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Centamin

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FY2012 Annual Report · Centamin
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C E N T A M I N

2012

A n n u Al   
R e p o R t  

 
Centamin Plc

Centamin plc (“Centamin” or “the Company”) is the 
ultimate holding company in the mining 
group (“Centamin Group” or “the Group”) that has been 
actively exploring in Egypt since 1995.

The principal asset of Centamin is its interest in the Sukari 
Gold Mine (‘Sukari’), located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. 
Construction at the Sukari Gold Mine commenced in March 
2007 with first gold being produced on 26 June 2009.

The Sukari Gold Mine is the first large-scale modern gold 
mine in Egypt. Centamin’s operating experience in Egypt 
gives it a significant first-mover advantage in acquiring and 
developing other gold projects in the prospective Arabian-
nubian Shield.

In 2011, the Group acquired Sheba Exploration (uK) plc 
(now Sheba Exploration Holdings limited) and now has 
interests in four exploration licences in Ethiopia where  
it is conducting further exploration activities. In addition, 
Centamin currently has a 17.0% shareholding in nyota 
Minerals ltd, which owns the Tulu Kapi advanced 
exploration project in Ethiopia.

On 30 December 2011, the Centamin Group successfully 
implemented a Scheme of Arrangement whereby Centamin 
plc, a company incorporated under the laws of Jersey, 
became the ultimate holding of the Group. under the 
Scheme the shares in Centamin plc were exchanged on 
a one for one basis for shares in Centamin Egypt limited. 
Trading in the shares of Centamin plc on the london Stock 
Exchange and on the Toronto Stock Exchange began on 
30 December 2011, immediately following the cessation of 
trading of shares in Centamin Egypt limited.

For the purposes of this document, references to acts, 
omissions, operations, results, plans and intentions of 
Centamin plc shall, as the context may require, include 
references to acts, omissions, operations, results, plans and 
intentions of Centamin Egypt limited.

FoRWARD LooKING StAteMeNtS

The report contains certain forward-looking statements. 
These statements are made by the directors in good faith 
based on the information available to them up to the time 
of their approval of this report and such statements should 
be treated with caution due to the inherent uncertainties, 
including both economic and business risk factors, 
underlying any such forward-looking information.

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CAUtIoNARY Note  ReGARDING FoRWARD LooKING StAteMeNtS

This document contains “forward-looking information” which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect 
to the future financial or operating performance of Centamin plc (“Centamin” or “the Company”), its subsidiaries 
(together ‘the Group’), affiliated companies, its projects, the future price of gold, the estimation of mineral reserves 
and mineral resources, the realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates, the timing and amount of estimated 
future production, revenues, margins, costs of production, estimates of initial capital, sustaining capital, operating 
and exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, costs and timing of future 
exploration, requirements for additional capital, foreign exchange risks, governmental regulation of mining operations 
and exploration operations, timing and receipt of approvals, consents and permits under applicable mineral legislation, 
environmental risks, title disputes or claims, limitations of insurance coverage and regulatory matters. Often, but not 
always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, 
“budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “targets”, “aims”, “anticipates” or “believes” or variations 
(including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain 
actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and a variety of material factors, many 
of which are beyond the Company’s control which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of 
Centamin, its subsidiaries and affiliated companies to be materially different from any future results, performance or 
achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking 
statements may not be appropriate for other purposes than outlined in this document. Such factors include, among 
others, future price of gold; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual 
results of current exploration and development activities; conclusions of economic evaluations and studies; fluctuations 
in the value of the u.S. dollar relative to the local currencies in the jurisdictions of the Company’s key projects; changes 
in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; possible variations of ore grade or projected recovery rates; 
accidents, labour disputes or slow-downs and other risks of the mining industry; climatic conditions; political instability, 
insurrection or war, civil unrest or armed assault; labour force availability and turnover; delays in obtaining financing  
or governmental approvals or in the completion of exploration and development activities; as well as those factors 
referred to in the section entitled “Risks and uncertainties” section of the Management Discussion & Analysis.  
The reader is also cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhausted of the factors that may affect the 
Company’s forward-looking statements.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results 
to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, 
events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein 
are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any 
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or 
otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and 
future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place 
undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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Contents

2012 Performance Highlights 
Overview – What Sets Us Apart 
What We Do 
How We Do It 
Our Performance and Key Performance Indicators 
Strategic Review 
Chairman’s Statement 
Financial Highlights 
Operational and Exploration Review  
2006 – 2013: The Path Through Sukari’s Investment Phase 
Management Discussion & Analysis and Business Review 
The Board of Directors 
Senior Management 
Directors’ Report 
Corporate Governance Statement  
Remuneration Report 
Corporate Social Responsibility Statement 
Director’s Responsibility Statement 
Independent Auditor’s Report  
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income  
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position  
Consolidated Statement of Changes In Equity  
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows  
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements  
Glossary 

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7
8
9
10
11
14
16
17
22
24
54
56
58
61
72
82
89
90
92
93
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95
96
142

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2012 Performance Highlights

Production 
(ounces)

Operating cash costs 
(US$ per ounce)1

3
1
4
,
5
8

2
2
4
,
7
6

2
2
9
,
0
6

1
7
0
,
9
4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

2012  262,828
2011 

202,699

Revenue 
(US$’000)

2012  426,133
2011 

340,479

Cash On Hand At Year End (uS$’000)

Resources & Reserves (Million Ounces)

Proven & Probable

Measured & Indicated

Inferred

Safety

(lost Time Injury Frequency Rate)

excluding fuel  
subsidy2

Including fuel  
subsidy

609

565

539

446

556

530

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

2011

2012

717

729

724

558

n/a

669

Profit before tax  
(US$’000)1

excluding fuel  
subsidy²

Including fuel  
subsidy

2011

2012

n/a

198,594

193,993

231,712

Earnings per share 
(cents)1

excluding fuel  
subsidy²

Including fuel  
subsidy

2011

2012

n/a

18.27

2012

147,133

10.13

13.14

2.34

0.69

17.90

21.31

2011

164,231

10.1

13.1

2.3

1.25

(1)   results now reflect adoption of IFRIC 20 (refer to Note 3 of the financial statements for further details).
(2)   excluding fuel subsidy (full international price), this has been presented for comparative purposes to reflect the fuel price differential had the 

prepayments been expensed during the year (refer to Note 6 of the financial statements for further details).

(3)  inclusive of 262,828 ounces produced since 31 December 2011.
(4)  inclusive of 321,565 ounces produced since 30 September 2011.

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Centamin at a Glance

Our performance versus our peer group is built 
upon these competitive differentiators.

overview – What Sets Us Apart

1.  Rapid Growth

3.  First Mover Advantage

In 2012 Centamin achieved increased gold production 
of 262,828oz (2011: 202,699oz) and solid earnings 
of uS18.27 cents per share (2011: uS17.90 cents per 
share), despite the inclusion of an exceptional provision 
against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal 
of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012 (refer 
to note 6 of the Financial Statements). Our aim is to 
ramp up production at Sukari to 450-500,000 ounces 
of gold per annum from 2015 onwards, at which level 
current reserves would support a mine life of more than 
20 years. We are projecting a further rise in output during 
2013 to 320,000oz at uS$700 per ounce cash operating 
cost at international fuel prices, as robust open pit and 
underground productivity and grades continue. We are 
also projecting the uS$325 million (including contingency) 
“Stage 4” plant expansion to double nameplate capacity 
from 5 to 10 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) and to 
achieve full commissioning by the end of 2013.

2.  exploration Upside potential

Centamin has a large resource and reserve base  
and this is expected to grow further in the coming years 
through the continued exploration of the Sukari Hill  
and surrounding 160km2 Sukari tenement area.  
In particular, the underground mine and regional 
prospects offer significant potential to define further 
resources. In addition, exploration continues on our  
four exploration licences in northern Ethiopia.

Sukari is the only producing gold mine in Egypt.  
Our operating experience in Egypt gives us significant 
first-mover advantage in acquiring and developing  
other gold projects in Egypt and in the prospective 
Arabian-nubian shield and beyond.

4.  An experienced team

Centamin’s management team and Board of Directors 
have considerable expertise in the gold mining industry. 
This ranges from the early stage identification of deposits, 
project financing, construction and development, to the 
operating of large mines. Some of the leadership team 
has been based at Sukari for almost a decade, taking it 
from an early stage exploration project to the operating 
gold mine it is today.

5.  Financial Strength and Flexibility

With uS$220 million (2011: uS$208 million) of Cash, 
Bullion, Gold Sales Receivables and Available-For-Sale 
Financial Assets on our balance sheet, and with strong 
cash flow generation, no debt and no hedging, Centamin 
is well positioned to benefit from continued high gold 
prices, an environment we expect for the foreseeable 
future. We have the financial flexibility to grow our 
business both organically as well as through strategic 
acquisitions in the Arabian-nubian Shield and beyond.

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Centamin at a Glance

What We Do

Our business spans the full mining value chain: from 
early stage exploration, through development and 
construction and into mining operations. Our focus is on 
projects that provide, or offer the potential for, significant 
growth and returns on investment. This is typified by our 
core operation, the Sukari Gold Mine in Egypt, which 
delivered 262,828 ounces of gold production in 2012, 
in excess of guidance and on track to ramp-up to 

450-500,000 ounces from 2015 onwards. With reserves 
of circa-10 million ounces, Sukari has a projected mine 
life of over 20 years, with potential to increase further 
as exploration continues. Our company remains debt 
and hedge free with a strong cash position and  
is therefore well placed to fund further growth  
as suitable opportunities arise.

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How We Do It

operate

Sustain

Our flagship project, the Sukari Gold Mine, is located  
in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, 700km from Cairo and 
25km inland from the Red Sea. Production commenced 
in June 2009, making Sukari the first modern mine in  
a country which in ancient times was a highly prolific  
gold producer. 

Our licence to operate is dependent upon the  
safety and health of our employees, good environmental 
stewardship, the wellbeing of the communities  
in which we operate, and adherence to best governance 
practices, from the earliest stages of exploration until 
mine closure.

Develop

Production at Sukari has grown steadily since our 
maiden year of production in 2010, driven by a rapid 
expansion and optimisation programme. Completion of 
the “Stage 4” plant expansion by the end of 2013 will 
lay the foundations for consistent annual production 
of between 450,000 and 500,000 ounces of gold per 
annum from 2015 onwards.

explore

Centamin has resources (inclusive of production since 
30 September 2011) of 13.13 million ounces Measured 
and Indicated, and 2.3 million ounces Inferred, and 
reserves (inclusive of production since 31 December 
2011) of 10.1 million ounces. Our exploration strategy  
is aimed at providing cost-effective opportunities for 
future growth, from two primary areas:

1. 

2. 

 Growth at Sukari – resource expansion at the main 
Sukari Hill deposit and multiple other prospects  
on the 160km2 tenement area.

 Regional organic growth – exploration on our 
tenements outside of Sukari, currently represented 
by our interests in Ethiopia.

Acquire

Centamin is financially and technically well placed 
to evaluate opportunities for increased returns to 
shareholders through acquisition. The acquisition  
of Sheba Exploration (uK) plc (now Sheba Exploration 
Holdings limited) in 2011 marked the Company’s first 
step in its strategy to diversify geographically. In addition, 
Centamin currently has a 17% shareholding (13.6% at 
the end of 2012) in nyota Minerals ltd, which owns  
the Tulu Kapi advanced exploration project in Ethiopia.

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Our Performance and  
Key Performance Indicators

2012 production of 262,828 ounces gold at unit cash operating costs of uS$669 per ounce exceeded our  
target of 250,000oz at uS$700 per ounce. The Group has a strong growth profile and a robust balance sheet  
and is well positioned among mid-tier gold producers to generate value for shareholders.

We monitor our performance in implementing our strategy with reference to the following key performance indicators 
(“KPIs”), applied on a Group wide basis. 

Indicator

GoVeRNANCe
Health and Safety
pRoDUCtIVItY
Open Pit Ore Mined
underground Ore Mined
Ore Processed
Gold Recovery
Gold Produced
Revenue
pRoFItABILItY
Cash Operating Cost of Production
Profit before tax1, 3
Profit before tax and post exceptional2 
EPS1,3
EPS post exceptional item2
Cash generated from operations

12 months ended 
31 December 2012

12 months ended 
31 December 2011

Frequency rate per 200,000 man hours

0.69

‘000t
‘000t
‘000t
%
Ounces
uS$’000

6,377
394
4,526
86.0
262,828
426,133

uS$ per ounce
uS$’000
uS$’000
Cents
Cents
uS$’000

6692 / 5303
 231,712
198,594
21.31
18.27
220,507

1.25

6,306
212
3,612
84.4
202,699
340,479

5563
193,993
n/a
17.90
n/a
153,542

no changes have been made to the source of data or calculation methods used in the year. 

(1) Results now reflect adoption of IFRIC 20 (restatement of 2011) and an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal 
of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012 (refer to notes 3 and 6 respectively of the Financial Statements for further details). The provision had 
no impact on the 2011 results.

(2) Excluding fuel subsidy, (refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details).

(3) Including fuel subsidy, (refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details).

Improved Health and Safety performance is indicated by 
lTIFR of 0.69 (versus 1.25 in 2011). All HSE incidents are 
investigated and corrective actions are taken.

Revenue increased to uS$426.1 million, from 
$340.5 million in 2011, due to increases in production  
and higher realised gold prices.

Open pit ore tonnes mined amounted to 6.4Mt, versus 
6.3Mt in 2011. Production was hampered by industrial 
disputes and temporary disruptions to the fuel supply.

The underground mine delivered a total of 0.39Mt of ore 
at 8.96g/t from both stoping and development headings, 
compared with 0.21Mt at 13.51g/t in 2011. The expansion of 
the underground mine continued with the connection of the 
new “Ptah” decline into the primary ventilation circuit.

Ore processed had a record year of 4.5Mt, versus 3.6Mt 
in 2011. nameplate capacity of 5Mtpa was achieved 
regularly throughout the year, although plant availability 
was hampered by stoppages due to industrial disputes and 
temporary disruptions to the fuel supply.

Gold recovery rates increased to 86.0%, from 84.4%  
in 2011. The higher gold recovery was realised due to 
tighter operating parameters and increased circuit stability. 
Circuit optimisation planning is ongoing to improve the 
recovery rates.

Gold produced amounted to 262,828 ounces, versus 
202,699oz in 2011, which was above guidance of 250,000 
ounces. The increase is due to improved mill throughput, 
higher plant feed grades and increased plant recovery.

The cash operating cost of production was uS$669 per 
ounce, versus uS$556 per ounce in 2011. The increase 
is due to the inclusion of an exceptional provision against 
prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal  
of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012 which,  
if included, bring the like-for-like cash operating cost  
of production to uS$530 per ounce, highlighting the 
success of the cost monitoring controls at Sukari.

Profit for the year of uS$198.6 million increased in 
comparison to uS$194.0 million in 2011 (which has also 
driven the increase in Earnings Per Share of 18.27 cents), 
despite the recognition of a provision against prepayments 
during Q4 to reflect the removal of the fuel subsidy,  
as a result of the increase in revenue and production. 

On 30 October 2012, the Company was notified of the 
outcome of a court case brought by, amongst others,  
an independent member of the previous parliament,  
in which he argued for the nullification of the concession 
and exploitation permit that confers on the Group rights to 
operate in Egypt. The litigation is on-going and is described 
in more detail in note 20 to the Financial Statements and 
in the most recently filed Annual Information Form (‘AIF’) 
which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

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Strategic Review

We strive to set an example of a socially 
responsible industry through adopting  
a good neighbour policy.

Our growth strategy seeks to optimise exposure through 
the mining value chain: exploration, development and 
operations. Whilst disciplined and sustainable growth  
on our existing projects remains a key focus, we continue 
to evaluate potential opportunities to grow through the 
acquisition of projects which offer the potential for the 
Company to realise strong investment returns.

2013 will mark the year when the Stage 4 plant expansion 
is commissioned, the Sukari project concludes its 
investment phase and our annual capital expenditure 
requirements for the mine begin to reduce significantly. 

Based on the Company’s calculation there was no ‘net 
Profit Share’ due to EMRA as at 30 June 2012, nor is any 
likely to be due as at 30 June 2013. Furthermore, it is 
expected that there will be profit share due to EMRA for 
the SGM financial year ending 30 June 2014, based on 
production, gold price and operating expense forecasts. 
Following discussions with EMRA and with a view to 
demonstrating goodwill toward the Egyptian government, 
an advance payment has been made subsequent to year 
end to the value of uS$8.2 million.

Maintaining our Social License

Maintaining good community relations is a core part 
of our operational strategy and corporate governance 
standards. As the first mining company in Egypt in 

modern times, we strive to set an example of a socially 
responsible industry through adopting a good neighbour 
policy. We take every action to ensure Sukari has the 
minimum impact on the social environment, as well  
as to deliver positive benefits to Egypt and the 
community as a result of our investment. 

In 2012 we nurtured dialogue, maintained open 
channels of communication and built positive and 
constructive relations with all our stakeholders including 
the community in areas in which we operate. The Board 
approved principles and strategies for the pursuit of 
corporate sustainable development (CSD) initiatives. 

Our work force is remunerated well above the average 
for Egypt and our career development programmes 
are highly valued. In general we enjoy a very positive 
and constructive relationship with our employees. 
unfortunately, however, we had two strikes at Sukari 
during the year. The first was a legal strike and was settled 
on the basis of a broad and above-inflation increase  
in employee allowance payments. The second strike  
was illegal, involving only a small element of our work 
force, and was settled with no pay increases and with 
the help of the Ministry of labour. These disputes are set 
against a background of multiple and prolonged industrial 
disputes in many quarters of the Egyptian economy. 

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Strategic Review

targets for 2013

Legal Actions

For the year 2013, we project production of 320,000 
ounces at a cash operating cost of uS$700 per ounce,  
at international fuel prices, which will mark the third year 
of successive growth in output from Sukari, and another 
step on the way to our long-term target for the project  
of 450-500,000 ounces per annum from 2015  
onwards at an industry-competitive cost of production.  
The key drivers of production growth this year will be 
a continued period of elevated head grades from both 
the open pit and underground mines and increasing the 
underground ore tonnes mined to 500,000t, as well as 
commissioning of the Stage 4 plant expansion to double 
the processing plant’s nameplate capacity to 10 million 
tonnes per annum.

Although construction of Stage 4 was steady during the 
first half of 2012, the second half saw an impact from 
strikes at Sukari, in some of the ports and at some of the 
local Egyptian suppliers, as well as temporary disruptions 
to the operation’s fuel supply and gold exports, hence 
our in-country working capital position. This translated 
to delivery delays for key items, materials and services 
and thus a delay to the anticipated commissioning of the 
expanded plant, the bulk of which is now expected to 
commence in the second half of 2013 and with completion 
before the end of the year. As part of the implementation 
of Stage 4 the Company is in discussions with EMRA and 
other government departments in relation to securing the 
necessary permits to increase daily ammonium nitrate 
(“An”) consumption and blasting accessories in order 
to increase open pit mining rates to the required level to 
feed the expanded plant. This process is expected to be 
completed during the year. 

The capital expenditure programme for 2013 has 
two key focus areas: completion of the Stage 4 plant 
expansion and the on-going development of the 
underground mine. The total Stage 4 capital expenditure 
estimate is uS$325 million including contingency, with 
uS$228.5 million spent by the end of 2012 and the bulk  
of the remaining capital expenditure due in 2013.  
The budget for the underground expansion is 
uS$20 million and will take the new decline (“Ptah”) 
to its target depth below the existing area of operation. 
underground drilling will continue to test the potential 
for significant resource and reserve expansion and the 
development of multiple production sources.

Concession Agreement Court Case

On 30 October 2012, the Administrative Court in 
Egypt handed down a judgment in relation to a claim 
brought by, amongst others, an independent member 
of the previous parliament, in which he argued for 
the nullification of the agreement that confers on the 
Group rights to operate in Egypt. This agreement, the 
Concession Agreement, was entered into between the 
Arab Republic of Egypt, the Egyptian Mineral Resources 
Authority (“EMRA”) and Centamin’s wholly owned 
subsidiary Pharaoh Gold Mines (“PGM”), and was 
approved by the People’s Assembly as law 222 of 1994.

In summary that judgment states that, although the 
Concession Agreement itself remains valid and in force, 
sufficient evidence had not been submitted to Court 
in order to demonstrate that the 160km2 “exploitation 
lease” between PGM and EMRA had received approval 
from the relevant Minister as required by the terms of 
the Concession Agreement. Accordingly, the Court 
found that the exploitation lease in respect of the area of 
160km2 was not valid although it stated that there was 
in existence such a lease in respect of an area of 3km2. 
Centamin, however, is in possession of the executed 
original lease documentation which clearly shows that the 
160km2 exploitation lease was approved by the Minister 
of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. It appears that an 
executed original document was not supplied to the Court. 

upon notification of the judgment the Group took various 
steps to protect its ability to continue to operate the 
mine at Sukari. These included both lodging a formal 
appeal before the Supreme Administrative Court on 
26 november 2012 and, in the first instance, lodging 
an “Objection to Enforcement” in respect of the original 
ruling with the Civil Court on 31 October 2012, which had 
the effect of “staying” (postponing) implementation for an 
initial period. In addition, in conjunction with the formal 
appeal the Group applied to the Supreme Administrative 
Court to suspend the initial decision until such time as 
the Court is able to consider and rule on the merits of 
the appeal. On 20 March 2013, the Court upheld this 
application thus suspending the initial decision and 
providing assurance that normal operations will be able to 
continue whilst the appeal process is underway. 

EMRA lodged its own appeal in relation to this matter on 
27 november 2012, the day after the Company’s appeal 
was lodged. Furthermore, in late December 2012, the 
Minister of Petroleum lodged a supporting appeal and 
shortly thereafter publicly indicated that, in his view, 
the terms of the Concession Agreement were fair and 

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that the exploitation lease was valid. The Minister of 
Petroleum also expressed support for the investment and 
expertise that Centamin brings to the country. We believe 
this demonstrates the government’s commitment to our 
investment at Sukari and the desire to stimulate further 
investment in the Egyptian mining industry.

