BARRICK DEAL GETS NOD FROM RANDGOLD SHAREHOLDERS

Shareholders of Randgold Resources Ltd. have voted yes to a merger with Barrick Gold

Corp. Randgold says just over 95 per cent of votes cast were in favour, representing about 70 per cent of outstanding shares. The combination, announced in September, will add gold mines in Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of Congo to Barrick’s portfolio. The deal, which valued Randgold

at about $7.9-billion when announced, will also see Randgold CEO Mark Bristow move to the same role at Barrick. Barrick shareholders voted more than 99 per cent in favour of the deal earlier this week. Last week, Barrick sweetened its offer to Randgold shareholders by boosting the dividend for 2018 to US$2.69 per Randgold share from the US$2 first proposed.