News | Finance

Thursday 8th April 2004

SJ Berwin has advised Standard Chartered Bank on two separate syndicated facilities for two Zambian mining companies, Konkola Copper Mines plc and Bwana Mkubwa Mining Limited.

For Konkola Copper Mines plc, the purpose of this facility was to refinance US$35 million due under an Uncommitted Revolving Short Term Export Finance Facilities Agreement and for the mining company's general corporate purposes.

For Bwana Mkubwa Mining Limited, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals Limited, this was a US$30 million refinancing facility. The multi-jurisdictional security involved law firms from England, Ireland, Zambia, Australia, Barbados and Canada as well as obtaining the consent of the European Investment Bank based in Luxembourg.

The SJ Berwin team was led by Banking partner Paul Diss with support from assistants Robert Andrews, Jen Yee Chan and Susie Scannelli.

Standard Chartered Bank employs 30,000 people in over 500 locations in more than 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. It is one of the world's most international banks, with a management team comprising 70 nationalities. Standard Chartered is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalisation.

SJ Berwin has a long-standing relationship with Standard Chartered Bank which was formalised in November 2003 when the firm was appointed to the Bank's UK panel.

• SJ Berwin is a full-service international legal practice with more than 450 lawyers across its offices in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Madrid and Paris.
• 
  SJ Berwin's Banking Department advises a wide range of banks, other financial institutions, corporates and venture capitalists.
• 
  SJ Berwin has recently won the Chambers Global Award for "Western Europe: Private Equity - Law firm of the Year", as well as the Acquisitions Monthly award for "Mid-Market Law Firm of the Year" 2003. It was also recently ranked as the "World’s Leading Firm for Private Funds Expertise" in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, won the European Venture Capital Journal Award for "Private Equity Law Firm of the Year: Firm and fund work"