We do not yet know when the appeal will conclude, 
although are aware of the potential for the process  
in Egypt to be lengthy. The Company has taken extensive 
legal advice on the merits of its appeal from two leading 
Egyptian law firms who have confirmed that the proper 
steps were followed with regard to the grant of the 160km2 
exploitation lease. We therefore remain of the view that the 
appeal is based on strong legal grounds and will ultimately 
be successful. In the event that the appellate court fails to 
be persuaded of the merits of the case put forward by the 
Group, the operations at Sukari may be adversely effected 
to the extent that the Company’s operation exceeded the 
exploitation lease area of 3km2 referred to in the original 
court decision.

The Company remains confident that normal operations 
at Sukari will be maintained whilst the appeal process  
is underway.

Diesel Fuel Court Case

In January 2012, the Group received a letter from 
Chevron to the effect that Chevron would only be able to 
supply Diesel Fuel Oil (“DFO”) to the mine at Sukari at 
international prices rather than at local subsidised prices, 
which had the effect of adding approximately uS$150 
per ounce to the cost of production. It is understood that 
the reason that this letter was issued was that Chevron 
had received a letter instructing it to do so from the 
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (“EGPC”). 
It is further understood that EGPC itself issued this 
instruction because it had received legal advice from 
the legal Advice Department of the Council of State 
(an internal government advisory department) that the 

companies operating in the gold mining sector in Egypt 
were not entitled to such subsidies. In november, the 
Group received a further demand from Chevron for the 
repayment of fuel subsidies received during the period 
from late 2009 through to January 2012, amounting to 
EGP403 million (approximately uS$60 million at current 
exchange rates).

The Group has taken detailed legal advice on this matter 
(and, in particular, on the opinion given by legal Advice 
Department of the Council of State) and in June 2012 
lodged an appeal against EGPC’s decision in the 
Administrative Courts. Again, the Group believes that its 
grounds for appeal are strong and that there is a good 
prospect of success. However, as a practical matter, 
and in order to ensure the continuation of supply whilst 
the matter is resolved, the Group has since January 
advanced funds to our fuel supplier, Chevron, based on 
the international price for fuel.

As at the date of this document, no decision had been 
taken by the courts regarding this matter. The Group 
remains of the view that an instant move to international 
fuel prices is not a reasonable outcome and will look 
to recover funds advanced thus far should the court 
proceeding be successfully concluded. However, 
management recognises the practical difficulties 
associated with re-claiming funds from the government 
and for this reason have fully provided against the 
prepayment of uS$41.4 million, as an exceptional item. 
Refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further 
details on the impact of this exceptional provision  
on the Group’s results for 2012.

no provision has been made in respect of the historic 
subsidies prior to January 2012 as, based on legal 
advice, the Company believes that the prospects  
of a court finding in its favour in relation to this matter 
remain very strong.

13

Chairman’s Statement

2012 represented the third full year of production at 
Sukari, a period in which your company further 
extended its track record of successive 
annual production growth. 

Dear Shareholders
2012 represented the third full year of production 
at Sukari, a period in which your company further 
extended its track record of successive annual 
production growth. The operation delivered a record 
262,828 ounces of gold at a cash cost of production 
of uS$669 per ounce, which was ahead of guidance 
of 250,000 ounces at uS$700 per ounce (with fuel at 
international prices) set out at the beginning of the year. 
The operating team in Egypt deserve immense credit 
for this performance in a year where challenges were 
again presented and overcome. The ability to perform 
well in all circumstances is key to a successful operation, 
particularly one that is growing as rapidly as Sukari, 
and shareholders should take comfort from the team’s 
demonstrated ability to deliver growth, whilst maintaining 
a strong emphasis on rigorous cost control. 

Sukari’s safety performance was also a significant 
improvement on the previous year with a lost time injury 
frequency rate of 0.69 per 200,000 man-hours achieved 
during the period. It was again pleasing to note that no 
significant environmental incidents have taken place.

The Stage 4 expansion to double the processing plant’s 
nameplate capacity to 10 million tonnes per annum is 
the key to the next stage of output growth and delivery 
of our stated long-term production target for Sukari of 
450-500,000 ounces per annum from 2015 onwards. 
The construction team made great inroads through 2012 
on what is a major construction effort, which continued 
to be funded out of the proceeds of production at Sukari. 
Although construction was steady during the first half 
of the year, the second half saw an impact from strikes, 
both at Sukari and within the local supply chain, and also 
disruptions to gold exports and hence our in-country 
working capital position. This translated to delivery delays 
for key items, materials and services, with the effect that 
the bulk of commissioning will commence in the second 
half of 2013 and be complete before year end. The capital 
cost estimate of the Stage 4 expansion which is funded by 
PGM out of cost recoveries, is uS$325 million including 
contingency, with expenditure at the end of 2012 of 
uS$228.5 million.

14

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Production growth 
was complemented by 
continued drilling of Sukari 
Hill from both surface and 
underground, with the 
aim of replenishing and 
increasing the resource 
and reserve base, and 
an update resource and 
reserve statement will be 
delivered in the second half 
of 2013. The expanding 

underground development in particular provides 
increasing drilling access to the northern and depth 
extents of the deposit.

Exploration activities continued on the seven other 
prospects in the 160km2 Sukari exploitation lease 
within trucking distance of the Sukari plant. The first 
significant signs of low grade porphyry away from Sukari 
Hill were identified at the V-Shear prospect and work 
continues to determine the extents and controls on 
this mineralisation. Elsewhere, on-going drilling at the 
Kurdeman prospect offers the potential to fast-track 
high grade ore to supplement the existing underground 
production. Further regional drilling of the Sukari licence 
is planned for 2013. 

Drilling in Ethiopia continued on our four exploration 
licences in the north of the country. Centamin intends 
to continue to grow and diversify its project pipeline 
through targeted acquisitions of exploration and 
development prospects in the region and beyond.

Despite the negative effect of having to pay higher costs 
for fuel for much of 2012, costs that were incurred 
as direct consequence of a decision taken by EGPC, 
which we are robustly contesting in Court, financially, 
our position remains strong with approximately uS$220 
million held in cash, bullion, gold sales receivables and 
available-for-sale financial assets, no debt and no hedging. 
With revenues of uS$426 million and a profit for the 
year of uS$199 million, Sukari continued to demonstrate 
in 2012 that it remains highly cash generative and well 
placed to fund its growth from cost recoveries. We have 
exited the year as we had planned with a strong cash 
position and having made a significant investment and 
progress toward completing Stage 4. Completion of Stage 
4 will mark the end of a major expansion and investment 
programme at Sukari.

Our appeal against the 30 October 2012 ruling by  
the Egyptian Administrative Court, which we believe  
is based on an incorrect assertion that there was a lack 
of evidence with respect to our exploitation lease at 
Sukari, remains on-going. Very importantly on 20 March 
2013 the Supreme Administrative Court approved our 
application to suspend enforcement of the 30 October 
ruling until the conclusion of the appeal process and 
this will allow operations at Sukari to continue whilst the 
court process runs its course. We have full confidence 
in our legal title and our appeal case and also highlight 
the separate supporting appeals lodged by the Ministry 
of Petroleum and the Egyptian Mineral Resource 
Authority (EMRA). It is our belief that this re-enforces 
the government’s publicly-stated view that the terms of 
our Concession Agreement are fair and that Centamin’s 
continued investment and operation at Sukari are both 
necessary and welcome. I would like to thank the 
Minister of Petroleum and EMRA for standing by us 
throughout the year and I look forward to the continued 
co-operation as we deliver on our stated goals. 

I would like to close by thanking all those at Sukari,  
in Alexandria, london, Jersey and Perth for their 
efforts in 2012 as Centamin continued on its journey 
to becoming an established gold producer. In a year 
where there were many events that required your board’s 
attention it was a year that the depth, professionalism 
and dedication of your non-Executive Directors came  
to the fore. I would like to thank deeply the Board for 
their counsel.

Despite and because of the challenges that we have 
faced in 2012, your company remains well positioned  
to deliver outstanding growth and shareholder returns  
in the coming years. I look forward to updating you 
further over the course of 2013 either at our AGM,  
which this year will be held in Jersey on 23 May,  
or at our presentation to shareholders that will be  
held in london on 16 May.

Josef El-Raghy

Chairman

15

Financial Highlights

Set out in the table below are the financial highlights for the year ending 31 December 2012 and for immediately 
preceding year ending 31 December 2011.

(US$’000)

Revenue1

Profit before tax3

Basic EPS (cents per share)3

Diluted EPS (cents per share)3

EBITDA3

net cash generated from 
operations3

Cash and cash equivalents

Group production (ounces)

Attributable sales (ounces)
Group cash operating costs per 
ounce (uS$)2,3

Total assets (uS$’000)4

Year ended  
31 December 2012

Year ended  
31 December 2011

percentage  
Change

426,133

198,594

18.27

18.26

233,333

220,507

147,133

262,828

254,959

669

1,084,956

340,479

193,993

17.90

17.88

211,347

153,542

164,231

202,699

214,763

556

846,572

25%

2%

2%

2%

10%

44%

(10)%

30%

19%

(20)%

28%

(1) See total revenue which is analysed in note 5 of the Financial Statements.
(2) EBITDA and Cash Operating Costs are non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standard meaning under International Financial 

Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European union and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation IFRS. For further information and a detailed 
reconciliation, please see page 39 of this report.

(3) Results now reflect adoption of IFRIC 20 (restatement of 2011) and an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the 
removal of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012, refer to notes 3 and 6 respectively of the Financial Statements for further details.  
The provision had no impact on the 2011 results.

(4) The Group has no non-current financial liabilities in 2012 and 2011.

Revenues from gold and silver sales amounted to 
uS$426.1 million, a 25% increase on $340.5 million  
in 2011. This was mainly driven by a 19% increase in 
the volume of gold sold as well as higher realised prices. 

Profit before tax of uS$198.6 million was 2% higher 
compared to 2011, driven by the increase in revenue 
offset by the inclusion of an exceptional provision against 
prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of 
fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012. Similarly, 
Earnings Per Share (EPS) increased against 2011 to 
uS18.27 cents.

EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation 
and amortisation), excluding fuel subsidies, of uS$233.3 
million reflected a 10% increase year-on-year from 
uS$211.3 million in 2011, reflecting the strength of 
operations. The Sukari operation’s strong cash generation 
was also reflected in a 44% increase in “net cash 
generated by operations” of uS$220.5 million. 

Cash and equivalents decreased by 10% to 
uS$147.1 million due to an increase in acquisition of 
property, plant and equipment; mainly a result of the 
Stage 4 expansion.

The cash operating cost of production was uS$669 per 
ounce, versus uS$556 per ounce in 2011. The increase 

is due to the inclusion of an exceptional provision 
recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of fuel subsidies 
which occurred in January 2012 which, if included, 
bring the like-for-like cash operating cost of production 
to uS$530 per ounce, highlighting the success of the 
cost monitoring controls at Sukari. 

EPS serves as an indicator of profitability, being used 
in determining the share price and value of companies, 
and are calculated as the net profit divided by the 
weighted average of the number of Ordinary Shares 
issued. Both EBITDA and Cash Costs are non-IFRS 
financial performance measures with no standard 
meaning under IFRS. Management uses these measures 
internally to better assess performance trends. EBITDA 
is the net profit or loss for the period excluding income 
tax cost, finance cost, finance income and depreciation 
and amortization and is a gauge of the Group’s ability 
to generate operating cash flow to fund its working 
capital needs and capital expenditures. The cash cost 
of production is calculated by dividing the aggregate 
of production cash costs by attributed gold ounces 
produced. For further information and a detailed 
reconciliation, please see page 39 of this report.

16

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Operational and Exploration Review 

Centamin intends to continue to 
grow and diversify its project pipeline through 
targeted acquisitions of exploration and development 
prospects in the region and beyond.

oVeRVIeW

Centamin’s principal asset is the Sukari Gold Mine, 
which is located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, 
approximately 700km from Cairo and 25km from the 
Red Sea. For the 12 months ended 31 December 2012, 
production from Sukari was 262,828 ounces (2011: 
202,699 ounces) of gold at an operating cash cost of 
uS$669 per ounce. 

The first pillar of Centamin’s growth strategy is the 
expansion of Sukari, which includes the growth of  
Sukari Hill’s resources and reserves, the development  
of the underground mine and the Stage 4 expansion, 
which will double the plant’s processing capacity from 
5Mtpa to 10Mtpa.

Construction of the Stage 4 expansion was steady during 
the first half of the year, although the second half saw 
some delays, meaning that, whilst some commissioning 
activities will still begin in Q1 2013, we now anticipate 
the bulk of commissioning to commence in the second 
half of 2013, versus the previously-expected Q2, with 
completion before year end. The capital cost of the 
Stage 4 expansion which is funded by PGM out of cost 
recoveries, is uS$325 million including contingency, 
with expenditure to date of uS$228.5 million. 

Our exploration team at Sukari focused on identifying 
high grade mineralization from both the underground 
mine and other prospects in the wider Sukari tenement 
area. An update resource and reserve statement will  
be delivered in the second half of 2013.

Centamin continued exploration on its tenements  
in northern Ethiopia where exploration drilling 
commenced in the first half of 2012. Centamin intends 
to continue to grow and diversify its project pipeline 
through targeted acquisitions of exploration and 
development prospects in the region and beyond.

17

Operational and Exploration Review 

eGYpt – SUKARI GoLD MINe

Health and Safety 

The lost Injury Time (lTI) incident rate for 2012 was 
0.69 per 200,000 man-hours (2011: 1.25 per 200,000 
man-hours), with a total of 5,819,877 man hours worked 
during 2012 (2011: 4,312,043). Developing the Health 
and Safety culture on site has resulted in improved 
reporting of incidents compared to previous years and 
although there is room for improvement, Centamin views 
its lTI frequency rate as a solid achievement considering 
Sukari is the first modern gold mine in Egypt.

open pit Mining

During 2012, open pit mine development has continued 
to access the higher grade sulphide zones with improving 
production rates. A total of 6.4Mt of ore at 1.04g/t Au 
was mined for the period from Stage 1 and 2 of the open 
pit at an average waste to ore ratio of 2.9:1. Mining was 
primarily from the Stage 2 area which progressed down 
to the 1016 Reduced level (Rl). Mining also progressed 
in the Stage 3 pit area of Gazelle in preparation for large 
scale load and haul activities to commence in 2013 and 
the first large face shovel commenced in the Stage 3 
Eastern Hills area.

Underground Mining

The underground mine delivered a total of 393,569t 
of ore at 8.96g/t from both stoping and development 
headings. The development of both the Amun and Ptah 
declines continued and over 10,000 metres of total 
development have been completed to date.

Development advanced a total of 2,924 metres in 2012, 
of which 2,532m were driven through ore. The project 
development total to date is 10,248m, of which 5,414m 
were through ore.

The Amun decline, which is under the current open 
pit workings, reached the 814 level, 263m below the 
“portal wadi” area. Ore development has been mined 
on the 905, 890, 875, 870, 860, 850, 845, 830 and 
815 levels. Stoping was completed on the 920 level, 
continued on the 905 and 890 levels and commenced 
on the 875 level. Broken stope ore is removed with  
a conventional bogger until the brow is open and then 
a teleremote bogging system is employed. Stoping has 
broken 157,000 tonnes for the year, with development 
contributing 196,000 tonnes.

The expansion of the underground mine continued with 
the connection of the Ptah decline into the primary 
ventilation circuit. The first phase of development of the 
Ptah decline is schedule to be completed mid-2013, 
with diamond drilling commencing in the first quarter 
2013. This secondary decline will provide both a 
ventilation intake and haulage way to the central and 
northern portion of Sukari Hill and give access to ore 
blocks under the current ultimate pit base once the 
Amun decline is removed by the open pit in the coming 
years. This will allow Centamin to maintain at least 
two separate underground production areas and also 
potentially increase the current production rates.

9,500m of grade control drilling was completed for  
a project total of 18,000m. Deeper exploration drilling 
was completed from the Amun decline on the 895 level, 
the rig moving to 860S3 to explore the porphyry at lower 
depths. A second rig commenced drilling deep holes to 
the south of the current Horus zone from the 850 level. 

processing

The Sukari plant processed 4.5Mt in 2012, a 25% 
increase on 2011 (3.6Mt). Industrial disputes affected 
availability during the first and third quarters although 
the nameplate rate of 5Mtpa was achieved in the second 
and fourth quarters. Productivity of the processing plant 
averaged 656tph for the year, 5% above the nameplate 
design rate of 625tph, as the operations team continued 
to optimise availability and throughput.

Metallurgical recoveries were 86.0% for the year,  
a 0.7% increase on 2011. Tighter operational controls 
and improved circuit stability resulted in the recovery 
steadily increasing throughout the year to 87.7% in the 
fourth quarter. Whilst operational improvements continue 
to have some impact, recoveries are expected to remain 
consistent until the new carbon regeneration kiln is 
commissioned in 2013.

The dump leach operation produced 6,686oz in 2012, 
which was a significant decrease from 2011. With the 
increase in process plant productivity, dump leach 
volumes pumped back to the CIl circuit were reduced 
to minimise the impact on recoveries. It is expected 
that dump leach gold production will increase in early 
2013 and return to planned levels when the new carbon 
regeneration kiln is commissioned. To date 5.94Mt of 
low grade oxide ore have been delivered to the pads  
at a grade of 0.51g/t.

18

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Milled ore with a particle size of 150μm will be sent 
to a new flotation circuit to recover the bulk sulphide 
concentrate. The concentrate will be thickened and 
discharged to an upgraded regrind circuit, capable of 
treating up to 100tph of concentrate to achieve a final 
milled particle size of 10μm. The regrind circuit will 
combine the two concentrate streams from each of the 
separate flotation circuits. The regrind product will  
be treated through the two CIl circuits in series to 
maximise leach circuit residence time.

The flotation tails of the new circuit will be thickened  
and discharged to the tailings storage facility. It is 
expected that the ore treated through the new flotation 
circuit will be predominantly sulphide based ore, 
amenable to recovery by flotation. Any ore that may be 
oxide or transitional in nature will be treated through the 
existing processing circuit by adjustment of the crushed 
ore product splits to each of the crushed ore stockpiles.

Stage 4 expansion

The Stage 4 expansion programme continued throughout 
2012, having commenced in late 2011. During the 
second half of the year there was an impact from strikes 
at Sukari, in some of the ports and at some of the local 
Egyptian suppliers, as well as temporary disruptions 
to the operation’s fuel supply and gold exports, hence 
our in-country working capital position. This translated 
to delivery delays for key items, materials and services 
and thus a delay to the anticipated commissioning of 
the expanded plant, the bulk of which is now expected 
to commence in the second half of 2013 and with 
completion before the end of the year. 

The capital cost of the Stage 4 expansion which  
is funded by PGM out of cost recoveries (refer to note  
on page 25), is uS$325 million including contingency,  
with expenditure to date of uS$228.5 million.

The Stage 4 expansion will incorporate additional milling, 
flotation and thickening capabilities to provide a parallel 
processing route, as well as upgrade to the existing regrind 
circuit. Secondary crushed ore with a P80 of 50mm will 
be transferred to a second crushed ore stockpile prior to 
grinding through a new milling circuit. The new milling 
circuit will be a two stage circuit, consisting of a SAG mill 
and ball mill, with hydrocyclone classification and a pebble 
crushing facility. 

Stage 3 Processing (Existing Plant)

Cyclones

Flotation

Flotation Tail 
Thickener

CIL

Elution

Gold Room

Gravity

RoM
Ore

Crushing

Milling

Con  
Thickener

Pebble 
Crushing

Pebble 
Crushing

Tail Thickener

Regrind

Con CIL

Process  
Water

Tailings 
Storage 
Facility

Elution

Gold Room

Milling

Con  
Thickener

Process
Water

Cyclones

Flotation

Flotation Tail 
Thickener

Stage 4 Expansion

19

Operational and Exploration Review 

exploration Activities 

Growth of Sukari Hill

The main focus of exploration to date has been on the Sukari Hill porphyry. Surface drilling in 2012 continued north 
through the Ra and Gazelle zones and into the northern Pharaoh zone. underground drilling was progressively 
stepped-up during the year as new development provided improved access from below surface to test potential high 
grade extensions of the deposit. The ore body has not yet been closed off by drilling to the north, or at depth.

Further exploration of the Sukari deposit will take place during 2013, predominantly from both the Amun and Ptah 
declines and an update resource and reserve statement will be delivered in the second half of 2013.

table 1 - Sukari Resource (as at 30 September 2011)

Mineral resources at Sukari, as at 30 September 2011, are shown in the following table. The resources are presented 
in accordance with the 2004 Australian Code for the Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves  
(“JORC Code”) which provides an equivalent presentation to nI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, 
Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the “CIM Standards”). 

Measured

Indicated

total 
Measured + Indicated

Cut-off 
(g/t Au)

tonnes  
(Mt)

Grade  
(g/t Au)

tonnes 
(Mt)

Grade 
(g/t Au)

tonnes 
(Mt)

Grade 
(g/t Au)

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.7

1.0

150.04

120.72

98.72

69.57

44.97

1.00

1.16

1.32

1.63

2.06

238.90

196.27

164.85

120.81

80.53

1.08

1.23

1.38

1.67

2.09

388.9

317.0

263.6

190.4

125.5

1.05

1.21

1.36

1.65

2.08

Gold 
(Moz)

13.13

12.33

11.53

10.10

8.39

Inferred

tonnes 
(Mt)

Grade 
(g/t Au)

Gold 
(Moz)

66.0

53.0

43.3

30.4

15.1

1.1

1.2

1.4

1.8

2.7

2.3

2.0

1.9

1.8

1.3

notes to Table:  
(1) Figures in table may not add correctly due to rounding.
(2) The resources are estimates of recoverable tonnes and grades using Multiple Indicator Kriging with block support correction.
(3) Measured resources lie in areas where drilling is available at a nominal 25 x 25 metre spacing, Indicated resources occur in areas drilled at 

approximately 25 x 50 metre spacing and Inferred resources exist in areas of broader spaced drilling.

