Exhibit (a)(1)(ii)
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
to Tender Shares of Common Stock
of
Spark Therapeutics, Inc.
at
$114.50 Net per Share
Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase
Dated March 7, 2019
by
022019 Merger Subsidiary, Inc.
a wholly owned subsidiary of
Roche Holdings, Inc.
THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT,
NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON APRIL 3, 2019, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.
The Depositary for the Offer is:
Citibank, N.A.
| By Mail: | By Overnight Mail: | |
| Citibank, N.A. P.O. Box 219287 Kansas City, MO 64121-9287 Ref: Spark Therapeutics, Inc. |
Citibank, N.A. 430 W 7th Street, Suite 219287 Kansas City, MO 64105-1407 Ref: Spark Therapeutics, Inc. |
DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE, OR TRANSMISSION OF INSTRUCTIONS TO A FACSIMILE NUMBER OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE, WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY.
| DESCRIPTION OF SHARES TENDERED | ||||||||
| Name(s) and Address(es) of Registered Holder(s) (Please Fill in, if Blank, Exactly as |
Shares Tendered (Attached additional signed list, if necessary) | |||||||
| Share Certificate Number(s)(1) |
Total Number of Shares Represented by Share Certification(s) |
Total Number of Shares Represented by Book
entry Form) Tendered |
Total Number of Shares Tendered(1) | |||||
| Total Shares | ||||||||
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(1) Unless a lower number of Shares to be tendered is otherwise indicated, it will be assumed that all Shares described above are being tendered. See Instruction 4.
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THE INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMPANYING THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS COMPLETED. REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE OR ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE AND THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL MAY BE MADE TO OR OBTAINED FROM THE INFORMATION AGENT AT ITS ADDRESS OR TELEPHONE NUMBER SET FORTH BELOW.
If the certificate(s) representing Shares (as defined below) to be tendered have been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, stockholders should contact Spark Therapeutics, Inc.’s transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, immediately by calling 1-800-937-5449 (toll-free). This Letter of Transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing such certificate(s) have been followed. You may be required to post a bond to secure against the risk that the Share certificate(s) may be subsequently recirculated. See Instruction 9.
You must sign this Letter of Transmittal in the appropriate space provided below, with signature guarantee if required, and complete the enclosed W-9 or provide the appropriate IRS form.
The Offer (as defined below) is not being made to, nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of, holders of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.
This Letter of Transmittal is to be used by stockholders of Spark Therapeutics, Inc. (i) if certificates are to be forwarded herewith, (ii) if uncertificated Shares are being tendered, or (iii) unless an Agent’s Message (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) is utilized, if delivery of Shares is to be made by book-entry transfer to the Depositary’s (as defined below) account at The Depository Trust Company (the “Book-Entry Transfer Facility” or “DTC”) pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.
Holders of outstanding Shares, whose certificates for such Shares are not immediately available or who cannot deliver such certificates and all other required documents to the Depositary at or prior to the Expiration Time (as defined below) or who cannot complete the procedure for book-entry transfer at or prior to the Expiration Time, must tender their Shares according to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase. See Instruction 2. Delivery of documents to the Book-Entry Transfer Facility does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.
