Gold Reserve Inc. (TSX.V: GRZ) (OTCQX: GDRZF) (“Gold
Reserve” or the “Company”) provides the following update
on the sales and bidding process (the “Sale Process”) for
the purchase of the common shares of PDV Holdings, Inc.
(“PDVH”), the indirect parent company of CITGO Petroleum
Corp., managed by the Special Master (the “Special Master”)
appointed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
(the “Delaware Court”).
As previously disclosed, the Company submitted on June 11, 2024,
a credit bid for the common shares of PDVH pursuant to the Sales
Process.
On September 17, 2024, Venezuela and PDVSA filed a motion for a
four-month stay of the Sale Process. If granted by the Delaware
Court, this would extend the deadline for the Special Master’s
filing of a motion recommending the approval of a bid for the
purchase of the PDVH shares (“Sale Motion”) from the
existing “on or about September 16, 2024” deadline to an as-yet
unspecified date in January 2025. If granted, this also could
extend the date of the hearing (“Sale Hearing”) at which the
Delaware Court is expected to consider any objections to, and
determine whether to approve, any Sale Motion. At present, the Sale
Hearing is scheduled for November 19, 2024.
This is the fourth requested extension of the Sale Process since
bids for the purchase of the PDVH shares were submitted on June 11,
2024. The previous three requests were made by the Special Master
and granted by the Delaware Court.
The Special Master stated in his most recent extension request,
filed on August 23, 2024, that the Special Master and his advisors
have since July 31, 2024, been engaged in “negotiations with a
bidder and are in the process of finalizing due diligence and
definitive documentation in support of a Sale Transaction.” This
bidder has not been identified by the Special Master. The Company
is not this bidder.
On September 18, 2024, the Special Master stated that it would
oppose the requested four-month stay, and the Delaware Court has
scheduled briefing on the same, and a hearing date of October 1,
2024.
The Company is concerned by the recent stay motion filed by
Venezuela and PDVH given the number of extensions to Sale Process
that have occurred to date and given that the Special Master has
not disclosed any specifics concerning the status of the
negotiations with the unidentified bidder, including any specifics
concerning the procedures for other potential bidders to submit
topping bids after the Sale Motion is filed.
The Company has reserved all of its rights to object to Sale
Motion if and when it is filed.
“We have worked with many great partners during this
prolonged process but now, given the elapsed time, uncertainty and
lack of visibility on the outcome, we are on our own and outside of
the bidding,” said Paul Rivett, Executive Vice Chair, “While we no
longer have any insight into the process, we trust the Special
Master will recommend a fair deal to the court and judgment
creditors soon and that the topping period will be viable and
vigorous.”
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Paul Rivett Executive Vice-Chairman
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of applicable U.S. federal securities laws and
“forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable
Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws and state Gold
Reserve’s and its management’s intentions, hopes, beliefs,
expectations or predictions for the future. Forward-looking
statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and
assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this
time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and
competitive uncertainties and contingencies. They are frequently
characterized by words such as "anticipates", "plan", "continue",
"expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate",
"may", "will", "potential", "proposed", "positioned" and other
similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions
"may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements contained in this
press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating
to the Sales Process and the Company’s previously announced credit
bid.