(4) The resource model extends from 9700mn to 12200mn and to a maximum depth of 2mRl (a maximum depth of approximately 1050 metres 

below wadi level).

(5) Proven and Probable ore reserves are included in mineral resources.
(6) Figures in the table may not add correctly due to rounding and include 321,565 ounces that have been produced since 30 September 2011.

table 2 - Sukari Mineral Reserves (as published in January 2012)

proven

probable

Mineral Reserve

tonnes 
(Mt)

125.5

102.4

Au 
(g/t)

1.04

1.09

tonnes 
(Mt)

151.5

142.9

Au 
(g/t)

1.21

1.19

tonnes 
(Mt)

277

245.4

Au 
(g/t)

1.13

1.15

Cont Au 
(Moz)

10.1

9.1

New Reserve (1)(2)(3)

previous Reserve (4)

notes to Table:  
(1)  Includes:
  Open Pit reserves totalling 266.6Mt @ 1.09g/t
  underground reserves totalling 1.1Mt @ 16.30g/t
Surface stockpiles totalling 9.4Mt @ 0.57g/t.

(2)  Based on mined surfaced as at 31 December 2011 and a gold price of uS$1,100 per ounce.
(3)  ultimate Open Pit design has a waste to ore ratio of 5.6:1.
(4)  Announced 15 September 2010 at uS$900 per ounce Au.
(5)  Figures in the table may not add correctly due to rounding and include 262,828 ounces that have been produced since 31 December 2011.

20

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Regional exploration

The second pillar of Centamin’s growth strategy is 
regional exploration. Seven other prospects besides 
Sukari Hill have been identified on the 160km2 Sukari 
tenement area and exploration is being conducted under 
the principle that ore from these prospects would be 
trucked to the existing processing plant. 

Geochemistry, reverse circulation and diamond drilling 
programmes have been underway on the Quartz Ridge 
and V-Shear prospects to the east and north-east of the 
hill respectively during 2012. The first significant signs of 
low grade porphyry away from Sukari Hill were identified 
at the V-Shear prospect. On-going drilling to the south at 
the Kurdeman prospect offers the potential to fast-track 
near surface high grade ore to supplement the existing 
production. Further regional drilling of the Sukari licence 
is planned for 2013. 

A gravity survey, aimed at targeting and defining 
porphyries beneath the wadi sediments, was completed 
in late 2012 with results due in early 2013. 

etHIopIA 

Growth Beyond Sukari

The third pillar of Centamin’s strategy is growth 
beyond Sukari. Centamin continued exploration on 
its four tenements in northern Ethiopia where drilling 
commenced in the first half of 2012. Results to date 
have confirmed the presence of mineralisation and 
follow-up drilling continues.

In February 2012, Centamin participated in an equity 
capital raising by nyota Minerals ltd (“nyota”),  
which owns the Tulu Kapi advanced exploration project 
in Ethiopia. The investment of uS$6.4 million took 

Centamin’s ownership to 14%. Subsequent to year 
end, Centamin acquired a further interest in nyota for 
uS$1.2 million, bringing our total ownership to 17%.

We will continue to grow and diversify our asset base 
through targeted acquisitions in this region and beyond 
in the coming years. 

AUStRALIAN pRoJeCtS

The Group is entitled to a royalty over the nelson’s Fleet 
gold project near St Ives, Western Australia, from the  
St Ives Gold Mining Co Pty ltd, a subsidiary of Gold 
Fields ltd, through its subsidiary, Viking Resources 
limited. The Company has not been informed of any 
mining of the tenement to date.

CoMpeteNt peRSoNS StAteMeNt 

Information of a scientific or technical nature in this 
document was prepared under the supervision of 
Andrew Pardey, BSc. Geology, Chief Operating Officer  
of Centamin plc and a qualified person under the 
Canadian national Instrument 43-101.

Refer to the technical report entitled “Mineral Resource 
and Reserve Estimate for the Sukari Gold Project, 
Egypt” dated 14 March 2012 and filed on SEDAR at 
www.sedar.com, for further discussion of the extent to 
which the estimate of mineral resources/reserves may 
be materially affected by any known environmental, 
permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, or other 
relevant issues.

21

2006 – 2013: The Path Through 
Sukari’s Investment Phase 

2006

April 2006: 

october 2006: 

 Sukari resource rose to  
3.56Moz Measured & Indicated, 
and 2.2Moz Inferred

 Centamin acquired Kori Kollo 
processing plant from Newmont 
Mining for US$11 million

2007

February 2007: 

 Centamin approved the Feasibility Study  
for Sukari

April 2007: 

 Centamin listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange

Q2 2007: 

 The Egyptian Environmental Affairs  
Agency approves the Sukari project  
and construction began

September 2007:   Sukari resource rose to 7.46Moz Measured  

& Indicated, and 3.7Moz Inferred 

2009

February 2009: 

 Blasting and mining activities commence

April 2009: 

 Sukari reserves rose to  
6.4Moz (from 3.7Moz)

June 2009: 

First gold bar poured at Sukari

November 2009:   Centamin migrated from AIM to the Main 

Market of the London Stock Exchange

2008

February 2008: 

 Centamin discovered a new high 
grade zone below Amun deeps

2010

January 2010: 

 Gold exports from Sukari commenced

April 2010: 

June 2010: 

 The start of commercial production 
at Sukari

 Centamin became a constituent of the 
FTSE250 index

December 2010: 

 Centamin delivered 150,289 ounces of 
gold in its maiden year of production

22

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2012

May 2012: 

 Optimised open pit mine plan released

December 2012: 

 Centamin delivered 262,828 ounces of 
gold in its third year of production

2011

May 2011: 

July 2011: 

Q2 2011: 

December 2011: 

December 2011: 

 Commissioning of “Stage 3” plant expansion to 
5 million tonnes per annum (from 4Mtpa)

 Centamin acquired Sheba Exploration to 
diversify exploration into Ethiopia

 Sukari underground began production.  
Stage 4 plant expansion to 10Mtpa approved

 Centamin delivered 202,699 ounces of gold  
in its second year of production. Sukari reserves 
rose above 10Moz

 The Centamin group successfully implemented  
a Scheme of Arrangement whereby Centamin plc, 
a company incorporated under the laws of Jersey, 
became the ultimate holding of the Group

2013  (forecast by 
year end)

Investment phase of project concludes as ‘Profit Share’ 
with EMRA commences

Stage 4 commissioned. updated Resource and Reserve 
statement is delivered

Centamin projected to deliver another step-up in output  
in its fourth year of production to 320,000 ounces

23

 
Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

Centamin’s operating experience in Egypt gives  
it a significant first-mover advantage  
in acquiring and developing other gold projects  
in the prospective Arabian-nubian Shield. 

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis 
of the Financial Condition and Results of Operations 
(“MD&A”) for Centamin plc (the “Company” or 
“Centamin”) should be read in conjunction with the 
Directors’ Report and the audited consolidated financial 
statements for the quarter and year ended 31 December 
2012 and related notes thereto, which statements were 
prepared in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the  
European union (Eu). For more information see  
‘Basis of preparation’ in note 1 to the audited 
consolidated financial statements for the year  
ended 31 December 2012.

The effective date of this report is 27 March 2013.

For further information relating to the Company, including 
information about mineral resources and reserves, 
reference should be made to its public filings (including 
its most recently filed AIF) which are available on SEDAR 
at www.sedar.com. Information is also available on the 
Company’s website at www.centamin.com. 

All amounts in this MD&A are expressed in  
united States dollars unless otherwise identified.

24

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FoRWARD LooKING StAteMeNtS

The report contains certain forward-looking statements 
and attention is drawn to the cautionary statement that 
appears at the front of this document. 

oVeRVIeW

Centamin is a mining company that has been actively 
exploring in Egypt since 1995. The principal asset of 
Centamin is its interest in the Sukari Gold Mine, located 
in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. The Sukari Gold Mine 
commenced construction in March 2007 with the first 
gold bar being produced on 26 June 2009. Sukari is the 
first modern large-scale mine in Egypt, a country which 
in ancient times was a prolific gold producer.

Optimal design throughput at the Sukari Gold Mine 
was achieved during December 2012 and the ‘Stage 4’ 
expansion program commenced in 2011 to target  
450-500,000 production per annum from 2015. 

Centamin’s operating experience in Egypt gives it  
a significant first-mover advantage in acquiring and 
developing other gold projects in the prospective 
Arabian-nubian Shield. 

ACCoUNtING FoR SUKARI GoLD MINeS

The operating company of Sukari, Sukari Gold Mines 
(“SGM”), is jointly owned by Pharaoh Gold Mines nl 
(“PGM”) and the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority 
(“EMRA”) on a 50% equal basis. For accounting 
purposes, SGM is 100% proportional consolidated 
within the Centamin group of companies reflecting the 
substance and economic reality of the Concession. 
Pursuant to the Concession Agreement, the provisions 
of which are described more fully below, PGM 
solely funds SGMs activities. PGM is also entitled to 
recover the following costs and expenses payable 
from sales revenue (excluding the royalty payable to 
the Arab Republic of Egypt (“ARE”)) (a) all current 
operating expenses incurred and paid after the 
initial commercial production; (b) exploration costs, 
including those accumulated to the commencement of 
commercial production (at the rate of 33.3% of total 
accumulated cost per annum); and (c) exploitation 
capital costs, including those accumulated prior to the 
commencement of commercial production (at the rate  
of 33.3% of total accumulated cost per annum).

Since the commencement of commercial production  
on 1 April 2010, the cash flows generated by SGM 
through the sale of gold are used to fund the on-going 
operating expenses incurred in its own right and to fund 
the cost recovery due to PGM for exploration  

and exploitation capital costs at a rate of 33.3%  
of total accumulated cost per annum. 

In return, on-going capital expenditure incurred  
in connection with the Sukari mine is funded solely  
by PGM out of cash flows received from SGM through 
the cost recovery process as described above.  
The expenditure incurred by PGM in relation to Stage 4 
will become recoverable once the infrastructure has 
been commissioned, which is currently planned at the 
end of 2013, at the rate of 33.3% of total accumulated 
cost per annum.

EMRA is entitled to a share of SGM’s net production 
surplus “profit share” (defined as revenue less payment 
of the 3% production royalty to ARE and recoverable 
costs). Based on the Company’s calculation there was  
no net Profit Share due to EMRA as at 30 June 2012,  
nor is any likely to be due as at 30 June 2013. It is 
expected that there will be a net production surplus 
(revenue in excess of production royalty and cost 
recoveries) available for sharing between EMRA and 
PGM for the SGM financial year ending 30 June 2014 
(SGM’s accounting period is 1 July to 30 June) based  
on current gold prices, production forecasts and 
operating expenses. Any disruption to operations or 
reduction in gold price realised will delay this profit 
sharing. This expected profit sharing takes into account 
the costs incurred on paying for fuel at international 
prices. Any recovery of these prepayments, discussed in 
note 20 to the Financial Statements, will result in further 
amounts to be shared between EMRA and PGM. Any 
payment made to EMRA pursuant to these provisions 
of the Concession Agreement will be recognised as a 
variable charge to the income statement of Centamin, 
which will lead to a reduction in the earnings per share.

Following discussions with EMRA, and with a view to 
demonstrating goodwill toward the Egyptian government, 
subsequent to year end, PGM has made an advance 
payment in relation to this likely 2014 profit share to 
the value of uS$8.2 million and this advance payment 
will be netted off against any future profit share that 
becomes payable.

Separate accounts are prepared in respect of SGM. 
These are independently audited and certified by 
Egyptian certified accountants approved by EMRA. 
Any expected profit share payable to EMRA and PGM 
becomes payable on completion of the audit of the 
SGM accounts. Centamin will be working together with 
EMRA to ensure that these can be approved as soon as 
possible so that the profit share can be paid to EMRA 
and PGM. Centamin is looking forward to paying the first 
profit share to EMRA.

25

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

HIGHLIGHtS FoR tHe YeAR(1) (2) (3) 
Centamin delivered strong operational and financial 
results in 2012, producing 262,828 ounces of gold 
(2011: 202,699 ounces) and generating profit after tax 
for the year of uS$199 million (2011: uS$194.0 million). 
Through the Group’s emphasis on rigorous cost control, 
Centamin has continued to reap the benefits of the 
high gold price, and this was enhanced further by its 
debt-free and unhedged position. now in its third year 
of production, the Sukari Gold Mine is highly cash 
generative, providing EBITDA of uS$233.3 million (2011: 
uS$211.4 million), a 10% increase on 2011, and a robust 
cash and cash equivalents balance of uS$147.1 million 
(2011: uS$164.2 million) as at 31 December 2012.  
See non-GAAP Financial Measures section for the 
definition of EBITDA.

2012 presented some operating environment challenges, 
however a solid second quarter and a record fourth 
quarter of production have shown that a substantially 
larger production profile is achievable for Sukari.  
This potential for production growth combined with the 
Group’s reserves, a significant expansion programme,  
a solid financial position, and an experienced team 
means Centamin is well positioned for 2013, as is shown 
by the following:

•	 Basic earnings per share 18.27 cents, up 2%  

on prior year.

•	 Record EBITDA $233.3 million, up 10%  

on the prior year.

•	 Full year production was 262,828 ounces,  

a 30% increase on 2011 and above guidance  
of 250,000 ounces.

•	  Cash costs of production of uS$669 per ounce 

(equivalent to uS$530 per ounce versus uS$556  
per ounce in 2011 at subsidized fuel prices).

•	  Stage 4 plant expansion (to 10Mtpa) commissioning 
activities began in Q1 2013 with the new power 
station commissioned in January 2013 and new 
blowers and compressors to be commissioned  
in Q2 2013. The bulk of commissioning will 
commence, and be complete, in the second half of 
2013. Expenditure to date is uS$228.5 million of the 
total forecast uS$325 million including contingency.
•	 Centamin remains debt-free and unhedged with cash, 
bullion on hand, gold sales receivable and available-
for-sale financial assets of uS$219.4 million as at 
31 December 2012.

•	 Drilling continued at the V-Shear porphyry and 

commenced at the Kurdeman prospect. 

•	 A gravity survey, aimed at targeting and defining 
porphyries beneath the wadi sediments was 
completed late in 2012 with results due in Q2 2013.
•	 Results in Ethiopia confirm the existence of low grade 

mineralisation, with drilling continuing.

During the year Centamin was involved in two separate 
court cases directly relevant to the operation of the  
mine at Sukari. The first of these was triggered by  
a decision taken by the Egyptian General Petroleum 
Company (EGPC) to charge international prices,  
not local (subsidised) prices for the supply of Diesel 
Fuel Oil (“DFO”). The second case saw a judgment 
by an Egyptian Administrative Court in relation to the 
validity of the Company’s 160km2 exploitation lease, 
although on 20 March 2013 the Supreme Administrative 
Court upheld the Company’s application to suspend 
this decision until the merits of the Company’s appeal 
are considered and ruled on, thus providing assurance 
that normal operations would be able to continue during 
this process. Both of these cases are described in 
detail elsewhere in this report (refer to note 20 to the 
Financial Statements). Every action is being taken to 
contest the decisions, including the making of formal 
legal appeals and, although their resolution may take 
some time, we remain confident that a satisfactory 
outcome will ultimately be achieved. With respect to 
the DFO case, management however recognises the 
practical difficulties associated with re-claiming funds 
from the government and, for this reason, have fully 
provided against the prepayment of uS$41.4 million 
as an exceptional item (refer to note 6 to the Financial 
Statements). In the meantime the Group is continuing  
to pay international prices for DFO.

In addition the Group during the year received  
a demand from Chevron for the repayment of fuel 
subsidies received in the period from late 2009 through 
to January 2012, amounting to some uS$60 million 
(EGP403 million). no provision has been made in respect 
of the historic subsidies prior to January 2012 as, based 
on legal advice that it has received to date, the Company 
believes that the prospects of a court finding in its favour 
in relation to this matter remain strong.

(1) Cash cost of Production, EBITDA and cash, bullion on hand and available-for-sale financial assets are non-GAAP measures. For further information  

and a detailed reconciliation, please see ”non-GAAP Financial Measures” section below.

(2) Basic EPS, EBITDA, Cash Costs of Production reported inclues an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of fuel 
subsidies which occurred in January 2012 (refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details). The provision had no impact on the 2011 results.
(3) Historic Cash Cost of Production, EBITDA and Basic EPS now reflect adoption of IFRIC 20 (refer to note 3 of the Financial Statements for further details).

26

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opeRAtIoNAL ReVIeW

production

Sukari Gold Mine production summary:

Year 
ended
31 Dec 
2012

Q4  
2012

Q3  
2012

Q2  
2012

Q1  
2012

Year 
ended  
31 Dec 
2011

Q4 2011

Ore Mined – Open Pit(1)

(‘000t)

6,377

1,905

1,653

1,816

 1,003

6,306

1,988

Ore Grade Mined – Open Pit

Ore Grade Milled – Open Pit

(Au g/t)

(Au g/t)

1.04

1.35

1.15

1.56

1.00

1.34

1.07

1.19

 0.83

1.21 

1.07

nR

1.12

nR

Total Open Pit Material Mined

(‘000t)

25,108

6,740

6,970

6,579

 4,819

21,248

7,701

Strip Ratio

(waste/ore)

2.9

2.5

3.2

2.6

 3.8 

2.34

2.9

Ore Mined – underground 
Development

Ore Mined - underground 
Stopes

Ore Grade Mined – 
underground

(‘000t)

203

(‘000t)

190

63

49

40

53

53

63

 47

 25

172

40

45

25

(Au g/t)

8.96

9.76

9.01

8.68

8.11

13.51

13.31

Ore Processed

Head Grade

Gold Recovery

Gold Produced - Dump leach

(‘000t)

4,526

1,233

1,004

1,269

1,020

3,612

1,066

(g/t)

(%)

(oz)

2.04

86.0

2.31

87.7

2.10

86.7

1.99

84.3

 1.69

 85.0

1.91

85.30

2.02

84.0

6,686

1,848

1,617

1,318

 1,903

10,664

2,302

Gold Produced - Total(2)

(oz) 262,828

85,413

60,922

67,422

 49,071 202,699

58,965

Cash Costs of Production(3) (4)

(uS$/oz)

(uS$/oz)

(uS$/oz)

(uS$/oz)

(uS$/oz)

669

199

49

354

67

558

163

43

281

71

724

243

36

378

67

729

250

52

369

58

 717

203

53

385

76

556

560

nR

nR

nR

nR

nR

nR

nR

nR

Open Pit Mining

underground Mining

Processing

G&A

Gold Sold

(oz) 254,959

82,316

60,794

60,751

51,098

214,763

56,513

Average Realised Sales Price

(uS$/oz)

1,667

1,697

1,680

1,599

1,683

1,555

1,666

notes:-
(1) Ore mined includes 0kt delivered to the dump leach in Q4 2012 (11kt @ 0.48g/t in Q3 2012; 104kt @ 0.50g/t in Q2 2012; 264kt @ 0.42g/t in Q1 2012; 
473kt @ 0.48g/t in Q4 2011; 977kt @ 0.55g/t in Q3 2011; 224kt @ 0.5g/t in Q2 2011 and 435kt @ 0.6g/t in Q1 2011). Ore mined in Q4 2011 includes 
472,568t @ 0.48g/t delivered to the dump leach. Gold produced is gold poured and does not include gold-in-circuit at period end. Cash operating costs 
exclude royalties, exploration and corporate administration expenditure.

(2) Gold produced is gold poured and does not include gold-in-circuit at period end.
(3) Cash costs exclude royalties, exploration and corporate administration expenditure. Cash cost is a non-GAAP financial performance measure with  
no standard meaning under GAAP. For further information and a detailed reconciliation, please see ”non-GAAP Financial Measures” section below.

(4) Historic Cash costs of Production now reflect adoption of IFRIC 20 and an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal 
of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012 (refer to notes 3 and 6 respectively of the Financial Statements for further details). The historic cash 
costs have been presented for comparative purposes to reflect the fuel price differential had the prepayments been expensed during the year  
(refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details). The provision had no impact on the 2011 results.

nR – not Reported.

27

 
 
 
 
Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

Centamin produced 262,828 ounces of gold in 2012, 
which is a 30% increase on 202,699 ounces in 2011. 
The higher year-on-year production was a result of:  
(a) a 25% increase in tonnes milled (to 4.5Mt) due  
to the improved plant productivity and availability,  
(b) an 18% increase in production from the 
underground due to improved underground mining 
contractor equipment availability, and (c) a 7% higher 
feed grade to the mills (2.04g/t in 2012 compared to 
1.91g/t in 2011) as underground and open pit head 
grades increased in line with the budget.

open pit

The open pit delivered total material movement of 
25,108kt for the year, an increase of 18% on the prior 
year, although impacted by stoppages in December due 
to a temporary disruption to the fuel supply. 

Ore production from the open pit was 6.4Mt at 1.04g/t 
with an average head grade fed to the plant of 1.35g/t. 
The ROM ore stockpile balance increased by 1kt to 
722kt by the end of the year. Mining was primarily from 
the Stage 2 area, with the completion of Stage 2A and 
Stage 2B down to the 1040Rl and 1016Rl respectively. 
In Stage 3 development work progressed in the Gazelle 
area and the new face shovel commenced in the Eastern 
Hills area of Stage 3. 

Underground Mine

Ore production from the underground mine was 393kt. 
The ratio of ore from stoping versus development 
decreased during the year, with 52% of development ore 
(203kt) and 48% of stoping ore (190kt). Production from 
stoping was affected by the availability of the teleremote 
bogging system in quarters three and four, which was 
offset by increased ore deliveries from development  
as a result of an increased development effort. 

A total of 2,934.8m of diamond drilling was completed 
for both short-term stope definition and underground 
resource development, of which 2,532m were driven 
through ore. The project development total to date  
is 10,248m, of which 5,414m were through ore.

