CaribPR Wire

The group will sell assets to pay off debts and capitalize on their core business, heavy construction

SAO PAULO, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – OAS Group has filed this Tuesday (31) an application for Judicial Recovery of nine of their companies to the Judiciary of the State of Sao Paulo. The initiative was the best path found by the Group to renegotiate their debts with creditors and suppliers in view of the intense restriction of credit observed since the end of last year. OAS also decided that it will concentrate efforts on what is its primary purpose, heavy construction.

“The infrastructure sector depends on intense capital financing for the development of projects that support the economic growth of the Country. Since the beginning of the investigations at Petrobras, the financial institutions have systematically restricted the access of enterprises to the resources necessary for the maintenance of projects. With almost 40 years in operation, the OAS has been compelled to take measures that will enable it to continue to operate in a healthy process of renegotiation of debts, while preserving thousands of direct and indirect jobs,” says Fabio Yonamine, OAS Investments president.

OAS will bring to this case’s table very distinct contributions from those observed in other Judicial Recoveries. A company having the resources to maintain their activities, valiant assets and a team of professional managers provides the customers, creditors and suppliers a much safer environment for negotiations.

“We will sell our assets in a Judicial Recovery case in order to give safety to the investors so that they are not at risk of having their business disputed in Justice by OAS creditors. The divestment of assets is motivated also by the decision to prioritize the core business of the Group, which is our heavy construction arm, Construtora OAS,” says Diego Barreto, Construtora OAS Corporate Development director.

Assets that will be put up for sale are the participation of OAS S.A. in Invepar (24.44% of the business), the slice of Enseada Shipyard (17.5%), OAS Empreendimentos (80%), OAS Soluçoes Ambientais (100%), OAS Oleo e Gas (61%) and OAS Defesa (100%). Arena Fonte Nova (50%) and Arena das Dunas (100%) will also be traded.

Barreto also emphasizes that Construtora OAS is applying for Judicial Recovery for technical reasons, since it is a guarantor of the funding of the Group, not because of a lack of liquidity, which is a problem that has reached the other companies included in the application (OAS S.A. , OAS Imoveis S.A., SPE Gestao e Exploracao de Arenas Multiuso, OAS Empreendimentos S.A., OAS Infraestrutura S.A., OAS Investments Ltd., OAS Investments GmbH and OAS Finance Ltd.).

After the granting of the recovery application by the Judiciary, OAS will have 60 days to submit the plan for the restructuring of debts to creditors and suppliers, who will have 120 additional days to discuss and approve the proposal. Debts incurred up to today’s date (March 31) will be frozen and renegotiated. All debts made from the month of April will be fully complied with. Payment of salaries and benefits of employees are not affected by the Judicial Recovery process. Directly or indirectly, there are more than 100 thousand employees involved.

The Judicial Recovery application does not include the Special-Purpose Societies (SPEs – “Sociedades de Proposito Especifico“) of OAS Empreendimentos, which are responsible for the development and construction of real estate ventures in several Brazilian States. This way, no purchasers of the properties will be affected by any agreement established within the Judicial Recovery.

Also excluded from the Judicial Recovery are Arena das Dunas, Arena Fonte Nova, OAS Solucoes Ambientais and OAS Oleo e Gas, in addition to OAS holdings in the Porto Novo dealership, in Enseada Shipyard, in OAS Logistica, in OAS Energy and OAS Defesa.

The difficulties for OAS began in November, from the investigations on Petrobras, which resulted in the termination of credit lines. At the same time, customers briefly suspended their payments and new contracts. As a result, rating agencies have lowered OAS’s grade, which has led to the early maturity of its debts.

With the aggravation of the situation, OAS has decided, at the end of 2014, to temporarily suspend the payment of debts maturing in January. The immediate goal was to continue the operations, maintain the payroll up to date and fulfill tax commitments.

Construtora OAS is investing in a professionalized governance, in the corporate remodeling, in the reviewing of their management processes, in the strengthening of the compliance and internal audit departments, in addition to strict guidelines to reduce risks in conducting business. The goal is to make the company leaner, more agile, more competitive, focused on productivity and costs.

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