We caution that such forward-looking statements involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risks that may cause the
actual events, outcomes or results of Gold Reserve to be materially
different from our estimated outcomes, results, performance, or
achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking
statements, including but not limited to: the Sales Process may not
be successful, including that it may not result in a sale of the
PDVH shares to any person; any potential transaction of the Company
(including the Company’s previously announced credit bid) solely or
with one or more other parties ( “Potential Transaction”) in
relation to the sale of the common shares of PDVH pursuant to the
Sale Process, including, but not limited to: the discretion of the
Special Master with respect to considering any Potential
Transaction, entering into any discussions or negotiation with
respect thereto and that the Special Master may reject any
Potential Transaction including without limitation because the
Special Master’s view is that the Potential Transaction is not of
sufficient value, does not sufficiently take account of the PDVSA
2020 Notes, does not have sufficient certainty of closing and/or
for any other reason; the form of consideration and/or proceeds
that may be received by the Company in any Potential Transaction;
that any Potential Transaction, and/or the form of proceeds
received by the Company in any Potential Transaction, may be
substantially less than the amounts outstanding under the Company’s
September 2014 arbitral award (the “Award”) and/or corresponding
November 20, 2015 U.S. judgement; the failure of the Company to
negotiate any Potential Transaction, including as a result of
failing to obtain sufficient equity and/or debt financing; that any
Potential Transaction of the Company will not be selected as a
“Successful Bid” under the Bidding Procedures, and if selected may
not close, including as a result of U.S. Department of Treasury
Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC ”), or any other applicable
regulatory body, not granting an authorization in connection with
any potential sale of PDVH shares and/or whether OFAC changes its
decision or guidance regarding the Sale Process; failure of the
Company or any other party to obtain any required approvals for, or
satisfy other conditions to effect, any transaction resulting from
any Potential Transaction; that the Company may forfeit any cash
amount deposit made due to failing to complete any Potential
Transaction or otherwise; that the making of any Potential
Transaction or any transaction resulting therefrom may involve
unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; that, prior to or as a
result of the completion of any transaction contemplated by any
Potential Transaction, the business of the Company may experience
significant disruptions due to transaction related uncertainty,
industry conditions or other factors; the ability to enforce the
writ of attachment granted to the Company; the timing set for
various reports and/or other matters with respect to the Sale
Process (including the Sales Motion and Sales Hearing) may not be
met; the ability of the Company to otherwise participate in the
Sale Process (and related costs associated therewith); the amount,
if any, of proceeds associated with the Sale Process the Company
may receive; the competing claims of certain creditors, the “Other
Creditors” (as detailed in the applicable court documents filed
with the Delaware Court) of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
(“Venezuela”) and/or any of its agencies or instrumentalities and
the Company, including any interest on such creditors’ judgements
and any priority afforded thereto; uncertainties with respect to
possible settlements between Venezuela, PDVSA, and/or any of their
agencies or instrumentalities, and other creditors and the impact
of any such settlements on the amount of funds that may be
available under the Sale Process; the proceeds from the Sale
Process may not be sufficient to satisfy the amounts outstanding
under the Award and/or corresponding November 20, 2015 U.S.
judgement partially or in full and the ramifications of bankruptcy
with respect to the Sale Process and/or the Company’s claims,
including as a result of the priority of other claims; and whether
Venezuela or PDVH’s parent company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A.,
or any other party files further appeals or challenges with respect
to any judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,
any judgment of the U.S. District Court of Delaware, or any
judgment of any other court in relation to the Company’s right to
participate in any distribution of proceeds from the Sales Process,
including any Potential Transaction. This list is not exhaustive of
the factors that may affect any of the Company’s forward-looking
statements. For a more detailed discussion of the risk factors
affecting the Company’s business, see the Company’s Management’s
Discussion & Analysis for the period ended June 30, 2024,
Company’s Annual Information Form on Form 40-F and Management’s
Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 and
other reports that have been filed on SEDAR+ and are available
under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and which have been
filed on EDGAR and are available under the Company’s profile at
www.sec.gov/edgar.
Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral
forward-looking statements attributable to Gold Reserve or persons
acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by
this notice. Gold Reserve disclaims any intent or obligation to
update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements
or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to
its disclosure obligations under applicable rules promulgated by
the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian
provincial and territorial securities laws.
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES
PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE
EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF
THIS RELEASE.
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Gold Reserve Inc. Contact Jean Charles Potvin 999 W. Riverside
Ave., Suite 401 Spokane, WA 99201 USA Tel: (509) 623-1500 Fax:
(509) 623-1634
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