Development of the Ptah Decline had reached the 
position of the first drill cuddy and was connected to the 
exhaust system by the end of 2012. The anticipated  
first-phase capital cost of the Ptah Decline is 
uS$18 million, with expenditure to date of uS$17.5 
million, which will see the decline reach the first ore 
blocks to be developed below the middle of Sukari Hill. 
It is expected that this initial development work will be 
complete in early 2013. 

processing

The annual throughput in the Sukari plant was  
4.5Mt in 2012, a 25% increase on 2011 (3.6Mt). 
Industrial disputes affected availability during the first 
and third quarters although the nameplate rate of 
5Mtpa was achieved in the second and fourth quarters. 
Productivity of the processing plant averaged 656tph  
for the year, 5% above the nameplate design rate of 
625tph, as the operations team continued to optimise 
availability and throughput.

Plant metallurgical recoveries were 86.0% in the year,  
a 1.0% increase on 2011. Tighter operational controls 
and improved circuit stability resulted in the recovery 
steadily increasing throughout the year. Whilst operational 
improvements continue to have some impact, recoveries 
are expected to remain consistent until the new carbon 
regeneration kiln is commissioned in 2013.

The dump leach operation produced 6,686oz in 2012,  
a 37% decrease from 2011. 

Fuel Costs

In light of the on-going dispute with the Egyptian 
Government regarding the price at which Diesel Fuel Oil 
is supplied to the mine at Sukari, it has been necessary 
since January 2012 to advance funds to our fuel supplier, 
Chevron, based on the international price for diesel. 
Management however have fully provided against the 
prepayment of uS$41.4 million, as an exceptional item, 
during Q4. Refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for 
further details on the impact of this exceptional provision 
on the Group’s results for 2012. For comparative 
purposes, had these prepayments been expensed during 
the year, the fuel cost differential would have had the 
following impact on the cash costs: the cash costs for  
Q1 increased by uS$108 to uS$717 per ounce,  
Q2 increased by uS$164 per ounce to uS$729 per 
ounce, Q3 increased by uS$185 to uS$724 per ounce 
and Q4 increased by uS$112 to uS$558 per ounce. 

As noted previously, the Company has commenced 
proceedings in the Administrative Court in Egypt in 
relation to this matter.  The Company remains of the view 
that an instant move to international fuel prices is not a 
reasonable outcome and will look to recover any funds 
advanced thus far at the higher rate should the court 
proceedings be successfully concluded. Please refer 
to note 20 to the Financial Statements and the most 
recently filed Annual Information Form (‘AIF’) for  
further information.

28

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In addition the Group during the year received a demand 
from Chevron for the repayment of fuel subsidies 
received in the period from late 2009 through to January 
2012, amounting to some uS$60 million (EGP403 
million). no provision has been made in respect of the 
historic subsidies prior to January 2012 as, based  
on legal advice that it has received to date, the Company 
believes that the prospects of a court finding in its favour 
in relation to this matter remain strong.

StAGe 4 eXpANSIoN

Construction continued on Stage 4 of the process 
plant expansion, which commenced in late 2011, 
which will expand Sukari nameplate capacity from 
5Mtpa to 10Mtpa. The estimated capital cost of the 
Stage 4 expansion which is funded by PGM out of cost 
recoveries, is uS$325 million including contingency, 
with expenditure to date of uS$228.5 million. 

Some unforeseen delays have meant that commissioning 
of the plant is now expected to commence in the second 
half of 2013 (previously the bulk of commissioning was 
expected in Q2 2013) and be complete by year end. 
These delays have been caused by:

•	 strikes at Sukari, in some of the ports and at some  

of the local suppliers, and

•	  suspension of operations at Sukari due to lack  

of fuel and a temporary prohibition of gold exports, 
resulting in delays for critical path items, materials 
and services.

Main plant

Detail engineering of the main plant is complete and 
85% of the mechanical equipment has now arrived 
on site. All major civil works have been completed, the 
erection of structural steel and installation of mechanical 
equipment is in progress. Procurement of electrical 
equipment, cables and instrumentation is proceeding 
and the piping contractor is mobilising to site. Installation 
of both sag and ball mills is in progress, however late 
arrival of structural steel is impacting on the schedule in 
this area. 

power Station

The fifth MAK engine has been installed, commissioned 
and is fully operational in the existing plant. The 
new Wartsila plant has been completed, load bank 
commissioned and is ready to operate, although the 
cables to the new plant still have to be installed. 

Sea Water pipeline

Excavation of the trench for the new pipeline has 
been completed. Welding and installation of the 
pipe is continuing, approximately 50% is complete. 
Construction of the booster station is proceeding with 
most of the civil work completed. Delivery of the intake 
and booster pumps is scheduled to take place in April 
and May.

tailings Storage Facility

Construction of the embankment is 100% complete and 
installation of the HDPE liner has commenced.

New primary Crusher

Excavation has been completed and construction of the 
crusher building is 20% complete. Some delays with 
cement deliveries have been experienced due to diesel 
shortages in Egypt.

Capital expenditure

A breakdown of the major cost areas up to  
31 December 2012 is as follows:

•	 Mining Equipment 
•	 Processing Plant 
•	 Power Plant 
•	 Other 

uS$34.9 million
uS$115.5 million
uS$43.5 million
uS$34.6 million

uS$228.5 million

Major contributors to the payments made in 2012  
were as follows: 

•	 Mining Equipment 
•	 Processing Plant 
•	 Power Plant 
•	 Other 

uS$28.9 million
uS$85.2 million
uS$32.5 million
uS$29.3 million

uS$ 175.9 million

29

 
 
Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

eXpLoRAtIoN UpDAte

Sukari Hill

Centamin has resources (inclusive of production since 
30 September 2011) of 13.13 million ounces Measured 
and Indicated, and 2.3 million ounces Inferred, and 
reserves (inclusive of production since 31 December 
2011) of 10.1 million ounces. underground drilling 
was progressively stepped-up during the year as new 
development provided improved access from below 
surface to test potential high grade extensions of the 
deposit. The ore body has not yet been closed off by 
drilling to the north, or at depth. Further exploration 
of the Sukari deposit will take place during 2013, 
predominantly from both the Amun and Ptah declines. 

We aim to provide an updated resource and reserve 
statement during the second half of 2013.

Regional exploration

Geochemistry, reverse circulation and diamond drilling 
programmes have been underway on the Quartz Ridge 
and V-Shear prospects to the east and north-east of the 
hill respectively during 2012. The first significant signs of 

low grade porphyry away from Sukari Hill were identified 
at the V-Shear prospect. On-going drilling to the south at 
the Kurdeman prospect offers the potential to fast-track 
near surface high grade ore to supplement the existing 
production. Further regional drilling of the Sukari licence 
is planned for 2013. 

A gravity survey, aimed at targeting and defining 
porphyries beneath the wadi sediments, was completed 
in late 2012 with results due in early 2013. 

Growth Beyond Sukari

Centamin continued exploration on its four tenements 
in northern Ethiopia where drilling commenced in 
the first half of 2012. Results to date have confirmed 
the presence of mineralisation and follow-up drilling 
continues.

We will continue to grow and diversify our asset base 
through targeted acquisitions in this region and beyond 
in the coming years. 

30

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SeLeCteD ANNUAL FINANCIAL INFoRMAtIoN

The following table, which is reflective of an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect  
the removal of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 2012 (refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements), provides  
a guide to a summary of the financial results of the Group’s operation for the years ended 31 December 2012, 2011 
and the period ended 31 December 2010:

Summary of Financial performance

2012

2011*

2010 (4)

2012  
vs 2011
US$ 

2012 
vs 2011
% 

2011  
vs 2010
US$ 

2011  
vs 2010
% 

Revenue

uS$’000

426,133 340,479

86,882

85,654

25 253,597

Profit before tax

uS$’000

198,594 193,993

32,042

4,601

Basic EPS (cps) (2)

Diluted EPS (cps) (2)

Cents

Cents

18.27

18.26

17.90

17.88

3.10

3.09

0.37

0.38

2

2

2

161,952

14.8

14.79

EBITDA (3)

Total assets

uS$’000

233,333

211,347

52,782

21,986

10 158,565

uS$’000

1,084,956 846,572

640,832

238,384

28

205,740

non-current liabilities

uS$’000

5,544

2,630

2,624

2,914

Cash Dividend declared

Cents

-

-

-

-

111

-

6

-

292

505

477

479

300

32

1

-

(1) Results now reflect an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 

2012, refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details. The provision had no impact on the 2011 results.

(2) Calculated using weighted average number of shares outstanding under the basic method.
(3) EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial performance measure with no standard meaning under IFRS. For further information and a detailed reconciliation, 

see “non-GAAP Financial Measures” section below.

(4) This column shows data for the financial period immediately prior to the year ended 31 December 2011, which was a short period of six months 

ended on 31 December 2010, due to the company changing its year end from June to December. 

*  The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011 results have 

been restated. Refer to note 3 of the Financial Statements for further details.

Results of operations

The Group recorded net profit before tax for the year ended 31 December 2012 of uS$198.6 million  
(2011: uS$194.0 million). The increase is driven by higher volumes of gold sold, higher gold prices obtained and 
lower costs due to management’s rigorous cost control offset by the inclusion of an exceptional provision against 
prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of the fuel subsidy which occurred in January 2012  
(refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements).

31

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Year ended
31 December

Change

2012(1)
US$’000

426,133

2011*
US$’000

340,479

US$’000

85,654

(202,932)

(128,202)

(74,730)

223,201

212,277

10,924

Finance income

Other operating costs

898

(25,505)

1,288

(19,572)

(390)

5,933

profit before tax

198,594

193,993

4,601

% 

25%

58%

5%

(30%)

30%

2%

Tax

444

-

444

100%

profit for the period attributable  
to the Company

other comprehensive income

Items that may be reclassified 
subsequently to profit or loss:

Profits/(losses) on available for sale 
financial assets (net of tax)

Other comprehensive income for the 
period

total comprehensive income attributable 
to the Company

Earnings per share

- Basic (cents per share)

- Diluted (cents per share)

199,038

193,993

5,045

3%

(2,804)

(3,957)

(2,804)

(3,957)

1,153

1,153

(29%)

(29%)

196,234

190,036

6,198

3%

18.27

18.26

17.90

17.88

(1) Results now reflect an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of fuel subsidies which occurred  

in January 2012, refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details. The provision had no impact on the 2011 results.

*  The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011  

results have been restated. Refer to note 3 of the Financial Statements for further details.

32

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Revenue has increased by 25% to uS$426.1 million, 
as a result of a 19% increase in gold sold to 254,959oz 
together with a 7% increase in the average gold price to 
uS$1,667 per ounce. 

Cost of sales has increased by 58% to S$202.9 million, 
as a result of:

(a) 

 a 57% increase in mine production costs to 
uS$176.7 million, primarily due to the inclusion 
of an exceptional provision in Q4 to reflect the 
removal of the fuel subsidy which occurred 
in January 2012 (including fuel subsidy mine 
production costs would have increased by 25% to 
uS$140.1 million) and due to an increase in tonnes 
mined and milled,

(b) 

 a 91% increase in depreciation and amortisation 
from uS$18.6 million to uS$35.6 million, a 
result of an increase in the underlying capitalised 
preproduction costs and mine development 
properties offset by:

(c) 

 a uS$9.4m credit for movement in production 
inventory a result of additions to stockpiles.

Finance income. The movements in finance income are 
in line with the movements in the Company’s available 
cash and term deposit amounts.

Other comprehensive income has decreased by 
uS$1.2 million to a uS$2.8 million loss.

Other operating costs increased by 30% to 
uS$25.5 million, as a result of: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

 a uS$4.6 million increase in net foreign exchange 
movements, offset by the inclusion of the 2011 
executive bonuses,

 a provision in relation to the 2012 executive and 
senior management bonuses, together with, 
amongst other matters,

 additional costs associated with the new corporate 
head office, costs associated with the re-domicile, 
the ongoing litigation, and the share of loss  
of Associate.

Selected information from the consolidated statement of financial position and key financial ratios

Total current assets

Total non-current assets

Total assets

Total current liabilities

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

31 December  
2012
US$’000

31 December  
2011*
US$’000

282,971

801,985

1,084,956

59,568

5,544

65,112

268,436

578,136

846,572

25,670

2,630

28,300

Change

US$’000

% 

14,535

223,849

5%

39%

238,389

28%

33,898

132%

2,914

111%

36,812

130%

Net assets and total shareholders’ equity

1,019,844

818,272

201,572

25%

Key financial ratios:

Current ratio(1)

Return on equity(2)

4.75

20%

10.46

23%

* The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011 results have 

been restated. Refer to note 3 of the Financial Statements for further details.

(1) Represents current assets divided by current liabilities and;
(2) Represents profit for the year attributable to the shareholders of the company divided by total shareholders’ equity.

33

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

Current assets have increased by uS$14.5 million  
to uS$283 million, as a result of:

Non-current liabilities reported during the period have 
increased by uS$2.9 million as a result of:

(a) 

 a uS$22 million increase in inventory to 
uS$94.6 million. Stores inventory has increased  
by uS$12.6 million to uS$71.8 million in 
preparation for the increase of the processing 
nameplate capacity from 5 to 10Mtpa by the end  
of 2013. Mining stockpiles and ore in circuit 
inventory has increased by uS$9.4 million to 
uS$22.8 million, offset by:

(b) 

 self-funding of the stage 4 expansion amounting  
to a cash outflow of uS$160.7 million.

Non-current assets have increased by uS$223.8 million 
or 39% to uS$802 million, as a result of:

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

 exploration and evaluation assets have increased 
by uS$14.6 million to uS$45.7 million as a result 
of the drilling programs in Sukari Hill, the Sukari 
tenement area and Ethiopia, 

 available-for-sale financial assets have increased  
by uS$3.8 million to uS$5.6 million as a result 
of an acquisition via a placement of 67 million 
shares in nyota at GB£0.06 (uS$0.10) per share 
amounting to uS$6.4 million offset by the loss  
on fair value of the investment and loss on foreign 
exchange movement of uS$2.8 million and 
uS$0.2 million respectively, and

 a uS$241.3 million increase in property, plant of 
equipment, mainly relating to the net capitalised 
work-in-progress costs of uS$184.5 million, 
of which $175.9 million relates to the Stage 4 
processing plant development and uS$8.6 million 
relates to additional mining equipment, together 
with a uS$56.6 million increase in mine 
development properties, offset by:

(d) 

 a depreciation and amortisation charge of  
uS$35.6 million.

Current liabilities have increased by uS$33.9 million 
to uS$59.6 million mainly driven by the rise in supply 
relating to higher production at the Group’s Sukari Gold 
Mine and an increase in the accruals in relation to the 
Stage 4 processing plant development, together with the 
provision in relation to the 2012 executive and senior 
management bonuses.

(a) 

(b) 

 a uS$2.7 million increase arising from a change  
in estimate of the future rehabilitation costs; and

 the unwinding of the discount on the provision  
for rehabilitation.

Issued capital increased by uS$3.9 million to 
uS$612.5 million as a result of the issue of forfeited 
shares under the loan Funded Share Plans (lFSP). 

Reserves reported have increased by uS$1.5 million  
to uS$3.5 million as result of the recognition of the 
share based payments.

Accumulated profits increased by uS$196.2 million 
as a result of the increase in the profit for the year 
attributable to the shareholders of the Company of 
uS$199 million offset by a uS$2.8 million loss on 
available-for-sale financial assets.

Current ratio is calculated by dividing the current assets 
by the current liabilities. The decrease in the current 
ratio is a result of the increase in current liabilities driven 
by the rise in supply relating to higher production at the 
Sukari Gold Mine and an increase in the accruals in 
relation to the Stage 4 plant expansion development.

The return on equity ratio is calculated by dividing the 
profit for the year attributable to the shareholders of the 
company for the period (which includes an exceptional 
provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect 
the removal of fuel subsidies which occurred in January 
2012) by total shareholders’ equity and measures the 
return on ownership. The return on equity ratio showed  
a decrease from 23 for 2011 to 20 for 2012 as a result 
of the increase in the shareholders equity.

oFF-BALANCe SHeet ARRANGeMeNtS

The Company had no off-balance sheet arrangements as 
of the date of this report.

oUtStANDING SHARe INFoRMAtIoN

As at 27 March 2013, the Company had 1,101,397,381 
fully paid ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

As at 27 March 2013

Number

Shares in Issue¹

1,101,397,381

Options issued but not exercised

1,400,000

1,102,797,381

(1) Includes loan Funded Share Plans and Deferred Bonus Share Plan. 

Refer to note 27 for further information.

34

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Selected information from the consolidated statement of cash flows

net cash flows generated by operating activities

net cash flows used in investing activities

net cash flows generated by financing activities

Year ended
31 December

2012
US$’000

220,507

(243,818)

3,357

Change

2011*
US$’000

US$’000

% 

153,542

66,965

44%

(147,830)

(95,988)

(65%)

3,492

(135)

(4%)

net movement in cash and cash equivalents

(19,954)

9,204

(29,158)

(317%)

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning  
of the financial period

164,231

154,338

9,893

6%

Effects of exchange rate changes 

2,856

689

2,167

315%

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the 
financial period

147,133

164,231

(17,098)

(10%)

*   The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011 results have 

been restate (Refer to note 3 of the Financial Statements for further details).

Net cash flows generated by operating activities comprise 
receipts from gold and silver sales and interest revenue, 
offset by operating and corporate administration costs. 
Cash flows have increased by uS$67.0 million to 
uS$220.5 million, primarily attributable to:

(a) 

(b) 

 an increase in revenue, due to higher gold sales 
volumes and a higher average realised price, and

 an increase in cash flows in relation to payables 
and prepayments, largely a result of the 
management of the settlement of trade payables  
in December 2012, both offset by

•	

•	

	a	decrease	in	gross	margins	as	a	result	of	the	
removal of fuel subsidies in January 2012  
and the payment of higher international fuel 
prices, and

	a	decrease	in	cash	flows	in	relation	to	
receivables and inventories resulting from the 
ramping up of the Stage 4 processing plant 
development and the increase in stockpiles.

Net cash flows used in investing activities comprise 
exploration expenditure and capital development 
expenditures at Sukari including the acquisition of 
financial and mineral assets. Cash flows have decreased 
by uS$96 million to uS$243.8 million. The primary use 
of the funds during the year was for investment in capital 
work-in-progress in relation to the Stage 4 development. 
In addition cash used in the purchase of available-for-
sale financial assets was uS$6.4 million compared to 
uS$17.4 million in 2011.

Net cash flows generated by financing activities 
comprise the exercising of shares issued under the 
Company’s loan Funded Share Plans (“lFSPs”) and 
options under the Employee Share Option Plan (“ESOP”) 
respectively. 

Effects of exchange rate changes have increased  
by uS$2.2 million as a result of the strong performance 
of the uS$ to the Euro and A$.

35

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

Quarterly Information

Q4  
2012

Q3  
2012

Q2  
2012

Q1  
2012

Q4  
2011

Q3  
2011

Q2  
2011

Q1  
2011

Revenue

Profit before tax(1)

Basic EPS (cps)(1)

Diluted EPS (cps)(1) 

uS’000

uS’000

Cents

Cents

138.5

103.1

45.9

4.26

4.26

59.7

5.53

5.52

96.8

42.1

3.87

3.87

87.7

50.9

4.61

4.61

84.5

40.6

3.74

3.73

89.1

49.0

4.52

4.52

77.9

55.7

5.15

5.14

89.0

48.7

4.49

4.49

(1) Profit before tax and Basic and Diluted EPS includes an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of fuel 

subsidies which occurred in January 2012 (refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details).

The Company’s results over the past several quarters 
have been driven primarily by fluctuations in gold price 
and increases in gold equivalent ounces produced. 
Additionally, increases in input costs and foreign 
exchange rates have impacted results.

During the fourth quarter of 2012, revenue increased to 
$138.5 million on gold equivalent ounces sold of 82,316 
compared with revenue of $84.5 million on sales of 
56,513 gold equivalent ounces during the fourth quarter 
of 2011. The average realized gold price per ounce in 
the fourth quarter of 2011 was $1,666 compared with 
the average realised gold price during this quarter of 
uS$1,697 per ounce. 

Cost of sales increased by 111% to uS$79.5 million  
in the final quarter of 2012 versus uS$37.6 million  
in the prior year, primarily as a result of the inclusion  
of an exceptional provision against prepayments 
recorded in Q4 to reflect the removal of the fuel subsidy 
which occurred in January 2012, together with higher 
input costs in areas such as energy and labour,  
as well as higher throughput.

Liquidity and capital resources

At 31 December 2012, the Group had cash and cash 
equivalents of uS$147.1 million compared to uS$164.2 
million at 31 December 2011. The majority of funds have 
been invested in short term deposits. The decrease in 
cash position is primarily due to the payments in relation 
to the Stage 4 processing plant development together 
with the inclusion of an exceptional provision against 
prepayments to reflect the removal of fuel subsidies offset 
with increased production and favourable gold prices. 

Centamin has a strong and flexible financial position 
with no debt, no hedging and cash, bullion, gold sales 
receivables and available-for-sale financial assets of 
uS$219.4 million at 31 December 2012. Cash, bullion, 
gold sales receivables and available-for-sale financial 

assets is a non-GAAP financial measure and includes 
cash, bullion, gold sales receivable and available-for-sale 
financial assets. 

liquidity risk is the risk associated with not having 
access to sufficient funds to meet planned and 
unplanned cash requirements. Centamin manages its 
exposure to liquidity risk by ensuring that its operating 
and strategic liquidity levels are well above minimum 
company requirements.

In the day to day business, the Group receives cash from 
its operations and is required to fund working capital and 
capital expenditure requirements. The cash is managed 
to ensure surplus funds are invested to maximise 
returns while ensuring that capital is safeguarded to the 
maximum extent possible by investing only with financial 
institutions with a strong credit rating. 