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NOTE: SIGNATURES MUST BE PROVIDED BELOW
PLEASE READ ACCOMPANYING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
| ☐ | CHECK HERE IF TENDERED SHARES ARE BEING DELIVERED BY BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER TO THE DEPOSITARY’S ACCOUNT AT THE BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER FACILITY AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING: |
| Name of Tendering Institution |
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| Account Number |
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| Transaction Code Number |
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| ☐ | CHECK HERE IF TENDERED SHARES ARE BEING DELIVERED PURSUANT TO A NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY PREVIOUSLY SENT TO THE DEPOSITARY AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING: |
| Name(s) of Tendering Stockholder(s) |
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Date of Execution of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery |
, 20 |
| Name of Institution which Guaranteed Delivery |
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If delivery is by book-entry transfer: |
| Name of Tendering Institution |
| Account Number |
| Transaction Code Number |
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Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned hereby tenders to 022019 Merger Subsidiary, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Purchaser”) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Roche Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, the above-described shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”), of Spark Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Spark”), pursuant to Purchaser’s offer to purchase all outstanding Shares at $114.50 per Share, in cash, without interest, subject to any required withholding of taxes and upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated March 7, 2019 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Offer to Purchase”), receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and in this Letter of Transmittal (which, together with any amendments or supplements thereto, collectively constitute the “Offer”). The Offer expires at 12:00 Midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on April 3, 2019, unless extended by Purchaser as described in the Offer to Purchase (as it may be extended, the “Expiration Time”). To the extent permitted under the Merger Agreement (as defined below), Purchaser reserves the right to transfer or assign, in whole or from time to time in part, to one or more of its affiliates the right to purchase Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer, but any such transfer or assignment will not relieve Purchaser of its obligations under the Offer or prejudice the undersigned’s rights to receive payment for Shares validly tendered and accepted for payment.
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (including, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and conditions of such extension or amendment), and effective upon acceptance for payment for the Shares validly tendered herewith in accordance with the terms of the Offer, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers to, or upon the order of, Purchaser all right, title and interest in and to all of the Shares that are being tendered hereby. In addition, the undersigned hereby irrevocably appoints Citibank, N.A. as the depositary for the Offer (the “Depositary”) and the true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact and proxy of the undersigned with respect to such Shares, with full power of substitution (such proxy and power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest in the Shares tendered by this Letter of Transmittal), to (i) deliver certificates for such Shares, or transfer ownership of such Shares on the account books maintained by the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, together, in any such case, with all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity, to or upon the order of the Purchaser, (ii) present such Shares for transfer on the books of Spark and (iii) receive all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of such Shares, all in accordance with the terms of the Offer.
The undersigned hereby irrevocably appoints Bruce Resnick and Sean A. Johnston, in their respective capacities as officers of Purchaser, and each of them, the attorneys-in-fact and proxies of the undersigned, each with full power of substitution, to exercise all voting and other rights of the undersigned in such manner as each such attorney-in-fact and proxy or his substitute shall in his sole discretion deem proper, with respect to all of the Shares tendered hereby which have been accepted for payment by the Purchaser prior to the time of any vote or other action, at any meeting of stockholders of Spark (whether annual or special and whether or not an adjourned meeting), by written consent or otherwise. This proxy and power of attorney is irrevocable and is granted in consideration of, and is effective upon, the acceptance for payment of such Shares by Purchaser in accordance with the terms of the Offer. Such acceptance for payment shall revoke any other proxies, powers of attorney, or written consent granted by the undersigned at any time with respect to such Shares, and no subsequent proxies or powers of attorney will be given, or written consents will be executed by the undersigned (and if given or executed, will not be deemed to be effective). Purchaser reserves the right to require that, in order for Shares to be deemed validly tendered, immediately upon Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of such Shares, Purchaser or its designees must be able to exercise full voting, consent and other rights with respect to such Shares, including voting at any meeting of Spark’s stockholders.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer the Shares tendered herein and that when the same are accepted for payment by Purchaser, Purchaser will acquire good, marketable and unencumbered title thereto, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and that the same will not be subject to any adverse claims. The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned is the registered owner of the Shares, or the Share certificate(s) have been endorsed to the undersigned in blank, or the undersigned is a participant in the Book-Entry Transfer Facility whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of the Shares. The undersigned will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional documents deemed by the Depositary or Purchaser to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of the Shares tendered hereby.
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All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred shall not be affected by, and shall survive, the death or incapacity of the undersigned, and any obligation of the undersigned hereunder shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators, personal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy, successors and assigns of the undersigned. Except as stated in the Offer, this tender is irrevocable.
