes of the Code.

NOTES ON RECOGNISED INTERMEDIARY

1. If any part of the trading operations of a bank or securities house wishes to be accepted by the Panel as a recognised intermediary, it must apply to the Panel to be granted such status and it will have to comply with any requirements imposed by the Panel as a condition of its granting such status.

2. Recognised intermediary status is relevant only for the purposes of Note 15 on Rule 9.1, Rule 8.3(d) and Note 5(b) on Rule 8, in each case to the extent only that the recognised intermediary is acting in a client-serving capacity. As a result, subject to Note 3 below and to the extent only that it is acting in a client-serving capacity: (i) a recognised intermediary will not be treated, for the purposes of Rule 9.1, as interested in (or as having acquired an interest in) any securities by virtue only of paragraph (3) or paragraph (4) of the definition of interests in securities; (ii) any dealings by it in relevant securities during an offer period will not be required to be publicly disclosed under Rules 8.3(a) to (c); and (iii) dealing disclosures required to be made by it under Rule 8.5(c) will need to include the details specified in Note 5(b), rather than those specified in Note 5(a), on Rule 8.

3. Where a recognised intermediary is, or forms part of, a principal trader connected either with an offeror or potential offeror or with the offeree company, the recognised intermediary will not benefit from the dispensations afforded by Note 15 on Rule 9.1 after the time at which the principal trader is presumed to be acting in concert with either the offeror or potential offeror or with the directors of the offeree company (as the case may be) in accordance with Rule 7.2(a) and Rule 7.2(b) respectively.

   Where a recognised intermediary is, or forms part of, a person acting in concert with the offeree company, it will not benefit from the exception from disclosure afforded by Rule 8.3(d) after the commencement of the offer period. Where a recognised intermediary is acting in concert with an offeror or potential offeror, it will not benefit from the exception from disclosure afforded by Rule 8.3(d) after the identity of the offeror or potential offeror with which it is acting in concert is publicly announced. After such time, disclosures should be made under Rule 8.4 or, if the recognised intermediary is, or forms part of, an exempt principal trader whose exempt status has not fallen away, Rule 8.5.

   For the avoidance of doubt, where a recognised intermediary is, or forms part of, an exempt principal trader, its recognised intermediary status will fall away only if its exempt status falls away.

4. Any dealings by a recognised intermediary which is not acting in a client-serving capacity will not benefit from the dispensations afforded by Note 15 on Rule 9.1, Rule 8.3(d) and Note 5(b) on Rule 8 with the result that all such dealings by it will be subject to the provisions of the Code as if those dispensations did not apply.

5. Any dealings carried out by a recognised intermediary for the purpose of avoiding the usual application of the Code to such dealings will constitute a serious breach of the Code. If the Panel determines that a recognised intermediary has carried out such dealings, it will be prepared to rule, inter alia, that recognised intermediary status should be withdrawn for such period of time as the Panel may consider appropriate in the circumstances.