AMSTERDAM, Sept 27 (Reuters) – A Dutch court on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for a friendly 1.34 billion euro ($1.61 billion) takeover offer by Swedish telecoms firm Tele2 (TEL2b.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) of rival Versatel (VERS.AS: Quote, Profile, Research).
The Amsterdam commercial court ruled that Tele2’s offer conformed with Dutch law, denying a request for an injunction made by a group of hedge funds that holds 13.6 percent of Versatel shares.
The court said it had no indication that major Versatel shareholder Talpa Capital — the investment vehicle of billionaire TV producer John de Mol — had received special benefits above the 2.20 euro per share offer price, an allegation Versatel, Tele2 and Talpa have denied.