The Group’s primary source of liquidity is operating cash 
flow. The principal risk factor affecting operating cash 
flow is cost, gold prices, timing of gold sales and the 
legal actions in relation to the Concession Agreement 
and Diesel Fuel matters.

The Group’s financial commitments are limited 
to planned and discretionary spending on work 
programmes at the Sukari Gold Mine, planned and 
discretionary spending on work programmes at the 
exploration licences owned by Sheba, administration 
expenditure at the Egyptian, Australian and london 
office locations and for general working capital purposes.

Management considers that the Group has adequate 
current assets and forecast cash flow from operations  
to manage liquidity risks arising from settlement of 
current liabilities and non-current liabilities.

We had no debt for both the 2012 and the 2011 period.

36

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The following is a summary of the Group’s outstanding commitments as at 31 December 2012:

payments due

Operating lease commitments 
(note 19)

Capital commitments (note 19)

total commitments

total
US$’000

< 1 year
US$’000

1 to 5 years
US$’000

After 5 years 
US$’000

865

55,978

56,843

319

55,978

56,297

486

-

486

60

-

60

SeGMeNt DISCLoSURe

The Group is engaged in the business of exploration  
and production of precious and base metals only,  
which is characterised as one business segment only.  
See note 8 to the Financial Statements.

SIGNIFICANt ACCoUNtING poLICIeS, 
eStIMAteS AND JUDGeMeNtS

In the application of the Group’s accounting policies, 
which are described in note 3 of the notes to the 
Financial Statements, management is required to 
make judgments, estimates, and assumptions about 
carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not 
readily apparent from other sources. The estimates 
and associated assumptions are based on historical 
experience and various other factors that are believed to 
be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of 
which form the basis of making the judgments. Actual 
results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed 
on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates 
are recognised in the period in which the estimate is 
revised if the revision affects only that period or in the 
period of the revision and future periods if the revision 
affects both current and future periods.

The following are the critical judgments that 
management has made in the process of applying the 
Group’s accounting policies and that have the most 
significant effect on the amounts recognised in the 
Financial Statements:

Litigation

The Group is currently a party to two legal actions both 
of which could affect its ability to operate the mine at 
Sukari in the manner in which it is currently operated 
and adversely affect its profitability. The details of this 
litigation, which relate to the loss of the Egyptian national 
subsidy for Diesel Fuel Oil and the ability of the Group 
to operate outside the area of 3km2 determined by the 
Administrative Court of first instance to be the area of 
the Sukari exploitation lease, are available in note 20 

to the Financial Statements and in the most recently  
filed Annual Information Form (‘AIF’) which is available 
on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.  Although it is possible  
to quantify the effects of the loss the national fuel 
subsidy, it is not currently possible to quantify with 
sufficient precision the effect of restricting operations  
to an area of 3km2. 

Every action is being taken to contest these decisions, 
including the making of formal legal appeals and, 
although their resolution may take some time, 
management remain confident that a satisfactory 
outcome will ultimately be achieved. In the meantime, 
however, the Group is continuing to pay international 
prices for Diesel Fuel Oil. With respect to the 
Administrative Court ruling, on 20 March 2013 the 
Supreme Administrative Court upheld the Company’s 
application to suspend this decision until the merits of 
the Company’s appeal are considered and ruled on, thus 
providing assurance that normal operations would be 
able to continue during this process.

Recovery of Capitalised exploration evaluation 
and Development expenditure

The Group’s accounting policy for exploration and 
evaluation expenditure results in exploration and 
evaluation expenditure being capitalised for those 
projects where such expenditure is considered likely to 
be recoverable through future extraction activity or sale or 
where the exploration activities have not reached a stage 
which permits a reasonable assessment of the existence 
of reserves. This policy requires management to make 
certain estimates and assumptions as to future events 
and circumstances, in particular whether the Group will 
proceed with development based on existence of reserves 
or whether an economically viable extraction operation 
can be established. Such estimates and assumptions 
may change from period to period as new information 
becomes available. If, subsequent to the exploration and 
evaluation expenditure being capitalised, a judgment 
is made that recovery of the expenditure is unlikely or 
the project is to be abandoned, the relevant capitalised 
amount will be written off to the income statement.

37

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

Accounting treatment of Sukari Gold Mines (SGM)

ACCoUNtING poLICIeS

SGM is wholly consolidated within the Centamin Group 
of companies, reflecting the substance and economic 
reality of the Concession Agreement (see note 23 of the 
Financial Statements).

The following are the key assumptions concerning the 
future, and other key sources of estimation uncertainty 
at the reporting date, that have a significant risk of 
causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of 
assets and liabilities within the next financial year:

provision for restoration and rehabilitation costs

The Group is required to decommission, rehabilitate and 
restore mines and processing sites at the end of their 
producing lives to a condition acceptable to the relevant 
authorities. The provision has been calculated taking into 
account the estimated future obligations including the 
costs of dismantling and removal of facilities, restoration 
and monitoring of the affected areas. The provision 
for future restoration costs is the best estimate of the 
present value of the expenditure required to settle the 
restoration obligation at the reporting date.

ore reserve estimates

Estimates of recoverable quantities of reserves include 
assumptions on commodity prices, exchange rates, 
discount rates and production costs for future cashflows. 
It also involves assessment and judgment of difficult 
geological models. The economic, geological and technical 
factors used to estimate ore reserves may change 
from period to period. Changes in ore reserves affect 
the carrying values of mine properties, property, plant 
and equipment, provision for rehabilitation assets and 
deferred taxes. Ore reserves are integral to the amount of 
depreciation and amortisation charged to the Statement of 
Comprehensive Income and the calculation of inventory.

Production forecasts from the underground mine at 
Sukari are partly based on estimates regarding future 
resource and reserve growth. It is the opinion of 
management and Directors that these estimates are both 
realistic and conservative, based on current information. 
However, as the mine relies on continued deeper 
development and exploration drilling for further reserve 
definition, the life of this part of the mine remains limited 
and there is a risk that some or all of this growth will 
not materialise with a consequent negative impact on 
current production forecasts.

The Group changed its accounting policy on production-
phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. 
As a result, the 2011 results have been restated. Refer 
to note 3 of the Financial Statements for further details. 
There have been no further changes to the Group’s 
accounting policies during the year. 

GoING CoNCeRN S tAteMeNt

The Group’s business activities, together with the factors 
likely to affect its future development, performance and 
position are set out in this business review. The financial 
position of the Group, its cash flows, liquidity position  
and borrowing facilities are also described in this 
business review above. In addition, note 26 of the 
Financial Statements includes the Group’s objectives, 
policies and processes for managing its capital;  
its financial risk management objectives; details of its 
financial instruments; and its exposure to credit risk  
and liquidity risk.

As highlighted in note 26 of the Financial Statements, 
the Group meets its day to day working capital 
requirements through cash generated by its operations. 
The current economic conditions create uncertainty 
particularly over a) the level of demand of the Group’s 
products; b) the price at which its products can be sold; 
and c) the price at which its main raw materials can  
be procured. 

The Group’s forecasts and projections, taking account 
of reasonably possible changes in trading performance, 
show that Group should be able to continue generating 
sufficient cash in order to finance its operations and 
capital expansions. 

As discussed elsewhere in this document, during the 
year the operation of the mine was affected by two legal 
actions. The first of these followed from a decision taken 
by EGPC to charge international, not local (subsidised) 
prices for the supply of Diesel Fuel Oil, and the second 
arose as a result of judgment of an Administrative Court 
of first instance in relation to, amongst other matters, the 
Company’s 160km2 exploitation lease. In relation to the 
first decision, the Company remains confident that in the 
event that it is required to continue to pay international 
prices, the mine at Sukari will remain commercially viable. 
Similarly, the Company remains confident that the appeal it 
has lodged in relation to the decision of the Administrative 
Court will ultimately be successful, although final 

38

A n n u a l

  R e p o r

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resolution of it may take some time. On 20 March 2013 
the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the Company’s 
application to suspend the decision until the merits of 
the Company’s appeal are considered and ruled on, thus 
providing assurance that normal operations would be able 
to continue during this process.

In the unlikely event that the Group is unsuccessful  
in either or both of its legal actions, and that the 
operating activities are restricted to a reduced area,  
it is the Directors’ belief that the Group will be able  
to continue as going concern.

The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the 
Group will have adequate resources to continue in 
operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they 
continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting  
in preparing the Annual Financial Statements.
NoN-GAAp FINANCIAL MeASUReS 

Three non-GAAP financial measures are used  
in this report:

1) 

 eBItDA: “EBITDA” is a non-GAAP financial measure, 
which excludes the following from profit before tax:

•	 Finance costs;
•	 Finance income; and
•	 Depreciation and amortisation.

Reconciliation of profit before tax to eBItDA:

Management believes that EBITDA is a valuable 
indicator of the Group’s ability to generate liquidity 
by producing operating cash flow to fund working 
capital needs and fund capital expenditures. 

EBITDA is also frequently used by investors and 
analysts for valuation purposes whereby EBITDA 
is multiplied by a factor or “EBITDA multiple” that 
is based on an observed or inferred relationship 
between EBITDA and market values to determine 
the approximate total enterprise value of a company. 
EBITDA is intended to provide additional information 
to investors and analysts and does not have any 
standardized definition under IFRS and should 
not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for 
measures of performance prepared in accordance 
with IFRS. EBITDA excludes the impact of cash costs 
and income of financing activities and taxes, and 
therefore is not necessarily indicative of operating 
profit or cash flow from operations as determined 
under IFRS. Other companies may calculate 
EBITDA differently. The following table provides 
a reconciliation of EBITDA to profit for the year 
attributable to the Company.

Year ended
 31 December 2012  
Before exceptional items
US$’000

Year ended
 31 December 2012  
Including exceptional items (1)
US$’000

Year ended
 31 December 2011 
US$’000

Profit before tax(1)

Finance income

Depreciation and 
amortisation(1)

EBITDA

231,712

(898)

35,637

266,451

198,594

(898)

35,637

233,333

193,993

(1,288)

18,642

211,347

(1) Profit before tax, Depreciation and amortisation and EBITDA includes an exceptional provision to reflect the removal of fuel subsidies  

(refer to note 6 of the Financial Statements for further details). 

39

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

2) 

 Cash Cost per ounce Calculation: “Cash costs per ounce” is a non-GAAP financial measure. Cash Cost per 
ounce is a measure of the average cost of producing an ounce of gold, calculated by dividing the operating costs 
in a period by the total gold production over the same period. Operating costs represent total operating costs less 
administrative expenses, royalties, depreciation and amortization. Management uses this measure internally to better 
assess performance trends for the Company as a whole. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional 
measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, certain investors use such non-GAAP information to evaluate the 
Company’s performance and ability to generate cash flow. The Company believes that these measures provide 
an alternative reflection of the Group’s performance for the current period and are an alternative indication of its 
expected performance in future periods. Cash costs is intended to provide additional information, does not have any 
standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures 
of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. This measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or 
cash flow from operations as determined under GAAP. Other companies may calculate these measures differently.

Reconciliation of Cash Cost per ounce:

Year ended
 31 December 2012
Before exceptional 
items

Year ended
 31 December 2012
Including 
exceptional items(1)

Year ended
 31 December 2011

Mine production costs (note 6)

less: Refinery and transport

Cash costs

Gold Produced - Total

Cash cost per ounce

(uS$)

(uS$)

(uS$)

(oz)

(uS$/oz)

140,067

(848)

139,219

262,828

530

176,721

(848)

175,873

262,828

669

112,393

202

112,595

202,699

556

(1) Mine production costs, Cash costs and Cash cost per ounce includes an exceptional provision against prepayments recorded in Q4 to reflect the 

removal of fuel subsidies (refer to note 6 of the accompanying financial statements for further details).

3) 

 Cash, Bullion, Gold Sales Receivables and Available-for-sale Financial Assets: Cash, Bullion, Gold Sales Receivables 
and Available-for-sale Financial Assets include Cash and cash equivalents, bullion on hand, gold sales receivables 
and available-for-sale financial assets (equities). This is a non-GAAP financial measure any other companies may 
calculate these measures differently.

Reconciliation to cash, bullion, gold sales receivables and available-for-sale financial assets:

Year ended
31 December 2012 
US$’000

Year ended
 31 December 2011 
US$’000

Cash and cash equivalents (note 25)

Bullion on hand (valued at the year-end spot price)

Gold Sales Receivable (note 9)

Available-for-sale financial assets (note 14.1)

Cash, Bullion, Gold Sales Receivables and 
Available-for-sale Financial Assets

147,133

25,915

40,736

5,613

219,397

164,231

12,380

29,976

1,831

208,418

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FoReIGN INVeStMeNt IN eGYpt

Foreign investments in the petroleum and mining sectors 
in Egypt are governed by individual production sharing 
agreements (concession agreements) between foreign 
companies and the Ministry for Petroleum and Mineral 
Resources or the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority 
(“EMRA”) (as the case may be) and are individual Acts of 
Parliament.

Title, exploitation and development rights to the 
Sukari Gold Mine are granted under the terms of the 
Concession Agreement promulgated as law no. 222  
of 1994, signed on 29 January 1995 and effective from 
13 June 1995. The Concession Agreement was issued 
by way of Presidential Decree after the approval of the 
People’s Assembly in accordance with the Egyptian 
Constitution and law no. 61 of 1958. The Concession 
Agreement was issued in accordance with the Egyptian 
Mines and Quarries law no. 86 of 1956 which allows for 
the Ministry to grant the right to parties to explore and 
mine for minerals in Egypt.

Whilst the Company is the first foreign company to 
develop a modern large-scale gold mine in Egypt there 
is significant foreign investment in the petroleum sector. 
Several large multinational oil and gas companies 
operate successfully in Egypt, some of which have long 
histories in the country and have dedicated significant 
amounts of capital. The Company believes that the 
successful track record of foreign investment established 
by these companies in the petroleum sector is an 
important indication of the ability of foreign companies to 
attract financing and receive development approvals for 
the construction of major mining projects in Egypt.

egyptian Court Litigation 

As discussed elsewhere in this document the Company 
was involved in two separate actions. The first followed 
from a decision taken by EGPC to charge international, 
not local prices (subsidised), prices for the supply of 
Diesel Fuel Oil, and the second arose as a result of 
judgment of an Administrative Court of first instance  
in Cairo in relation to the Company’s 160km2  
exploitation lease.

Financial reporting controls and procedures are 
designed to provide reasonable assurance that all 
relevant information is gathered and reported to 
management, including the CEO, CFO and COO,  
on a timely basis so that appropriate decisions can 
be made regarding public disclosure. Management, 
with the participation of the certifying officers, has 
evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation, 
as of 31 December 2012, of the Company’s disclosure 
controls and procedures (as defined by the Canadian 
Securities Administrators). Based on that evaluation,  
the certifying officers have concluded that such 
disclosure controls and procedures are effective and 
designed to ensure that material information relating  
to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known  
to them by others within those entities. 

Internal controls over financial reporting are designed 
to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability 
of our financial reporting and compliance with generally 
accepted accounting principles in our Financial 
Statements. Management  evaluated at implementation 
the design of internal controls over financial reporting and 
has concluded that such internal controls over financial 
reporting are designed to provide reasonable assurance 
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the 
preparation of Financial Statements for external purposes 
in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRSs) adopted by the European union  
(‘Eu IFRS’). In addition, there have been no changes  
in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting 
during the year ended 31 December 2012 that have 
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially 
affect, its internal control over financial reporting.

FINANCIAL INStRUMeNtS

At 31 December 2012, the Group has exposure to 
interest rate risk which is limited to the floating market 
rate for cash.

The Group does not have foreign currency risk for 
non-monetary assets and liabilities of the Egyptian 
operations as these are deemed to have a functional 
currency of united States dollars. The Group has 
no significant monetary foreign currency assets and 
liabilities apart from Australian dollar and united States 
dollar cash term deposits.

The Group currently does not engage in any hedging or 
derivative transactions to manage interest rate or foreign 
currency risks.

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Concession Agreement Court case

On 30 October 2012, the Administrative Courts in Egypt 
handed down a judgment in relation to a claim brought by, 
amongst others, an independent member of the previous 
parliament, in which he argued for the nullification of the 
agreement that confers on the Group rights to operate 
in Egypt. This agreement, the Concession Agreement, 
was entered into between the Arab Republic of Egypt, 
the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (“EMRA”) and 
Centamin’s wholly owned subsidiary Pharaoh Gold Mines 
(“PGM”), and was approved by the People’s Assembly as 
law 222 of 1994.

In summary that judgment states that, although the 
Concession Agreement itself remains valid and in force, 
sufficient evidence had not been submitted to Court 
in order to demonstrate that the 160km2 “exploitation 
lease” between PGM and EMRA had received approval 
from the relevant Minister as required by the terms of 
the Concession Agreement. Accordingly, the Court 
found that the exploitation lease in respect of the area of 
160km2 was not valid although it stated that there was 
in existence such a lease in respect of an area of 3km2. 
Centamin, however, is in possession of the executed 
original lease documentation which clearly shows that the 
160km2 exploitation lease was approved by the Minister 
of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. It appears that an 
executed original document was not supplied to the Court. 

upon notification of the judgment the Group took various 
steps to protect its ability to continue to operate the mine 
at Sukari. These included both lodging a formal appeal 
before the Supreme Administrative Court on 26 november 
2012 and, in the first instance, lodging an “Objection  
to Enforcement in respect of” the original ruling with the 
Civil Court on 31 October 2012, which had the effect of 
“staying” (postponing) implementation for an initial period.  
In addition, in conjunction with the formal appeal the 
Group applied to the Supreme Administrative Court to 
suspend the initial decision until such time as the Court 
is able to consider and rule on the merits of the appeal. 
On 20 March 2013 the Court upheld this application thus 
suspending the initial decision and providing assurance 
that normal operations will be able to continue whilst the 
appeal process is underway. 

EMRA lodged its own appeal in relation to this matter on 
27 november 2012, the day after the Company’s appeal 
was lodged. Furthermore, in late December 2012, the 
Minister of Petroleum lodged a supporting appeal and 
shortly thereafter publicly indicated that, in his view, 
the terms of the Concession Agreement were fair and 
that the exploitation lease was valid. The Minister of 
Petroleum also expressed support for the investment and 
expertise that Centamin brings to the country. We believe 
this demonstrates the government’s commitment to our 

investment at Sukari and the desire to stimulate further 
investment in the Egyptian mining industry.

We do not yet know when the appeal will conclude, 
although are aware of the potential for the process in 
Egypt to be lengthy. The Company has taken extensive 
legal advice on the merits of its appeal from two leading 
Egyptian law firms who have confirmed that the proper 
steps were followed with regard to the grant of the 160km2 
exploitation lease. We therefore remain of the view that the 
appeal is based on strong legal grounds and will ultimately 
be successful. In the event that the appellate court fails to 
be persuaded of the merits of the case put forward by the 
Group, the operations at Sukari may be adversely effected 
to the extent that the companies operation exceeded the 
exploitation lease area of 3km2 referred to in the original 
court decision.

The Company remains confident that normal operations  
at Sukari will be maintained whilst the appeal process  
is underway.

Further details about this litigation are set out in note 20 
to the Financial Statements and in the most recently filed 
Annual Information Form (‘AIF’) which is available on 
SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Diesel Fuel Court Case

In January 2012 the Group received a letter from 
Chevron to the effect that Chevron would not be able 
to continue supplying Diesel Fuel Oil (DFO) to the 
mine at Sukari at local subsidised prices, thereby 
adding approximately uS$150 per ounce to the cost 
of production. It is understood that the reason that this 
letter was issued was that Chevron had received  
a letter instructing it to do so from the Egyptian General 
Petroleum Corporation (“EGPC”). Subsequent to this 
first letter, the Group received a demand from Egyptian 
General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) for lE403 
million (uS$60 million) being the amount of the subsidy 
received in respect of the diesel fuel supplied from 
December 2009 until January 2012.

The Group has taken detailed legal advice on this matter 
and in consequence in June lodged an appeal against 
EGPC’s decision in the Administrative Courts. Again, the 
Group believes that its grounds for appeal are strong  
and that there is good prospect of success. However, 
as a practical matter, and in order to ensure the 
continuation of supply, the Group has since January 
advanced funds to our fuel supplier, Chevron, based 
on the international price for fuel. Further details about 
this litigation are set out in note 20 to the Financial 
Statements and in the most recently filed AIF which  
is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

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oVeRVIeW oF SUKARI CoNCeSSIoN 
AGReeMeNt

Pharaoh Gold Mines nl (“PGM”) a 100% wholly owned 
subsidiary of the Company, EGSMA (now “EMRA”) and 
the Arab Republic of Egypt (“ARE”) entered into the 
Concession Agreement dated 29 January 1995, granting 
PGM and EMRA the right to explore, develop, mine and 
sell gold and associated minerals in specific concession 
areas located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt identified in 
the Concession Agreement. The Concession Agreement 
came into effect under Egyptian law on 13 June 1995.

A summary of the main terms of the Concession 
Agreement is as follows:

•	 PGM provides funding to the Operating Company, 

Sukari Gold Mining Company, (SGM) and is 
responsible for the day-to-day management  
of that company.

•	 PGM is entitled to recover: 

 - all current operating expenses incurred and paid 

after the initial commercial production;

 - exploration costs, including those accumulated to 
the commencement of commercial production  
(at the rate of 33.3% per annum); and

 - exploitation capital costs, including those 
accumulated prior to the commencement  
of commercial production (at the rate of  
33.3% per annum).

•	 The ARE is entitled to a royalty of 3% of net sales 

revenue from the sale of gold and associated minerals 
from the Sukari Gold Mine.

•	 Commencing on the date of commercial production, 

PGM is entitled to a 15 year exemption from any taxes 
imposed by the Egyptian government, with an option 
to extend this entitlement for further 15 years. 

•	 After the deduction of recoverable expenses and the 
payment of the 3% royalty, the profits are shared 
equally between PGM and EMRA (with an additional 
10% of proceeds paid to PGM in the first 2 years that 
there are net proceeds and an additional 5% in the 
following 2 years).