The undersigned hereby acknowledges that delivery of any Share certificate(s) shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to such Share certificate (s) shall pass, only upon the proper delivery of such Share certificate(s) or transfer of the uncertificated Shares represented by book entry to the Depositary.
The undersigned understands that tenders of Shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase and in the Instructions hereto will constitute an agreement between the undersigned and Purchaser upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer. Without limiting the foregoing, if the price to be paid in the Offer is amended in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of February 22, 2019 among Roche Holdings, Inc., Purchaser and Spark (the “Merger Agreement”) pursuant to which the Offer is being made, the price to be paid to the undersigned will be the amended price notwithstanding the fact that a different price is stated in this Letter of Transmittal.
Unless otherwise indicated under “Special Payment Instructions,” please issue the check for the purchase price of any Shares purchased, and, if appropriate, return any certificates evidencing Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment in the name(s) of the undersigned (and, in the case of Shares tendered by book-entry transfer, by credit to the account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility). Similarly, unless otherwise indicated under “Special Delivery Instructions,” please mail the check for the purchase price of any Shares purchased and any certificates evidencing Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment (and accompanying documents, as appropriate) to the undersigned at the address shown below the undersigned’s signature(s). In the event that both “Special Payment Instructions” and “Special Delivery Instructions” are completed, please issue the check for the purchase price of any Shares purchased and return any Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment in the name(s) of, and mail said check and any certificates to, the person(s) so indicated. The undersigned recognizes that Purchaser has no obligation, pursuant to the “Special Payment Instructions,” to transfer any Shares from the name of the registered holder(s) thereof if Purchaser does not accept for payment any of the Shares so tendered.
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SPECIAL PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
(See Instructions 6, 7 and 8)
To be completed ONLY if the check for the purchase price of Shares purchased (less the amount of any federal income and backup withholding tax required to be withheld) is to be issued in the name of someone other than the undersigned.
Issue to:
| Name |
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| (Please Print) |
| Address |
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(Include Zip Code) |
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Taxpayer Identification Number |
SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS
(See Instructions 6, 7 and 8)
To be completed ONLY if the check for the purchase price of Shares purchased (less the amount of any federal income and backup withholding tax required to be withheld) is to be mailed to someone other than the undersigned or to the undersigned at an address other than that shown below the undersigned’s signature(s).
Mail to:
| Name |
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| (Please Print) |
| Address |
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| (Include Zip Code) | ||
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IMPORTANT
STOCKHOLDER: SIGN HERE
(U.S. Holders: Please complete and return the Form W-9 included herein)
(Non-U.S. Holders: Please obtain, complete and return appropriate IRS Form W-8)
(Must be signed by registered holder(s) exactly as name(s) appear(s) on stock certificate(s) or on a security position listing or by person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by certificates and documents transmitted herewith. If signature is by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, agent, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, please set forth full title and see Instruction 5.)
| Signature(s) of Stockholder(s) |
| Dated |
, 20 | |||||||||
| Name(s) |
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| (Please Print) | ||
| Capacity (full title) (See Instruction 5): |
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| Address |
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| (Include Zip Code) | ||
| Area Code and Telephone Number |
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Tax Identification or Social Security No. (See Form W-9 included below): |
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| Guarantee of Signature(s)
(If required; see Instructions 1 and 5) (For use by Eligible Institutions only. Place medallion guarantee in space below) |
| Name of Firm |
| Address |
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| (Include Zip Code) | ||
| Authorized Signature |
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| Name |
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| (Please Print) | ||
| Area Code and Telephone Number |
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| Dated |
, 20 | |||||||
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| Form W-9
(Rev. October 2018) Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service |
Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
u Go to www.irs.gov/FormW9 for instructions and the latest information. |
Give Form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS.
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| Print or type See Specific Instructions on page 3.
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1 Name (as shown on your income tax return). Name is required on this line; do not leave this line blank.
