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Italy’s biggest refinery in crisis three years after sale by Russia’s Lukoil
Another case of the #CuckooStrategy in action. Trafigura ’s playbook is becoming painfully familiar: leverage special situations emerging...
Apr 132 min read


The Nyrstar Case: A Textbook Principal-Agent Problem
The classic 'principal-agent problem' played a central role in the Nyrstar case. Kris Vansanten describes how board members and legal...
Apr 52 min read
How do you commit a hold-up on a Belgian listed company?
How do you commit a hold-up on a publicly traded company in Belgium? By applying a cuckoo strategy, as this video explains in less than...
Mar 141 min read


Acquisition of Belgian flagship Nyrstar: hidden reports that embarrass Trafigura
'The biggest robbery in Belgian industrial history' is how Le Vif magazine describes Trafigura's role in the takeover of Nyrstar's...
Mar 72 min read


“The biggest hold-up in Belgian industrial history”
“The greatest hold-up in Belgian industrial history” — that is how the magazine Le Vif describes Trafigura’s role in the acquisition of...
Mar 71 min read


A Battle for Accountability
A true David versus Goliath story. The small shareholder against one of the most powerful companies in the world, Trafigura, which turns...
Feb 51 min read


MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS NYRSTAR PLEAD FOR LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
The Court of Cassation has rejected our appeal against the decision of the Antwerp Court of Appeal of 17 November 2002. This ruling...
May 2, 20242 min read


In the shadows: Did Deloitte facilitate a Cuckoo Scheme?
In an era where financial impropriety often involves more sophistication than force, the words of Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger in...
Apr 30, 20242 min read


Sophisticated bribery schemes commodity traders have developed to rip off poor countries
The LinkedIn post from Jack Farchy, author of the highly insightful book hashtag#TheWorldForSale and renowed Energy and Commodities...
Mar 18, 20242 min read


Biocartis: shareholders resist ‘expropriation’
Biocartis is yet another Belgian listed company in trouble that is disappearing from the Brussels stock exchange, at a time when the...
Oct 12, 20232 min read


Shareholders Can Block Sale of Crown Jewels
As a result of our battle against the allegedly fraudulent restructuring (read: "acquisition") by Trafigura of Nyrstar , minister of...
Jul 20, 20232 min read


Second group of Nyrstar shareholders takes legal action
Here is some more colour to support my statement that the Nyrstar General Meeting was a demonstration of malgoverno. The Board of...
Jun 25, 20232 min read


Where is the moral indignation about the Nyrstar case?
While Trafigura ransacks and incorporates Nyrstar, a jewel in our industrial crown, everyone stands by and watches. The Turnhout...
Jul 26, 20223 min read
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