•	 PGM, EMRA and the Operating Company are 

exempt from custom taxes and duties with respect 
to the importation of machinery, equipment and 
consumable items required for the purpose of 
exploration and mining activities at Sukari. 
•	 PGM, EMRA, the Operating Company and their 

respective buyers will be exempt from any duties or 
taxes on the export of gold and associated minerals 
produced from the Sukari Gold Mine.

In addition, the Concession Agreement establishes 
a procedure for the conversion of any exploration 
lease granted in favour of PGM into an exploitation 
lease. upon following the procedure prescribed by the 
Concession Agreement, the Company was granted such 
an exploitation lease in respect of 160km2 in 2005 and 
is in possession of the original document granting this 
lease duly signed by all relevant parties. The validity 
of this lease is, however, the subject of the litigation 
referred to above.

For the accounting treatment of the Concession 
Agreement refer to note 23 of the Financial Statements.

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pRINCIpAL RISKS AFFeCtING tHe CeNtAMIN GRoUp

The Group faces a variety of risks which could adversely affect its performance, earnings, financial position and 
prospects. In addition, there may be additional risks unknown to Centamin and other risks, which are currently believed 
to be immaterial and could turn out to be material. These risks, whether they materialise individually or simultaneously, 
could significantly affect the group’s business and financial results. In addition, Centamin could also be affected by 
risks relating to the gold mining industry generally and the risks and hazards involved in the business of mining metals, 
which are largely outside its control.

It is for this reason that the Group conducted a variety of risk assessments throughout the year as part of its normal 
business performance and operational reviews, the results of which have been considered by the Audit and Risk 
Committee, and the Board, on a regular basis as required by the uK Code on Corporate Governance and relevant 
Canadian requirements. Centamin has taken a number of steps to mitigate some of these risks and will continue to 
evaluate ways in which it can manage and mitigate risks accordingly. notwithstanding this, due to the very nature of 
risks no assurance can be given that mitigating actions taken or planned will be wholly effective.

A description of the key risks affecting the Company and the steps taken to mitigate them is set out in the table below. 
This table should be read in conjunction with the commentary under the heading “Concession Agreement Court case” 
which describes in detail the risks to the Group’s operations in Egypt raised by the judgment handed down on 30 October 
by the Administrative Court. 

RISK CAteGoRY

DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

Single project 
dependency

•	 The Sukari Gold Mine currently 
constitutes all of the group’s 
mineral resources and reserves 
and the potential for the future 
generation of revenue (with the 
exception of the group’s small 
exploration portfolio in Ethiopia). 

•	 Any adverse development 

•	 In order to ensure continued growth, the group has been 
active in identifying new resources and development 
opportunities through exploration and acquisition targets both 
inside and outside Egypt. 

•	 Centamin assesses and continues to assess a wide range of 
potential growth opportunities both within Egypt, the wider 
area of the Arabian-nubian Shield and beyond. 

•	 Until further production growth beyond Sukari is delivered 

affecting the progress of the 
Sukari Project could have a 
material and adverse effect 
on the group’s financial 
performance and results.

the risk remains high.

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DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

Single country 
dependency

•	 All of the group’s operational 
revenue is derived from 
production in Egypt.
•	 Future policies regarding 
foreign development and 
ownership of mineral resources 
may change.

•	 The courts may interpret 

existing legislation in new ways. 

•	 Changes in government policy and/or law may affect both 
the group’s ability to undertake exploration, development 
and operational activities in respect of future properties as 
well as its ability to continue to explore, develop and operate 
those properties in respect of which it has obtained mineral 
exploration and exploitation rights to date. 

•	 Changes in policy in Egypt may result in changes in laws 
affecting ownership of assets, land tenure and mineral 
concessions, fuel subsidies, taxation, royalties, rates of 
exchange, environmental protection, labour relations, 
employment of expatriates, repatriation of income and 
return of capital.

•	 The current political situation in Egypt has not affected the 

safety of the Group’s employees or its day-to-day operations 
at its flagship project, Sukari.

•	 Comments under “litigation risk” also apply here.
•	 The Directors of the Group continue to monitor the situation 
and there are no matters to report outside of what is already 
publicly available.

•	 The actions with regard to the “Single project dependency” 

risk apply here.

•	 Until further production growth outside egypt is delivered 

the risk remains high.

Operational risks

•	 Interruptions to normal 

•	 Some of these factors (particularly delays to supplies, 

operations and/or construction 
projects may be caused by 
a number of factors, such as 
late delivery of equipment and 
supplies, adverse weather, 
equipment failures, delays  
in obtaining/renewing permits. 

•	 Any failure or unavailability  
of operational infrastructure 
could adversely affect 
production output and/
or impact exploration and 
development activities. 

material and services) have led to short-term delays in the 
commissioning of the Stage 4 expansion at Sukari.

•	 Expansion projects at Sukari have been, and continue to 
be, self-funded out of operational cash flow and the cost 
recovery process. The capital investment funding for the 
Stage 4 expansion is therefore to a large extent reliant on 
normal operations continuing. The temporary disruption to 
gold exports and fuel supply in late-2012 caused a shortage 
in working capital within SGM which caused some payment 
delays to suppliers and therefore some minor delays to the 
supply of materials, equipment and services to the project.

•	 The group’s mining, processing, development and 

exploration activities at Sukari depend on the continuous 
availability of its operational infrastructure, in addition to 
reliable utilities and water supplies and access to roads.

•	  Management assesses the critical components of the 

group’s operational infrastructure on a continuous basis and 
keep a large inventory of critical spares; however spares for 
some larger capital items are not kept and failure of such 
items could lead to production delays.

•	 Management closely monitors progress of both normal 

operations and expansion projects and has regular dialogue 
with all project stakeholders and suppliers. 

•	 The Board receives regular updates on developments.
•	 operational risk for a mining project in a remote location 

is high. 

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RISK CAteGoRY

DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

External risks

•	 The current Egyptian political 
situation may affect the safety 
of the group’s employees and/
or adversely affect the group’s 
ability to operate the Sukari 
Gold Mine.

•	 Civil unrest, war, fighting, 

terrorism or similar events in 
Egypt, Ethiopia or elsewhere 
could adversely affect 
operations.

•	 Management closely monitors events external to its normal 

operations in all countries in which it operates.

•	 The current political situation in Egypt has not to date had 
any significant effect the safety of the Group’s employees 
or its day-to-day operations at Sukari nor has it had 
any material adverse impact on the group’s investment, 
though the value of the Company’s shares may have been 
adversely affected.

•	 There have been disruptions to the domestic, subsidised 
fuel supply throughout Egypt which has affected some of 
our suppliers and has contributed towards delays in the 
completion of the Stage 4 expansion project. To date the 
supply of diesel for normal operations, which is priced and 
supplied on an international basis, has not been affected.

•	 Future disruptions due to external factors are likely,  

but to date have only had a moderate impact.

Political, legal 
and regulatory 
risks

•	 Changes to existing law and 

•	 Operations may be affected by government regulations 

regulations, or more stringent 
application or interpretation of 
current laws and regulations 
by relevant government 
authorities, could adversely 
affect the group’s operations 
and development projects.

with respect to production, price controls, export controls, 
income taxes, expropriation of property, maintenance of 
claims, environmental legislation, land use, land claims of 
local people, water use and safety regulations on adverse 
judicial rulings. 

•	 Exports of gold from Sukari were temporarily disrupted in 

late-2012 due to a delay in securing the relevant approvals 
from the Egyptian customs authority, causing a temporary 
adverse impact on the working capital position of SGM.
•	 The group actively monitors legal and political developments 
in Egypt and Ethiopia and actively engages in dialogue with 
relevant government and legal policy makers to discuss all key 
legal and regulatory developments applicable to its operation 
environmental legislation.

•	 the potential for serious impact should be balanced 
against the egyptian government’s support of the 
Company’s investment and contribution to both revenue  
and development of the mining industry. 

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DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

Relationship with 
EMRA

•	 A dispute with EMRA may 

adversely affect the group’s 
ability to manage the Sukari in 
the most effective way.

•	 A dispute may arise under the 
Sukari Concession Agreement 
regarding the cost recovery 
process and the level of Profit 
Share due to EMRA.

•	 EMRA may pressure for more 
operational control at Sukari.

Government 
inexperience  
in mining

•	 Egypt has limited experience 
of modern large scale mining 
operations.

•	 Current laws do not reflect 
current mining practices.

•	 The successful management of the Sukari Gold Mine is in 
part dependent on maintaining a good working relationship 
with EMRA.

•	 The group has regular meetings with officials from EMRA 
and invests time in liaising with relevant ministry and 
other governmental representatives. Management and the 
Board of Directors believe the group has a positive and 
constructive working relationship with EMRA.

•	 The group complies with all terms and conditions of the 
Concession Agreement covering the Sukari Gold Mine.
•	 EMRA has equal representation on the Board of Sukari 

Gold Mines and is involved to that extent in approving and 
auditing all work programs and expenditures.

•	 EMRA inspectors are closely involved in monitoring all 

aspects of the Sukari operations.

•	 Current discussions with EMRA are focussed on 

determining the exact timing and quantum of the first 
payment of Profit Sharing for Sukari.

•	 Whilst the impact would be high, management believes 
there is a low probability of a material deterioration 
in relationships with eMRA, particularly following the 
prepayment in relation to future profit share made 
subsequent to year end.

•	 The Company has ‘first mover’ status in Egypt, with Sukari 

being the first and only modern mine in the country.  
This, however, means that many of the laws, permitting/
licencing procedures and general bureaucracy in relation 
to mining are under-developed relative to those in other 
countries with a more advanced mining industry.

•	 Management regularly engage in dialogue with all levels  
of government with regard to the challenges that this  
general level of inexperience in dealing with the mining 
industry presents.

•	 The Company has a solid track record of overcoming 

challenges caused by government inexperience, despite 
occasional impacts on production. For example, the Sukari 
mine operates, with a high degree of efficiency, under  
what management considers excessive restrictions  
on blasting activities.

•	 The Egyptian government has stated publicly that it intends 
to support and assist in the development of the country’s 
mining industry.

•	 The Company is currently in discussion with EMRA and 
other government departments in relation to securing 
the permissions and supply of ammonium nitrate (An) 
necessary for open pit mining rates to increase to the 
required level as dictated by the current mine plan.
•	 the potential for serious impact is balanced by the 
egyptian government’s support of the Company’s 
investment and contribution to both revenue and 
development of the mining industry.

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RISK CAteGoRY

DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

Monitoring of 
Concessions

•	 Inadvertent breach of the 
Concession Agreement 
•	 The agreement itself could 

be terminated by presidential 
decree or on public  
policy grounds

•	 The Concession Agreement between the Arab Republic of 
Egypt, the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (“EMRA”) 
and Centamin’s wholly owned subsidiary Pharaoh Gold 
Mines (“PGM”) was approved by the People’s Assembly as 
law 222 of 1994.

•	 The agreement imposes certain obligations on PGM and 
there is a risk that any failure by PGM to comply with 
any such obligation may constitute a material breach, 
regardless of actual operational significance.

•	 The Company maintains a register of all its obligations 
under the Concession Agreement, and on a quarterly 
basis this is reviewed by a committee of the Board, and if 
necessary appropriate remedial action taken.

•	 Steps taken to mitigate this risk are a reviewed during the 

audit process of the Company’s accounts.

•	 Given the controls in place and the support of the egyptian 

government, this risk is judged to be low.

Employees and 
contractors

•	 Industrial unrest may negatively 

•	 Management believes its labour relations, with both 

impact on the group’s 
operations and production. 

•	 The loss of, or inability to 

source, skilled workers and 
professional labour may cause 
a medium-term threat to 
operations.

•	 The Group depends on 

employees and contractors are satisfactory. 

•	 Egyptian employment law affords extensive protection to 

employees and the group is committed to keeping the pay, 
benefits, training and conditions for its Egyptian work force 
competitive. 

•	 A workers’ representative group has been established for 
the purpose of facilitating a better dialogue with those 
employed at the Sukari Gold Mine.

certain key contractors and 
interruptions in contracted 
services could result in loss of 
production.

•	 However, strikes have occurred in the past at Sukari and 
there can be no assurance that a future work slowdown,  
a work stoppage or strike will not occur here or at any of the 
group’s other projects.

•	 The group’s business significantly depends upon its ability 

to recruit and retain qualified personnel, in particular 
members of the senior management team and its skilled 
team of engineers and geologists.

•	 The group regularly assesses its staff recruitment and 
retention policies, including its reward structures and 
incentive plans, to assist with labour stability, and maintains 
appropriate investment in training and development to 
safeguard the skills of its work force. 

•	 Regular reviews are carried out in order to attract, retain and 
incentivise key employees, including the expatriate workforce.

•	 Assessments of arrangements with key contractors are 
undertaken on a regular basis to ensure that contracted 
services and support meet business requirements and 
expectations.

•	 Whilst the group and its underground and drilling sub-

contractors are actively training local Egyptians they rely 
also on expatriate workforce and visas for such expats.
•	 the risk of future disruptions within the work force remains 
elevated but the impacts are judged to be manageable.

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DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

Gold price

•	 The group’s financial 
performance is highly 
dependent upon the price of 
gold, which is affected by a 
number of factors beyond the 
group’s control.

litigation risks

•	 The Company’s finances, and 
its ability to operate in Egypt, 
may be severely adversely 
affected by current and any 
future litigation proceedings. 

•	 Rapid fluctuations in pricing of gold will have  

a corresponding impact on the financial position.

•	 The group’s objective is to provide maximum exposure to 

the price of gold and, as such, a policy of not hedging gold 
has been adopted. 

•	 the group manages its exposure to gold price fluctuations 
by retaining a focus on keeping operating costs as low as 
possible.

•	 As discussed above, the Company is currently involved in 

litigation that relates both to a) the validity of its exploitation 
lease at Sukari; and b) the price at which can purchase 
Diesel Fuel Oil . 

•	 The Company has engaged appropriate legal advice and 

continues to actively pursue its legal rights with respect to 
the existing litigation.

•	 The Company and its legal advisors believe that the 

on-going appeals in relation to both of these cases will be 
successful, although this outcome cannot be guaranteed.
•	 It is possible that further litigation could be initiated against 

the Company at any time.

•	 Management and the Company’s legal advisors monitor 
both activity in court and local media for signs of any 
litigation that may threaten its operations, finances  
or prospects.

•	 the potential for serious impact should be balanced 
against the Company’s adherence to local laws and 
agreements, as well as the egyptian government’s support 
of the Company’s investment.

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RISK CAteGoRY

DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

•	 Management has implemented processes to continuously 
monitor and evaluate the current life of the Sukari Gold 
Mine, mine plans and production targets. 

•	 The group’s resources and reserves are regularly reviewed 
and are presented in accordance with the 2004 Australian 
Code for the Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore 
Reserves (“JORC Code”) which provides an equivalent 
presentation to nI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of 
Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards  
(the “CIM Standards”).

•	 The nature of underground mining operations makes it 
difficult to calculate resources in advance of expending 
money on development. As a consequence, underground 
reserves and resources are likely to remain low compared 
with the levels of expected production.

•	 Production forecasts from the underground mine at Sukari 
are partly based on estimates regarding future resource 
and reserve growth. It is the opinion of management 
and Directors that these estimates are both realistic and 
conservative, based on current information. However, 
as the mine relies on continued deeper development 
and exploration drilling for further reserve definition, the 
life of this part of the mine remains limited and there is 
a risk that some or all of this growth will not materialise 
with a consequent negative impact on current production 
forecasts.

•	 Whilst there are no certainties, production to date has 

provided confidence in management’s estimation and mine 
planning methods. 

•	 The local safety culture in Egypt has been observed to be 
poor, with low standards of risk-awareness and familiarity 
with the risks associated with mining.

•	 There are active monitoring, communicating and reporting 
systems in place to assess the risk levels and appropriate 
courses of action.

•	 Safety induction and training programs for staff are an 

essential component of their duties.

•	 Sukari has a strong safety culture and a good track record 
with a lTIFR of 0.69 per 200,000 man hours in 2012, a 
strong improvement on 1.25 in 2011.

•	 the group manages effectively the risks to health and 

safety and so the risk is low.

Reserve and 
resource 
estimates

•	 Mineral reserves and resources 
are estimates based on a range 
of assumptions, including 
geological, metallurgical and 
technical factors.

•	 There can be no guarantee that 
the anticipated tonnages or 
grades will be achieved.

Health and safety •	 Potential for fatalities and/or 
a significant increase in the 
number of serious injuries at 
the mine to materially affect 
operations

•	 A significant rise in the number 
of safety-related incidents could 
cause a deterioration of the 
Company’s relationship with its 
work force.

50

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RISK CAteGoRY

DeSCRIptIoN oF poteNtIAL RISKS

MItIGAtIoN / CoMMeNtARY

The cost of 
self-generated 
electricity

•	 The cost of diesel fuel oil 
may fluctuate significantly 
depending on market prices 
and the extent to which the 
group can continue to take 
advantage of the fuel subsidies 
currently offered by the ARE.

•	 The Sukari Gold Mine relies on self-generation  
by diesel power generators located on site.

•	 Since January 2012 the group has paid the full international 
price for its diesel supply in Egypt and does not benefit 
from any government subsidies.

•	 Management is reviewing alternative energy sources of grid 

power and gas pipelines.

•	 the risk is low since the Sukari operation does not 

benefit from subsidies and increases in market prices for 
oil products have historically been offset by concurrent 
increases in the gold price.

Environmental 
hazards and 
rehabilitation

•	 Environmental hazards may 
cause losses and costs, 
licences and permits to be 
withdrawn or suspended, 
or enforced clean-up and 
remediation action. 

•	 Mining operations have inherent risks and liabilities 

associated with pollution of the environment and the 
disposal of waste products occurring as a result of mineral 
exploration and production.

•	 no significant environmental incidents have occurred to 

date at any of the Company’s projects.

•	 Any such action could have  

•	 laws and regulations involving the protection and 

a material adverse effect on the 
group’s business, operations 
and financial condition.

Community 
relations

•	 A failure to adequately engage 
or manage relations with local 
communities and stakeholders 
could have a direct impact  
on the group’s ability to operate 
at Sukari.

remediation of the environment and the governmental 
policies for implementation of such laws and regulations 
are constantly changing and are generally becoming more 
restrictive. 

•	 The Directors believe that the group is in compliance in all 
material respects with applicable environmental laws and 
regulations and holds all necessary approvals, licences and 
permits under those laws.

•	 Compliance with these standards is monitored  

by the HSES committee. 

•	 Remediation and rehabilitation costs are assessed and 

reviewed on at least an annual basis.

•	 Given the monitoring and control procedures  

in place, whilst the impact of an incident would be 
material, the risk of occurrence is judged to be low.

•	 In addition to its existing corporate social responsibility 
programmes, the group is implementing a number 
of additional initiatives to improve and build on local 
community relations, and has increased its social 
management capacity.

51

Management Discussion & Analysis  
and Business Review

ReLAteD pARtY tRANSACtIoNS

The following related party transactions have been identified in line with IAS 24: Related Party Disclosures.

a) Key management personnel equity holdings 

Key management personal are persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling  
the activities of the Group, indirectly or directly, including any director (executive or otherwise) of the Group.

The details of the movement in key management personnel equity holdings of fully paid ordinary shares  
in Centamin plc during the financial period are as follows:

31 December 
2012

Balance at
1 January 
2012

Granted as 
remuneration
(LFSp)

Granted as 
remuneration
 (DBSp)

Received on 
exercise of 
options

Net other 
change

Balance at
31 December 
2012

Balance held 
nominally

J El-Raghy 

T Schultz

G Haslam

M Arnesen

M Bankes

K Tomlinson

P louw

A Pardey

H Brown

C Aujard

Y El-Raghy

A Davidson

71,445,086

1,000,000

50,000

15,000

60,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

637,500

600,000

775,000

510,000

500,000

500,000

475,000

-

-

-

-

-

510,000

-

-

-

-

-

b) Key management personnel share option holdings 

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(500,000)

70,945,086

30,000

52,056

-

30,000

-

-

-

-

-

1,030,000

102,056

15,000

90,000

-

1,737,500

1,785,000

475,000

-

510,000

510,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

The details of the movement in key management personnel options to acquire ordinary shares in Centamin plc  
are as follows:

31 December 
2012

Balance at
1 January 
2012

Granted as 
remuneration

exercised

other 
changes

Balance at
31 December 
2012

Balance 
vested during 
the financial 
period

Balance 
vested and 
exercisable 
at 31 
December 
2012

J El-Raghy 

T Schultz

G Haslam

M Arnesen

M Bankes

K Tomlinson

P louw

A Pardey

H Brown

C Aujard

Y El-Raghy

A Davidson

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

600,000

-

500,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

600,000

-

500,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

52

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Save for service agreements, and apart from the details 
disclosed in this note, no key management personnel 
has entered into a material contract with the Company 
or the economic entity since the end of the previous 
financial year and there were no material contracts 
involving key management personnel interests at  
year-end.

c) other transactions with key management personnel

The related party transactions for the year ended 
31 December 2012 are summarised below:

Mr J El-Raghy is a director and shareholder of El-Raghy 
Kriewaldt Pty ltd (“El-Raghy Kriewaldt”). El-Raghy 
Kriewaldt provides office premises to the Company.  
All dealings with El-Raghy Kriewaldt are in the ordinary 
course of business and on normal terms and conditions. 
Rent and office outgoings paid to El-Raghy Kriewaldt 
during the period were A$21,499 or uS$22,103 (31 
December 2011: A$33,480 or uS$32,192). 

d) transactions with other related parties

Other related parties include the parent entity, 
subsidiaries, and other related parties.

During the prior financial period, the Company 
recognised tax payable in respect of the tax liabilities 
of its wholly owned subsidiaries. Payments to/from the 
Company are made in accordance with terms of the tax 
funding arrangement. 

During the financial period the Company provided funds 
to and received funding from subsidiaries.