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2 Business name/disregarded entity name, if different from above
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| 3 Check appropriate box for federal tax classification of the
person whose name is entered on line 1. Check only one of the
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4 Exemptions (codes apply only to
Exempt payee code (if any)
Exemption from FATCA reporting code (if any)
(Applies to accounts maintained outside the U.S.)
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| ☐ Individual/sole proprietor or single-member LLC
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☐ | C Corporation | ☐ | S Corporation | ☐ | Partnership | ☐ | Trust/estate | ||||||||||||||
| ☐ Limited liability company. Enter the tax classification (C=C corporation, S=S corporation, P=Partnership) u
Note: Check the appropriate box in the line above for the tax classification of the single-member owner. Do not check LLC
☐ Other (see instructions) u
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5 Address (number, street, and apt. or suite no.) See instructions.
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Requester’s name and address (optional) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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6 City, state, and ZIP code
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7 List account number(s) here (optional)
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Part I |
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) | |
| Enter your TIN in the appropriate box. The TIN provided must match the name given on line 1 to avoid backup withholding. For individuals, this is generally your social security number (SSN). However, for a resident alien, sole proprietor, or disregarded entity, see the instructions for Part I, later. For other entities, it is your employer identification number (EIN). If you do not have a number, see How to get a TIN, later.
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Social security number
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| or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note: If the account is in more than one name, see the instructions for line 1. Also see What Name and Number To Give the Requester for guidelines on whose number to enter. |
Employer identification number |
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| Part II | Certification |
Under penalties of perjury, I certify that:
| 1. | The number shown on this form is my correct taxpayer identification number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me); and |
| 2. | I am not subject to backup withholding because: (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding; and |
| 3. | I am a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person (defined below); and |
| 4. | The FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that I am exempt from FATCA reporting is correct. |
Certification instructions. You must cross out item 2 above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return. For real estate transactions, item 2 does not apply. For mortgage interest paid, acquisition or abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, contributions to an individual retirement arrangement (IRA), and generally, payments other than interest and dividends, you are not required to sign the certification, but you must provide your correct TIN. See the instructions for Part II, later.
| Sign Here |
Signature of U.S. person u |
Date u |
| Cat. No. 10231X | Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018) | |||
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| Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018) |
Page 2 |
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| Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018) |
Page 3 |
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| Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018) |
Page 4 |
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| Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018) |
Page 5 |
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| Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018) |
Page 6 |
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INSTRUCTIONS
Forming Part of the Terms and Conditions of the Offer
1. Guarantee of Signatures. Except as otherwise provided below, all signatures on this Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by a financial institution (including most banks, savings and loan associations and brokerage houses) that is a member of a recognized Medallion Program approved by The Securities Transfer Association, Inc., including the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchange Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program (MSP) or any other “eligible guarantor institution” (as such term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) (each, an “Eligible Institution”). Signatures on this Letter of Transmittal need not be guaranteed (i) if this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Shares (which term, for purposes of this document, shall include any participant in the Book-Entry Transfer Facility whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of Shares; trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorney-in-fact, officers of a corporation or other persons acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity see Instruction 5) tendered herewith and such holder(s) have not completed the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions” on this Letter of Transmittal or (ii) if such Shares are tendered for the account of an Eligible Institution. See Instruction 5.
2. Delivery of Letter of Transmittal and Shares. This Letter of Transmittal is to be used either if certificates are to be forwarded herewith or, unless an Agent’s Message is utilized, if delivery of Shares is to be made by book-entry transfer pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase. Certificates for all physically delivered Shares, or a confirmation of a book-entry transfer into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility of all Shares delivered electronically, as well as a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal, together with any required signature guarantees (or a manually signed facsimile thereof or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message) and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the front page of this Letter of Transmittal by the Expiration Time.
