Filed
by
Barrick Gold Corporation
This
communication is filed pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933,
as
amended.
Subject
company: Placer Dome Inc.
Commission
File Number: 333-130864
Date:
January 12, 2006
PRESS
RELEASE - January 12, 2006
All
figures in US dollars.
Barrick
Receives Final Regulatory Approval for
Placer
Dome Offer Which Expires January 19, 2006
Barrick
Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX) (TSX:ABX) (LSE:BGD) (SWX:ABX) (EURONEXT PARIS:ABX)
announced today that it has received regulatory approval from the South African
Competition Tribunal in connection with its offer to acquire all the outstanding
shares of Placer Dome Inc. The Tribunal today accepted the South African
Competition Commission’s recommendation, issued on December 15, 2005, that the
transaction be approved on an unconditional basis. This Tribunal approval
completes all necessary antitrust or similar regulatory clearances required
to
allow Barrick
to take up Placer Dome shares upon the expiry of its offer at midnight (Toronto
time) on January 19, 2006.
Barrick
has previously announced that it has received antitrust or similar regulatory
approvals in Canada, the United States, Australia, Germany and Switzerland.
One
of the final outstanding conditions of the Barrick offer is that 662/3%
of
Placer Dome shares be tendered prior to the expiry of the offer.
Barrick’s
original offer was announced on October 31, 2005. On December 22, 2005, Barrick
and Placer Dome announced that they reached an agreement on a friendly
transaction under which Barrick would increase its offer to acquire Placer
Dome
and a formal notice of the amended offer has since been mailed to all Placer
Dome shareholders. Under the revised offer, Placer Dome’s shareholders will have
the right to elect to receive $22.50 in cash or 0.8269 of a Barrick common
share
plus $0.05 in cash for each Placer Dome common share, subject in each case
to
pro ration based on the maximum amount of cash and Barrick common shares
offered. The revised offer values the transaction at approximately $10.4
billion
on a fully diluted basis.
Barrick’s
vision is to be the world’s best gold company by finding, developing and
producing quality reserves in a profitable and socially responsible
manner.
About
the Offer
Barrick’s
take-over bid circular and related documents were filed with the securities
regulatory authorities in Canada and the United States on November 10, 2005
and
a notice of variation and extension of the offer was filed with these same
regulatory authorities on January 5, 2006. Placer Dome shareholders are advised
to read the take-over bid circular and the notice of variation and extension
as
they contain important information including the terms and conditions of
the
offer and the procedures for depositing shares. Additional information about
the
offer or copies of the take-over bid circular and the notice of variation
and
extension may be obtained from shareholders’ investment advisers, from RBC
Dominion Securities Inc. or Merrill Lynch Canada Inc., who are acting as
Barrick’s Canadian dealer managers, RBC Capital Markets Corporation, or Merrill
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, who are acting as Barrick’s U.S.
dealer managers, or Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. for Canada (Toll
Free
1-866-877-2571) or MacKenzie Partners, Inc. for the United States and other
locations (Toll Free 1-800-322-2885) who are acting as Barrick’s Information
Agents.
BARRICK
GOLD
CORPORATION
1
PRESS RELEASE
On
November 10, 2005, Barrick filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form F-10 which includes Barrick’s offer
and take-over bid circular. On January 5, 2006, Barrick filed with the
SEC a
Registration Statement on Form F-10 which includes Barrick’s offer and take-over
bid circular and the notice of variation and extension. Investors and security
holders are urged to read the disclosure documents filed by Barrick from
time to
time with the SEC regarding the proposed business combination transaction
because they contain important information. The offer and take-over bid
circular
and the notice of variation and extension have been sent to shareholders
of
Placer Dome Inc. Investors may also obtain a free copy of the offer and
take-over bid circular, the notice of variation and extension and other
disclosure documents filed by Barrick with the SEC at the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov. The offer and take-over bid circular and the other disclosure
documents may also be obtained free of charge by directing a request to
Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. or Mackenzie Partners Inc. at the toll
free
numbers set out above.
For
further information:
|
INVESTOR
CONTACT:
|
MEDIA
CONTACT:
|
|
James
Mavor
|
Vincent
Borg
|
|
Vice
President,
|
Vice
President,
|
|
Investor
Relations
|
Corporate
Communications
|
|
Tel:
(416) 307-7463
|
Tel:
(416) 307-7477
|
|
Email:
jmavor@barrick.com
|
Email:
vborg@barrick.com
|
BARRICK
GOLD
CORPORATION 2
PRESS RELEASE