All amounts advanced to related parties are unsecured. 
no expense has been recognised in the period for  
bad or doubtful debts in respect of amounts owed  
by related parties.

Transactions and balances between the Company and 
its subsidiaries were eliminated in the preparation of 
consolidated financial statements of the Group.

SUBSeQUeNt eVeNtS

For further information, see note 30 to the Financial 
Statements.

53

The Board of Directors

the Board comprises: 

Josef el-Raghy 

Chairman and CEO  
Appointed 26 August 
2002

Josef El-Raghy holds a 
Bachelor of Commerce 
Degree from the university 
of Western Australia and 
then became a director  
of both CIBC Wood Gundy 
and Paterson Ord 

Minnett. Josef has been responsible for overseeing the 
transition of the company from small explorer, through 
construction and into production.

trevor Schultz

Executive Director

Appointed 20 May 2008

Trevor Schultz has 
a Masters Degree 
in Economics from 
Cambridge university, 
a Masters of Science 
Degree in Mining from the 
Witwatersrand university 
and completed the 

Advanced Management Program at Harvard university. 
With more than 40 years’ experience at the executive 
management and board level with leading international 
mining companies, including BHP, RTZ/CRA, Pegasus 
Gold and Ashanti Goldfields, Trevor was most recently 
the President and CEO of Guinor Gold Corporation. His 
roles have included development of several new mining 
operations in Africa, South America and the u.S.A., 
negotiations with various governments and their agencies 
and project financing and capital raisings. Trevor is 
currently a director of Pacific Road Capital Management 
and Base Resources limited. From 1 April 2003 until 31 
December 2005, Trevor was a director of Guinor Gold 
Corporation, from 1 December 2003 to 15 June 2006 
was a director of Southern Era Pty ltd and from 1 October 
1996 to 31 December 2003 was a director of Ashanti 
Goldfields Pty ltd.

G. edward Haslam 

Senior non-Executive 
Director 
Appointed 22 March 2011

G. Edward Haslam is 
currently non-executive 
Director (and Chairman 
from June 2007 to  
April 2012) of the lSE 
listed Talvivaara plc  
(since 1 June 2007) and 

since 1 May 2004 is a non-executive director of Aquarius 
Platinum ltd. In 1981, G. Edward joined lonmin plc 
where he was appointed a director in 1999 and Chief 
Executive Officer in november 2000 before retiring as 
such in April 2004. G. Edward has also held various 
positions with Falconbridge nickel Mines and British 
Steel Corporation, was a director of Cluff Gold Plc until 
September 2007, and is a Fellow of the Institute of 
Directors (IOD) (uK). 

Robert Bowker 

non-Executive Director 
Appointed 21 July 2008

Adjunct Professor at 
the Centre for Arab 
and Islamic Studies at 
the Australian national 
university, Bob Bowker 
retired from the Australian 
Foreign Service in June 
2008 after a 37 year 

career specialising in Middle East issues. He was 
Australian Ambassador to Egypt (2005 to 2008) and 
Jordan (1989 to 1992), in addition to postings in Syria 
(1979 to 1981) and Saudi Arabia (1974 to 1976). 
He was also accredited from Cairo as a non-resident 
ambassador to libya, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia. Bob has 
a PhD from the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, 
Australian national university 2001, an MA from the 
Centre for Middle East and Central Asian Studies, 
Australian national university 1995, a BA (Hons) 
Indonesian and Malayan Studies and Political Science, 
Melbourne university 1970 and completed an RAF 
Arabic course, Beaconsfield, uK 1988. Bob is also  
a graduate member of the Australian Institute of 
Company Directors.

54

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Kevin tomlinson 

non-Executive Director 
Appointed 17 January 
2012

Kevin Tomlinson was 
previously Managing 
Director of Investment 
Banking at Westwind 
Partners/Stifel nicolaus 
Weisel, a uS, Canadian 
and uK full-service broker, 

where he advised a number of gold, base metal and 
nickel companies, including Centamin. Prior to that he 
was the Director of natural Resources at Williams de 
Broë, a london-based broker, and Head of Research for 
the Australian broking, corporate finance and research 
house, Hartley’s ltd. Kevin holds a Master of Science 
degree in Geology from the university of Melbourne in 
Victoria, Australia. He began his career as a geologist 
30 years ago and has worked with various Australian 
and Canadian-based natural resources companies, 
including Austminex n.l, where he held the position of 
Chief Executive Officer, and Plutonic Resources limited, 
where he was Exploration Manager. In addition, he was 
non-executive Chairman of the ASX, AIM and TSX-listed 
Philippines gold producer, Medusa Mining limited, from 
October 2005 to January 2010 and the non-executive 
Chairman of Dragon Mountain Gold, an ASX-listed 
Chinese gold explorer and developer, from January 2006 
to October 2008. Kevin is also a non-executive director 
of TSX listed Samco Gold, lead Independent and 
Deputy Chairman of TSX/ASX listed gold producer Besra 
Gold (formerly Olympus Pacific Minerals) and Chairman 
of TSX listed Maudore Minerals. Kevin is a Fellow of the 
Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

References to the dates on which directors were 
appointed to the Board are, as the context requires, 
references to the dates on which Directors were 
appointed to the Board of Centamin Egypt Limited.

Mark Arnesen 

non-Executive Director 
Appointed 24 February 
2011

Mark Arnesen has 
extensive expertise in the 
structuring and negotiation 
of finance for major 
resource projects. He is  
a Chartered Accountant 
with over 20 years’ 
experience in the international resources industry, 
including a role with the Billiton/Gencor group 
companies where he was a corporate Treasurer from 
1996 to 1998. In 2000 Mark joined Ashanti Goldfields 
Company limited as - Managing Director - International 
Treasury and held the position until 2004. From 2004 
until 2006 he worked with Equinox Minerals limited  
and put in place the lumwana project financing.  
In november 2006 he joined Moto Goldmines limited 
as the financial Director and held the position until 
the company was taken over by Randgold Resources 
limited in late 2009. He was a non-executive Director 
of natasa Mining limited (2006-2010) and now sits on 
their Advisory Board. He was a non-executive Director 
of Asian Mineral Resources during 2010. He is currently 
the sole director of ARM Advisors Proprietary limited 
and joined the board of Gulf Industrials limited as CEO 
in February 2012. Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce 
and Bachelor of Accounting degrees from the university 
of the Witwatersrand.

Mark Bankes

non-Executive Director 
Appointed 24 February 
2011

Mark Bankes is an 
international corporate 
finance lawyer. Mark has 
an MA from Cambridge 
university and joined 
norton Rose in 1984.  
He worked in both london 

and Hong Kong and was a partner at norton Rose llP 
from 1994 to 2007 before starting his own business, 
Bankes Consulting EuRl, in October 2007. Mark 
specialises in international securities, mining policy and 
agreements, mergers and acquisitions and international 
restructurings for the resource sector. Mark has not held 
any other directorships in public companies during the 
previous five years.

55

Senior Management

In addition to Centamin’s Directors listed above, Senior Management includes the following:

Christopher Aujard

General Counsel and 
Company Secretary

Before joining Centamin 
in May 2011 Chris was 
the group legal Director 
and Company Secretary of 
Royal london, a large uK-
based life assurer, prior to 
which he held senior legal 
and company secretarial 
positions at a number of major financial institutions and 
banks in london. He has over 25 years’ experience 
as a lawyer and has worked on corporate transactions 
in a variety of sectors and geographies. Chris holds a 
Master’s degree in law from Cambridge university and 
undergraduate degrees in law and science from Monash 
university in Victoria.

Heidi Brown

Company Secretary 
(resigned 31 December 
2012)

Heidi Brown is a Fellow 
Chartered Secretary (FCIS, 
FCSA) with over 15 years 
experience in the finance 
and securities industries. 
She holds a Graduate 
Certificate of Applied 
Finance and Investment and a Diploma of Financial 
Advising through the Financial Services Institute of 
Australasia. Heidi remains the Company Secretary of the 
Company’s Australian subsidiaries and Centamin limited. 

pierre Louw 

Chief Financial Officer

Pierre is a senior manager 
with more than 25 years 
hands-on experience 
within the Mining Industry 
in both major and mid-tier 
gold and copper mining 
companies. Pierre is a 
member of the South 
African Institute of 

Professional Accountants and has extensive international 
experience having worked in Tanzania, Australia, 
Zambia and his native South Africa. Pierre previously 
worked as Finance Director for the lumwana Copper 
Mine, an Equinox limited development in Zambia from 
2005 to 2010. Prior to joining Equinox, he worked as 
Business and Financial Manager for Geita Gold Mine 
(AngloGold Ashanti) in Tanzania for the period 2000 
to end 2004. During this time he served as Honorary 
Treasurer on the Chamber of Mines of Tanzania and as 
an executive member of the Tanzanian Tax Stakeholders 
Forum representing the Tanzanian Mining sector. He 
has held management roles in the AngloGold corporate 
office where he worked as Divisional Manager and 
with JCI (Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co) 
where he started his career in 1986. Pierre holds a 
national Diploma in Financial Accounting from the 
university of Johannesburg and completed a leadership 
Development Programme through the university of 
South Africa (unISA). 

56

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Andrew Davidson

Head of Business 
Development and Investor 
Relations (since 13 August 
2012)

Prior to joining Centamin 
in August 2012, Andy 
Davidson worked for nine 
years as a mining analyst, 
including three years 
as an equity research 

Director at the london-based investment bank numis 
Securities. Before this, Andy was a senior exploration 
geologist within the mining industry, including six 
years with Ashanti Goldfields closely involved in the 
discovery and development of the world-class Geita 
project in Tanzania. Andy holds an MSc in Mineral 
Project Appraisal from the Royal School of Mines and a 
BSc in Geology. He is also a Member of the Institute of 
Materials, Minerals and Mining.

Andrew pardey 

Chief Operating Officer  
(in current position since 
29 May 2012)

Andrew Pardey was 
appointed Chief Operating 
Officer in May 2012 after 
having been General 
Manager-Operations at 
the Sukari Gold Mine 
since 2008. He was a 
major driving force in bringing Sukari into production, 
having joined during the mine’s construction phase. 
Andrew holds a BSc in Geology and has over 25 years’ 
experience in the mining and exploration industry, having 
previously held senior positions in Africa, Australia and 
other parts of the world with Guinor Gold Corporation, 
AngloGold Ashanti and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold 
Mines (KCGM).

Youssef el-Raghy

General Manager - 
Egyptian Operations 

An officer graduate of the 
Egyptian Police Academy, 
Youssef El-Raghy held 
senior management 
roles within the Egyptian 
Police force for a period 
in excess of ten years, 
having attained the rank 
of captain, prior to joining the Group. He has extensive 
contacts within the government and industry and 
maintains excellent working relationships with all of the 
Company’s stakeholders within Egypt.

57

Directors’ Report

pRINCIpAL ACtIVItIeS & BUSINeSS 
StRAteGY

The consolidated entity’s principal activities during the 
course of the year were the exploration for precious 
and base metals, production of gold and ongoing 
development at the Sukari Gold Mine. The Group has a 
considered growth path and strategy in place whereby 
it seeks to maximise shareholder value from investment 
opportunities within Egypt and also other opportunities 
which may arise throughout the Middle East and 
northern African regions.

BUSINeSS ReVIeW

The requirements of the business review are 
contained in the operational and exploration review 
and management discussion and analysis sections of 
this report and an overview of the principal risks and 
uncertainties faced by the Group is provided on pages 
44 to 51. On pages 84 to 88 is set out information on 
environmental, employee and social and community 
matters. All of these matters are incorporated by 
reference into this Directors’ Report.

details on trade creditors are provided in note 15 to the 
Financial Statements. The average number of creditor 
days is 38 days (2011: 45 days).

SUppLIeRS

It is Centamin’s policy that, subject to compliance  
with trading terms by the supplier, payments are made  
in accordance with terms and conditions agreed  
in advance with the supplier.

DIVIDeNDS 

no dividends have been declared or paid since the end 
of the current and previous financial year. The Group’s 
dividend policy for the coming year is to direct all cash 
flows towards the organic growth of the Sukari Gold 
Mine. The Group’s policy will continue to be reviewed on 
an annual basis.

CoRpoRAte GoVeRNANCe CoMpLIANCe

The statement on compliance with the uK Corporate 
Governance Code for the reporting period is contained 
on page 61 of this report.

CReDItoR pAYMeNt poLICY

It is the Group’s policy to settle all debts with creditors 
on a timely basis and in accordance with terms and 
conditions agreed in advance with each creditor. Further 

ARtICLeS oF ASSoCIAtIoN

The Company’s articles of association may be amended 
by special resolution of the shareholders.

58

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CApItAL StRUCtURe

Issued capital (including shares issued under the loan Funded Share Plans and Deferred Bonus Share Plan below) 1,101,397,381

Total shares in issue under the loan Funded Share Plans

unissued shares held under the loan Funded Share Plan

Deferred Bonus Share Plan

eNVIRoNMeNtAL ReGULAtIoNS

10,347,222

210,000

1,000,000

The Group is currently complying with relevant environmental regulations and has no outstanding environmental orders 
against it, to the best of our knowledge. 

There is a current legal obligation under Egyptian Environmental laws to perform site rehabilitation and restoration 
work, in addition to the requirement of the Sukari Concession Agreement, under Article XVI, to undertake the 
rehabilitation and restoration work. The provision for restoration and rehabilitation for 2012 is set out in note 16 and 
has been estimated at uS$5.5 million (2011: uS$2.6 million).

SUBStANtIAL SHAReHoLDeRS

The Company has been notified that the following persons were, as at 25 March 2013, directly or indirectly interested 
in 3 per cent or more of the issued ordinary share capital of or voting rights in Centamin. 

Investor Name

El-Raghy Family

Franklin Advisers, Inc.

ordinary Shares

% of issued share capital

70,945,086 

44,854,132

6.44

4.07

The substantial shareholders do not have any different voting rights to other shareholders.

To the extent known to the Company:

(a) 

 no person other than the substantial shareholders has an interest of three per cent or more in the company’s 
capital. The Company is not aware of any persons who, directly or indirectly, jointly or severally, exercise  
or could exercise control over the Company; and

(b) 

 There are no arrangements, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in a change of control  
of the Company. 

59

Directors’ Report

poLItICAL DoNAtIoNS

Centamin does not make donations to any organisations 
with stated political associations. 

eMpLoYeeS

Information relating to employees is contained on 
pages 84 to 85 in the corporate responsibility section. 
Centamin abides by anti-discrimination legislation in all 
jurisdictions in which it operates. These principles are 
also set out in the Company’s Code of Conduct which 
sets out the framework in which Centamin expects all 
staff to operate.

SUBSeQUeNt eVeNtS

As referred in note 20 to the Financial Statements and in 
the most recently filed Annual Information Form (“AIF”), 
the Group is involved in on-going litigation in respect of 
both the price at which Diesel Fuel Oil is supplied to the 
mine at Sukari and the validity of the 160km2 exploitation 
lease at Sukari.

Subsequent to year end the Company acquired a further 
interest in nyota Minerals limited and Sahar Minerals 
limited for uS$1,163,969 and uS$500,000 respectively.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Concession Agreement, 
any Profit Share payments made to EMRA are due on 
an annual basis at the end of SGM’s financial year, 
being 30 June. Based on the Company’s calculation 
there was no Profit Share due to EMRA as at 30 June 
2012. Furthermore, it is expected that there will be 
Profit Share due to EMRA for the current SGM financial 
year ending 30 June 2013, based on budgeted 
production, gold price and operating expense forecasts. 
Following discussions with EMRA, and with a view to 
demonstrating goodwill toward the Egyptian government, 
subsequent to year end PGM has made an advance 
payment to EMRA of uS$8,200,000. Calculations 
for Profit Share will be done annually on the audited 
accounts of SGM and this advance payment will be 
netted off against any future Profit Share that becomes 
payable to EMRA. 

There were no other significant events occurring  
after the reporting date requiring disclosure in the 
Financial Statements.

DIReCtoRS’ INDeMNItY INSURANCe

In accordance with Centamin’s articles of association 
and to the extent permitted by law, Centamin may 
indemnify its Directors out of its own funds to cover 
liabilities incurred as a result of their office.

The Company has entered into indemnity agreements 
with each Director to indemnify each Director to the 
extent permitted by applicable law and excluding any 
matters involving fraud, dishonesty, wilful default or bad 
faith on the part of a Director.

During the year, the Company paid a premium in respect 
of a contract insuring the Directors and officers of the 
Company and any related body corporate against a 
liability incurred as a director or officer to the extent 
permitted by law. This provides insurance cover for any 
claim brought against Directors or officers for wrongful 
acts in connection with their positions. The insurance 
provided does not extend to claims arising from fraud 
or dishonesty and it does not provide cover for civil or 
criminal fines or penalties imposed by law.

RoUNDING oF AMoUNtS

Amounts in the Financial Report and the Directors’ 
Report have been rounded off to the nearest thousand 
dollars, unless otherwise stated.

DIReCtoRS’ INteReStS

Details of the interests of Directors and their connected 
persons in Centamin’s shares or in related derivate 
or financial instruments are outlined in the Directors’ 
Remuneration report on page 79.

AUDItoR

Each of the persons who is a director at the date of 
approval of this annual report confirms that:

•	 so far as the Director is aware, there is no relevant 
audit information of which the Company’s auditor  
is unaware; and

•	 the Director has taken all the steps that he ought  

to have taken as a Director in order to make himself 
aware of any relevant audit information and to 
establish that the Company’s auditor is aware  
of that information.

Deloitte llP have expressed their willingness to continue 
in office as auditor and a resolution to reappoint them 
will be proposed at the forthcoming Annual  
General Meeting.

Chris Aujard

General Counsel and Company Secretary

60

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Corporate Governance Statement 

LetteR FRoM  
tHe CHAIRMAN

Corporate governance 
is both a framework by 
which the interests of 
various stakeholders 
are balanced and 
a structure through 
which the objectives of 
a company are set. It 
also includes how the 

path to achieving those objectives is outlined and how 
performance is measured along the way. As a company 
with a premium listing on the Main Market of the london 
Stock Exchange, the Company is subject to the Financial 
Services Authority’s listing Rules and the requirement 
to explain how it has applied the Main Principles of the 
Financial Reporting Council’s uK Corporate Governance 
Code (“the Code”). A copy of the Code is available from 
the FRC’s website, www.frc.org.uk. The listing Rules 
also require a company with such a listing to confirm 
that it has complied with all relevant provisions of the uK 
Corporate Governance Code or explain areas of  
non-compliance. 

The Board is also committed to the principles of 
corporate governance contained in the best practice 
recommendations of the Toronto Stock Exchange 
and the best practice recommendations prescribed 
under national Policy 58-201 – Corporate Governance 
Guidelines (“nP 58-201”), for which the board is 
accountable to shareholders.

The Board considers that throughout the year, the 
Company has complied with the relevant provisions 
of the 2010 uK Corporate Governance Code and has 
applied such best practice recommendations with the 
exception that, for the period under review, the roles of 
Chairman and Chief Executive were both exercised by 
me. This was due initially to the sudden and unexpected 
death of Mr Harry Michael, our Chief Executive Officer, 
in november 2011. Since then, taking account of the 
current political circumstances of Egypt and the need 
accordingly for continuity in the leadership of the company 
at this important juncture the Board has concluded the 
interests of both the Company and shareholders are best 
served by my continuing in those roles until such time as 
a suitable successor can be identified. The Board has also 

agreed that for so long as the roles remained combined, 
certain corporate governance functions undertaken by 
me in my capacity as Chairman will be delegated to the 
Senior Independent Director. These functions include 
chairing the board meetings, ensuring that the Board 
receives timely information and ensuring the efficient 
organization and conduct of the Board’s functioning. It 
should also be noted that both the Code and the best 
practice recommendations favour that the Chairman be 
an independent Director whereas until 3 March 2010 the 
Company retained my services as Managing Director/CEO 
and accordingly I am not an independent non-executive 
Chairman within the meaning of the Code. The reasons 
why the Board believed that my appointment to the 
position of Chairman was appropriate were set out in last 
year’s Annual Report and Accounts, and in compliance 
with the Code, major shareholders were consulted 
before my appointment was confirmed. In addition, the 
effectiveness of the group’s risk management and internal 
control systems and the policy on how concerns could be 
raised by staff were not formally reviewed in the period 
ended 31 December 2012. A formal review of these 
matters is scheduled for the second quarter of 2013, 
which review will cover all material controls, including 
financial, operational and compliance controls.

Succession planning

A key part of my role as Chairman is to ensure the 
right people are doing the right jobs and that there is a 
sufficient core of individuals being nurtured throughout 
the Company to enable effective succession planning.

The Board remains committed to succession planning 
and the untimely passing of Harry Michael in 2011 
reinforced its importance to us. Reviews of management 
capabilities and potential are performed on a routine 
basis and I am satisfied that sufficient resource within 
the Group exists and continues to be developed. Where 
a need for improvement to management resources is 
identified, the necessary attention is provided to ensure 
full strength is attained as soon as practicable, which 
was demonstrated by Andrew Pardey’s appointment 
as Chief Operating Officer and Andrew Davidson’s 
appointment as Head of Business Development and 
Investor Relations.

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Corporate Governance Statement 

Board appointments

Shareholder communication

I would like to encourage all shareholders to find the time 
to attend our AGM on 23 May 2012, which this year will 
be held in Jersey. This will be an excellent opportunity 
to meet the Board, the Executive Board and members 
of our Senior Management team. An opportunity will 
also be afforded to those shareholders who are unable 
to attend the AGM to receive a presentation from senior 
management in london on 16 May 2013. 

Josef El-Raghy

Chairman

The Board was further strengthened during 2012  
by the appointment of Kevin Tomlinson. In this respect, 
the Company accordingly remains compliant with the 
principles of the uK Corporate Governance Code  
to the extent that it dictates the Board should have  
a greater number of non-executive directors than 
executive directors.