Stockholders whose certificates for Shares are not immediately available or stockholders who cannot deliver their certificates and all other required documents to the Depositary or who cannot comply with the procedures for book-entry transfer by the Expiration Time may tender their Shares pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase. Under the guaranteed delivery procedure:
(i) such tender must be made by or through an Eligible Institution;
(ii) a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery substantially in the form provided by Purchaser with the Offer to Purchase must be received by the Depositary by the Expiration Time; and
(iii) the certificates for all physically delivered Shares, or a confirmation of a book-entry transfer into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility of all Shares delivered electronically, as well as a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal with any required signature guarantee (or a manually signed facsimile thereof or, in the case of a book-entry delivery, an Agent’s Message) and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary within two NASDAQ Global Select Market trading days after the date of execution of such Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, all as provided in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.
The method of delivery of Shares, this Letter of Transmittal and all other required documents is at the election and sole risk of the tendering stockholder. Shares will be deemed delivered only when actually received by the Depositary (including, in the case of a book-entry transfer, by Book-Entry Confirmation). If certificates for Shares are sent by mail, we recommend registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured, in time to be received on or prior to the Expiration Time. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.
No alternative, conditional or contingent tenders will be accepted and no fractional shares will be purchased. By executing this Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile thereof), the tendering stockholder waives any right to receive any notice of the acceptance for payment of the Shares.
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3. Inadequate Space. If the space provided herein is inadequate, the certificate numbers and/or the number of Shares should be listed on a separate signed schedule attached hereto.
4. Partial Tenders (not applicable to stockholders who tender by book-entry transfer). If fewer than all of the Shares represented by any certificate delivered to the Depositary are to be tendered, fill in the number of Shares which are to be tendered in the box entitled “Number of Shares Tendered.” In such case, a new certificate for the remainder of the Shares represented by the old certificate will be issued and sent to the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal, unless otherwise provided in the appropriate box on this Letter of Transmittal, as promptly as practicable following the expiration or termination of the Offer. All Shares represented by certificates delivered to the Depositary will be deemed to have been tendered unless otherwise indicated. In the case of Shares tendered by book-entry transfer at DTC (or Shares held in a direct registration account maintained by Spark’s transfer agent), any tendered but unpurchased Shares (including as a result of any necessary proration) will be credited to the appropriate account maintained by the tendering stockholder at DTC (or by Spark’s transfer agent). In each case, Shares will be returned or credited without expense to the stockholder.
5. Signatures on Letter of Transmittal; Stock Powers and Endorsements. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Shares tendered hereby, the signature(s) must correspond with the name(s) as written on the face of the certificates without alteration or any change whatsoever.
If any of the Shares tendered hereby are held of record by two or more persons, all such persons must sign this Letter of Transmittal.
If any of the Shares tendered hereby are registered in different names on different certificates, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate Letters of Transmittal as there are different registrations of certificates.
If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the Shares tendered hereby, no endorsements of certificates or separate stock powers are required unless payment of the purchase price is to be made, or Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment are to be returned, in the name of any person other than the registered holder(s). Signatures on any such certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.
If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder(s) of the Shares tendered hereby, certificates must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case, signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear(s) on the certificates for such Shares. Signature(s) on any such certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.
If this Letter of Transmittal or any certificate or stock power is signed by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such person should so indicate when signing, and proper evidence satisfactory to Purchaser of the authority of such person so to act must be submitted, or in lieu of evidence, a Guarantee of Signature (see Instruction 1).
6. Stock Transfer Taxes. Purchaser will pay any stock transfer taxes with respect to the sale and transfer of any Shares to it or its order pursuant to the Offer. If, however, payment of the purchase price is to be made to, or Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment are to be returned in the name of, any person other than the registered holder(s), or if a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the sale or transfer of Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer, then the amount of any stock transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder(s), such other person or otherwise) will be deducted from the purchase price unless satisfactory evidence of the payment of such taxes, or exemption therefrom, is submitted herewith.
7. Special Payment and Delivery Instructions. If the check for the purchase price of any Shares purchased is to be issued in the name of a person other than the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal or if the check is to be mailed to someone other than the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal or to the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal at an address other than that shown above, the appropriate boxes on this Letter of Transmittal should be completed.
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8. Backup Withholding. Under the U.S. federal income tax laws, unless certain certification requirements are met, the Depositary generally will be required to withhold at the applicable backup withholding rate (currently 24%) from any payments made to a stockholder pursuant to the Offer. In order to avoid such backup withholding, each tendering stockholder, and, if applicable, each other payee, must provide the Depositary with such stockholder’s or payee’s correct taxpayer identification number and certify that such stockholder or payee is not subject to such backup withholding by completing the Form W-9 set forth above. In general, if a stockholder or payee is an individual, the taxpayer identification number is the social security number of such individual. If the stockholder or payee does not provide the Depositary with its correct taxpayer identification number, the stockholder or payee may be subject to a $50 penalty imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. Certain stockholders or payees (including, generally, domestic corporations and foreign stockholders) are not subject to these backup withholding and reporting requirements. In order to satisfy the Depositary that a foreign stockholder is exempt, such stockholder or payee must submit to the Depositary a properly completed Internal Revenue Service Form W-8, signed under penalties of perjury, attesting to that stockholder’s foreign status. Such Form W-8 can be obtained from the Depositary or the Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html). The instructions to the enclosed IRS Form W-9 contain further information concerning backup withholding and instructions for completing the Form W-9 (including how to obtain a taxpayer identification number if you do not have one and how to complete the Form W-9 if Shares are held in more than one name).
Failure to provide a Form W-9 or the appropriate Form W-8 will not, by itself, cause Shares to be deemed invalidly tendered, but may require the Depositary to withhold 24% of the amount of any payments made pursuant to the Offer. Backup withholding is not an additional U.S. federal income tax. Rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability of a person subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained provided that the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service. Failure to complete and provide a Form W-9 or the appropriate Form W-8 may result in backup withholding of 24% of any payments made to you pursuant to the Offer.
9. Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. If any certificate(s) representing Shares to be tendered have been mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, stockholders should contact Spark’s transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, immediately by calling 1-800-937-5449 (toll-free). With respect to Shares represented by certificates, the stockholder will then be instructed as to the steps that must be taken in order to replace the certificate(s). This Letter of Transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing lost, mutilated, destroyed or stolen certificate(s) have been followed.
10. Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies. Requests for assistance or additional copies of the Offer to Purchase and this Letter of Transmittal may be obtained from the Information Agent at its address or telephone numbers set forth below.
11. Waiver of Conditions. Subject to applicable law, Purchaser reserves the right to waive any of the specified conditions of the Offer in the case of any Shares tendered, subject in certain cases to the prior written consent of Spark.
12. Irregularities. All questions as to Offer Price, the form of documents and the validity, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance for payment of any tender of Shares will be determined by Purchaser in its sole discretion, which determination shall be final and binding on you. Purchaser reserves the absolute right to reject any or all tenders of Shares it determines not to be in proper form or the acceptance of which or payments for which may, in the opinion of Purchaser, be unlawful. Purchaser also reserves the absolute right to waive any defect or irregularity in the tender of any Shares by any particular stockholder, whether or not similar defects or irregularities are waived in the case of other stockholders. No tender of shares will be deemed to have been validly made until all defects and irregularities have been cured or waived to the satisfaction of Purchaser. None of Spark, Purchaser, Parent, the Depositary, the Dealer Manager (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), the Information Agent (as defined in the Offer to Purchaser) or any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defects of irregularities in tenders or incur any liability or failure to give any such notifications.
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IMPORTANT: This Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile thereof) together with any signature guarantees, or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message, and any other required documents, must be received by the Depositary on or prior to the Expiration Time and either certificates for tendered Shares must be received by the Depositary or Shares must be delivered pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfer, in each case on or prior to the Expiration Time, or the tendering stockholder must comply with the procedures for guaranteed delivery.
The Information Agent for the Offer is:
1407 Broadway New York, New York 10018
(212) 929-5500 (Call Collect)
or
Call toll-free: (800) 322-2885
Email: tenderoffer@mackenziepartners.com
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