Board committees

Our committees are a valuable part of Centamin’s 
corporate governance structure. The workload of the 
committees is far greater than the table of scheduled 
meetings would indicate, as ad hoc meetings and 
communications between meetings frequently require 
considerable amounts of time. 

I believe strongly that the blend of behaviours and  
skills around the Centamin Board table are well suited  
to the task and consistent with the Company’s values, 
and I am keen for a formal system to reconfirm this.  
With a Board that is free to openly express concerns 
comes more considered outcomes emphasising 
collective responsibility, transparency, clarity and 
sustainable conduct.

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Corporate Governance Statement 

tHe BoARD – CoMpoSItIoN AND BALANCe

The Board currently comprises the Chairman and CEO, five non-executive and one other executive director.  
One of the non-executive directors has been appointed Senior Independent Director. All the non-executive directors  
are considered by the Board to be independent and biographies of all the directors appear on pages 54 and 55, 
together with descriptions of their expertise, experience and qualifications and a note of their other significant 
commitments. Membership of the Board’s Committees is set out in this section. The Board is satisfied that this  
range of expertise, experience and qualifications is appropriate for the current needs of the business.

The names of the Directors of the Company in office at the date of this Report are:

Name

Josef El-Raghy

Trevor Schultz

position

Committees

Chairman and CEO

Executive Director

-

-

G. Edward Haslam

Senior Independent non-Executive Director

Audit and Risk Committee

Mark Arnesen

Independent non-Executive Director

Mark Bankes

Independent non-Executive Director

Kevin Tomlinson

Independent non-Executive Director

Professor G Robert 
Bowker 

Independent non-Executive Director

nomination and Remuneration Committees 
(Chairman)

Compliance/Corporate Governance 
Committee
Audit and Risk Committee (Chairman)

nomination and Remuneration Committees

HSES Committee
Compliance/Corporate Governance 
Committee(Chairman)

Audit and Risk Committee

HSES Committee
nomination and Remuneration Committees

HSES Committee
HSES Committee (Chairman)

nomination and Remuneration Committees

Compliance/Corporate Governance 
Committee

non-Executive directors have the right to seek independent professional advice in the furtherance of their duties  
as directors, at the Group’s expense. Written approval must be obtained from the Chief Executive Officer prior  
to incurring an expense on behalf of the Group.

When determining whether a Director is independent, the Board has established a Directors’ Test of Independence 
Policy, which is based predominantly on the definition of independence as defined in Canadian Securities 
Administrators’ national Instrument 52-110 – Audit Committees (“nI 52-110”), and is available on the Company’s 
website or to shareholders upon request. The criteria in nI 52-110 are mandatory and are more stringent in certain 
respects than the independence criteria suggested by the Code. Based on this Policy, the majority of the Board are 
considered by the Board to be independent non-Executive directors.

The Company has considered certain recommendations put forward in the uK in respect of gender diversity on the 
boards of listed companies but has not adopted a formal policy in this regard. The matter is however kept under 
constant review.

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Corporate Governance Statement

HoW tHe BoARD opeRAteS

The Board of Directors supervises the management of 
the business and affairs of the Company. The Board 
of Directors assumes responsibility for the stewardship 
of the Group, and the functions the Company has 
established that are reserved to the Board include:

•	 Strategic Planning: The Board of Directors regularly 
reviews and approves strategic plans and initiatives 
of the Company at Board of Directors meetings, and 
otherwise as required.

•	 Risk Assessment: The Board of Directors has  
primary responsibility to identify principal risks  
in the Company’s business and ensures the 
implementation of appropriate systems to manage 
these risks. See “Managing Risks” below.

•	 Succession Planning: The Board of Directors is 

responsible for succession planning, including the 
appointment, training and monitoring of senior 
management.

•	 Communications: The Board of Directors oversees the 
Company’s public communications with shareholders 
and others interested in the Company.

•	 Internal Control: The Board of Directors and the  

audit committee of the Board of Directors oversee  
the Group’s internal control and management 
information systems.

In addition to its general oversight responsibilities, 
significant transactions out of the ordinary course of the 
Company’s business or which may be material to the 
Company are considered and approved by the Board of 
Directors. The Board of Directors generally has at least 
4 regularly scheduled meetings in each year. Additional 
meetings may be held depending upon opportunities or 
issues to be dealt with by the Company from time to time.

A full copy of the Company’s Board Charter is available 
on the Company’s website or upon request. 

The following table sets out the number of Directors’ 
meetings (including meetings of the Board) held during 
the year and the number of meetings attended by 
each Director (while they were a Director or committee 
member). During the year ended 31 December 2012, 
20 Board meetings (of which 4 were scheduled and 
16 were convened at short notice to deal with emerging 
developments in Egypt), 2 nomination Committee 
meetings, 3 Remuneration Committee meetings, 
6 Compliance/Corporate Governance Committee 
meetings, 3 HSES Committee meetings and 6 Audit 
Committee meetings were held. 

Board
of Directors

Remuneration
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

Compliance/
Corporate 
Governance
Committee

Audit
Committee

HSeS 
Committee

Held

Attended

Held

Attended

Held

Attended

Held

Attended

Held

Attended

Held

Attended

Name

Director

Mr J El-Raghy

Mr G. Edward Haslam

Mr T Schultz

Mr M Arnesen

Mr M Bankes

Prof Robert Bowker

Mr K Tomlinson

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

18

17

18

20

19

19

-

3

-

3

-

3

3

-

3

-

3

-

3

3

-

2

-

2

-

2

2

-

2

-

2

-

2

2

-

6

-

-

6

6

-

-

6

-

-

6

6

-

-

6

-

6

6

-

-

-

6

-

6

6

-

-

-

-

-

3

3

3

3

-

-

-

3

3

3

3

In addition, Josef El-Raghy, whilst not a member of the Board Committees referred above, is by invitation typically 
in attendance at committee meetings save for those where his remuneration is being discussed.

Meetings of Independent Directors 

Mr G. Edward Haslam was appointed Senior Independent Director of Centamin Egypt limited on 22 March 2011  
and has retained this position with the Company. He has regular meetings with the other non-Executive Directors and, 
in connection with the evaluation of the Board’s performance referred to below, undertook a performance evaluation  
of the Chairman, taking into account the views of the other executive director and the Company Secretary.

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Allocation of responsibilities 

The roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
are strictly separated as defined in the Group’s Board 
Charter and their individual employment contracts. 
However, as discussed elsewhere in this section, 
following the sudden passing away of Harry Michael in 
november 2011, the Group’s former CEO, Josef El-
Raghy has undertaken the role of CEO. notwithstanding 
this combining of roles, and with a view to ensuring 
that there is not undue concentration of authority in the 
hands of one individual, the Board has agreed that for so 
long as the roles remained combined, certain corporate 
governance functions undertaken by Josef El-Raghy in 
his capacity as Chairman will be delegated to the Senior 
Independent Director. These functions include chairing 
the board meetings, ensuring that the Board receives 
timely information and ensuring the efficient organization 
and conduct of the Board’s functioning.

BoARD CoMMItteeS

As indicated by the table above, the Board has 
established Audit and Risk, Compliance/Corporate 
Governance, nomination, Remuneration and the Health 
Safety Environmental and Sustainability (“HSES”) 
committees. Copies of the current Board and Committee 
Charters and Policies are available on the Group’s 
website www.centamin.com. 

Audit and Risk Committee

As at the date of this report, the Audit Committee 
comprises Mr Mark Arnesen (Chairman), Mr Mark 
Bankes and Mr G. Edward Haslam, all of whom are 
considered by the Board to be independent within the 
terms of Group’s Directors’ Test of Independence Policy. 

The responsibilities of the Audit Committee are laid 
out in its charter, and amongst other things, include 
the responsibility to ensure that an effective internal 
control framework exists within the entity, and to review 
quarterly, half yearly and annual Financial Statements 
for submission to the Board for approval. The Committee 
receives regular reports from management. This includes 
the safeguarding of assets, the maintenance of proper 
accounting records, the need for an internal audit 
function and the reliability of financial information as well 
as non-financial considerations. The Audit Committee 
will also recommend the appointment, and will review the 
fees, of external auditors. 

The Code states that the Board should satisfy itself 
that at least one member of the Audit Committee has 
recent and relevant financial experience. Furthermore, 
all members of the Audit Committee are expected to 
be financially literate as per the definition of financial 

literacy contained in section 1.5 of the Canadian 
national Instrument 52-110. For the purposes of that 
instrument, an individual is financially literate if he or 
she has the ability to read and understand a set of 
Financial Statements that present a breadth and level 
of complexity of accounting issues that are generally 
comparable to the breadth and complexity of the issues 
that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the 
Group’s Financial Statements. Both these conditions 
were satisfied during the relevant period.

During the year the Committee particularly focused  
on the following areas: 

•	 consideration and approval of the audit plan; 
•	 consideration and approval of the scope of external 

audit and related processes;

•	 consideration and review of the full-year and  

interim results;

•	 consideration of announcements to the london Stock 

Exchange by the Group on its performance; and

•	 accounting implications for the Group of the ongoing 

litigation, described elsewhere in this report.

external auditor

The Audit Committee is responsible for the development, 
implementation and monitoring of the Group’s policy on 
external audit. The policy assigns oversight responsibility 
for monitoring the independence, objectivity and 
compliance with ethical and regulatory requirements 
to the Audit Committee, and day to day responsibility 
to the Chief Financial Officer. It states that the external 
auditor is jointly responsible to the board and the Audit 
Committee and that the Audit Committee is the primary 
contact. The policy also sets out the categories of 
non-audit services which the external auditor will and 
will not be allowed to provide to the Group, including 
those that are pre-approved by the Audit Committee and 
those which require specific approval before they are 
contracted for, subject to de minimis levels.

To fulfil its responsibility regarding the independence of 
the external auditor, the Audit Committee reviewed:

•	 the external auditor’s plan for the current year, noting 
the role of the senior statutory audit partner, who 
signs the audit report and who, in accordance with 
professional rules, has not held office for more than 
five years, and any changes in the key audit staff;
•	 the arrangements for day-to-day management of the 

audit relationship;

•	 a report identifying the number of former external 
audit staff now employed by the Group and their 
positions within the Group;

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Corporate Governance Statement

•	 a report from the external auditor describing their 
arrangements to identify, report and manage any 
conflicts of interest; and

•	 the overall extent of non-audit services provided by 
the external auditor, in addition to its case-by-case 
approval of the provision of non-audit services by the 
external auditor. 

A policy has been approved by the Audit Committee 
in relation to the provision of non-audit services by the 
auditors. Essentially the policy states that the auditor 
may not provide certain defined services that are 
considered to be inconsistent with the role of the auditor. 
For other services, an authorisation procedure  
is in place. Any significant work must be authorised  
by the Chairman of the Audit Committee. 

During 2012 the auditor provided both limited 
tax advisory and other services in relation to the 
establishment of a Deferred Bonus Share Plan and 
related matters. In the prior financial period, other 
non-audit services included the provision of advice and 
undertaking due diligence investigations in relation to the 
main board listing on the london Stock Exchange.

To the extent necessary, the auditor obtained 
pre-approval from the Audit Committee before 
performing these services and have used separate 
teams for the tax advisory services and other related 
services, than the team performing the audit. There were 
no contingent fee arrangements in place during 2012, 
2011 and 2010.

To assess the effectiveness of the external auditor, the 
Audit Committee reviewed:

•	 the arrangements for ensuring the external auditor’s 

independence and objectivity;

•	 the external auditor’s fulfilment of the agreed audit 

plan and any variations from the plan; and

•	 the robustness and perceptiveness of the auditor  

in their handling of the key accounting and  
audit judgements.

The auditors of the Group, Deloitte llP (“Deloitte”), 
have open access to the Board of Directors at all times. 
Deloitte have audited the Group and its subsidiaries 
for a number of years and have adopted a policy of 
rotating audit partners every five years. The last rotation 
of the audit partner occurred as a consequence of the 
re-domicile on the 30 December 2011 and took effect 
on 29 December 2011.

It is the Group’s policy to put the Group’s audit out to 
tender at least every five (5) years.

Following the above, the Audit Committee has 
recommended to the Board that Deloitte llP is 
re-appointed.

Internal Audit

In light of the size and relative complexity of the Group,  
no internal audit function has to date been established, but 
it is the intention of the Group, following a recommendation 
of the Audit Committee, to do so as the Stage 4 project 
draws nearer to completion.

A copy of the Audit Committee Charter is available on 
the Company’s website or to shareholders upon request.

overview

As a result of its work during the year, the Audit Committee 
has concluded that it has acted in accordance with its 
terms of reference and has ensured the independence 
and objectivity of the external auditor. The Chairman of  
the Audit Committee will be available at the Annual 
General Meeting to answer any questions about the  
work of the committee.

Compliance/Corporate Governance Committee

The Compliance/Corporate Governance Committee is 
chaired by Mr Mark Bankes and its other members are 
Mr G. Edward Haslam and Professor Robert Bowker. 

The Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary 
responsibilities by making recommendations to the 
Board with respect to the formulation or re-formulation  
of and implementation, maintenance and monitoring 
of the Company’s Corporate Compliance Program and 
Code of Conduct as may be modified, supplemented 
or replaced from time to time, designed to ensure 
compliance with corporate governance policies and legal 
rules and regulations. Fundamental to the Company’s 
corporate governance policy and practice is that all 
Directors and employees reflect the Company’s key 
values of accountability, fairness, integrity and openness. 
The Committee oversees the Company’s activities  
in the area of corporate compliance that may impact the 
Company’s business operations or public image, in light 
of applicable government and industry standards, legal 
and business trends and public policy issues.

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Health Safety environmental and Sustainability 
Committee

The Health Safety Environmental and Sustainability 
Committee comprises Professor Robert Bowker 
(Chairman), Mr Mark Arnesen, Mr Mark Bankes and 
Mr Kevin Tomlinson, all of whom are independent 
Directors of the Company. The key functions of the 
Committee are to:

•	 Review and monitor the sustainability, environmental, 
safety and health policies, systems and activities 
of the Group in order to ensure compliance with 
applicable health, safety, and environment and 
community legal and regulatory requirements.

•	 Encourage, assist, support and counsel management 

in developing short and long-term policies and 
standards to ensure that the principles set out in 
the sustainability, environmental, health and safety 
policies are being adhered to and achieved.
•	 Regularly review community, environmental,  

health and safety response compliance issues and 
incidents to determine on behalf of the Board, that 
the Group is taking all necessary action in respect 
of those matters and that the Company has been 
duly diligent in carrying out its responsibilities and 
activities in that regard.

•	 Ensure that principal areas of community, 

environmental, health and safety risk and impacts  
are identified and that sufficient resources are 
allocated to address these.

•	 Ensure that the Company monitors trends and 

reviews current and emerging issues in the field  
of sustainability, environment, health and safety and 
evaluates their impact on the Group.

•	 Review and make recommendations to the Board with 
respect to environmental aspects of acquisitions and 
dispositions with material environmental implications.

•	 Provide oversight and guidance with respect to 

managing relationships with local governments and 
community relations.

During the year the Committee worked closely with 
management to:

•	 Review steps to address the lost time due to injury 

(lTI) frequency rate as compared to 2011.

•	 Develop principles and strategies for the pursuit of 

corporate sustainable development (CSD) initiatives.

•	 Establish procedures for the HSES Committee, 

and where appropriate, the full Board to consider 
proposals for such programs.

•	 Receive updates and associated KPIs for programmes 
and reports on ad hoc assistance to local social and 
environmental initiatives.

Nomination Committee

The nomination Committee comprises  
Mr G. Edward Haslam (Chairman), Mr Mark Arnesen, 
Professor Robert Bowker and Mr Kevin Tomlinson,  
all of whom are independent Directors of the Company.

The nomination Committee’s primary functions are to:

•	 Make recommendations for the structure, size and 
composition of the Board and Board committees;
•	 Review the necessary and desirable competencies, 

skills, knowledge and experience of Directors;

•	 Review the Board succession plans; and
•	 Make recommendations for the appointment, 

re-election and removal of Directors to/from the Board.

The nomination Committee establishes guidelines for 
the future nomination and selection of potential new 
Directors. The full Board (subject to members’ voting 
rights in general meeting) is ultimately responsible for 
selection of new Directors and will have regard to a 
candidate’s experience and competence in areas such 
as mining, exploration, geology, finance, administration 
and other areas of relevance that can assist the Group in 
meeting its corporate objectives and plans.

Remuneration Committee 

The Remuneration Committee comprises  
Mr G. Edward Haslam (Chairman), Mr Mark Arnesen, 
Professor Robert Bowker and Mr Kevin Tomlinson. 

The Remuneration Committee’s primary functions are to 
make recommendations to the Board on:

•	 The Company’s remuneration, recruitment, retention, 
termination, superannuation and incentive policies 
and procedures for Directors and senior executives.
•	 The 2011 Employee Option loan Funded Share Plan, 
the 2011 Executive loan Funded Share Plan and the 
2011 Share Option Scheme or any other employee or 
executive incentive scheme.

orientation and Continuing education

The Company’s formal orientation or education 
programme for new Directors begins with new Board 
members being offered an orientation package which 
includes reports on operations and results, and public 
disclosure filings by the Company. Board meetings 
are combined with presentations by the Company’s 
management and employees to give the Directors 
additional insight into the Group’s business. In addition, 
management of the Group makes itself available for 
discussion with all members of the Board of Directors. 
new Board members are also encouraged to broaden their 
skills and knowledge by undertaking continuing education. 

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Corporate Governance Statement

Managing risks

The Board meets regularly to evaluate, control, review 
and implement the Group’s operations and objectives.

Regular controls established by the Board include:

•	 timely and detailed monthly financial and operational 

reporting;

•	 implementation of operating plans, cash flows and 
budgets by management and Board monitoring of 
progress against projections; and

•	 procedures to allow Directors, and management in 
the furtherance of their duties, to seek independent 
professional advice via the utilisation of various 
external technical consultants.

Attention is also drawn to the text appearing in the 
section above headed “Principal Risks Affecting the 
Centamin Group” relating to the monitoring of risks, 
which is incorporated into this section by reference.

The Board is responsible for reviewing and approving 
the Group’s risk management strategy, policy and key 
risk parameters, including determining the Group’s 
appetite for country risk and major investment decisions. 
Management reports to the Board on the Group’s key 
risks and the extent to which it believes these risks are 
being managed. This is performed periodically. The Board 
is also responsible for satisfying itself that management 
has developed and implemented a sound system of 
risk management and internal control. The Board has 
delegated oversight of the Risk Management Policy, 
including review of the effectiveness of the Group’s internal 
control framework and risk management process, to the 
Audit Committee, which is reviewed at least annually. 
Management is responsible for designing, implementing, 
reviewing and providing assurance as to the effectiveness 
of the Policy. This responsibility includes developing 
business and functional risk identification, specific risk 
treatment, controls, monitoring and reporting capability. 
The Board regularly discusses risks associated with the 
Group’s business and operations along with the Group’s 
risk tolerance. The Group has developed a series of 
operational risks which the Group believes to be inherent 
to the Group. These operational risks are summarized in 
the Management, Discussion and Analysis section of this 
annual report. Mitigation and optimization strategies are 
considered equally important in risk management. 

The Risk Management Policy is available on the 
Company’s website or upon request. 

Monitoring of the Board’s performance 

In order to ensure that the Board continues to discharge its 
responsibilities in an appropriate manner, the performance 
of all Directors is constantly reviewed by the Chairman. 
The Company deployed a formal process for evaluation of 
the Board, the Board members, and Board committees 
during the relevant period. A formal Board evaluation 
questionnaire was delivered to each member of the Board 
for completion. The questionnaire covered questions on 
the structure of the Board, the selection of management, 
strategy determination, etc, as well questions on each 
Director’s personal contribution to the board and the 
Company’s Committees. 

The Company has engaged a third party facilitator to 
undertake an external Board Evaluation during the 
second quarter of the 2013.

under the Company’s current Articles of Association:

•	 the minimum number of Directors is two and there is 

no maximum; 

•	 a Director may not retain office for more than one 

year without submitting for re-election; and

•	 any Director appointed by the Board must have their 
election confirmed by shareholders at the next AGM.

Where a non-Executive Director has served six years or 
longer on the Board, his or her re-election will be subject 
to particularly rigorous review and will take into account 
the need for progressive refreshing of the Board. 

The Company has established a Remuneration Policy 
which sets out the structure of the remuneration of key 
senior executives, Executive Directors, non-Executive 
Directors, termination, disclosure of remuneration etc. 
The Board has also established a Selection, Appointment 
and Re-Appointment of Directors Policy which details the 
procedures for the selection, appointment, re-appointment 
and evaluation of the Company’s Directors. The Committee 
considers both policies before making recommendations 
to the Board on nomination and remuneration matters. 
Both Policies, along with the Charters of the nomination 
and Remuneration Committees are available on the 
Company’s website or to shareholders upon request.

All compensation arrangements for Directors and senior 
executives are determined (or in the case of senior 
executives, reviewed) by the Remuneration Committee 
and approved by the Board, after taking into account the 
current competitive arrangements prevailing in the market. 

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The amount of remuneration for all Directors including 
the full remuneration packages, comprising all 
monetary and non-monetary components of the 
Executive Directors and executives, are detailed in the 
Remuneration Report. non-Executive Directors receive 
annual fees within an aggregate Directors’ fee pool 
limited to an amount which is approved by shareholders. 
The Board nomination and Remuneration Committee 
reviews and recommends, for Board approval, 
remuneration levels and policies for Directors within this 
overall Directors’ fee pool. The fees which are paid are 
also periodically reviewed. The current annual fee for 
non-Executive Directors is a base fee of uS$79,235 p.a. 
(£50,000 p.a.). Due to the additional time required, the 
Chairmen of the Board’s various Committees receive an 
additional fee (currently uS$15,847 p.a. (£10,000 p.a.)) 
for Chairing that Committee, and the members of each 
committee also receive an additional fee (currently 
uS$7,923 p.a. (£5,000 p.a.)) for being a Committee 
member. For the period to 28 February 2013, 
Senior Independent Director received an additional 
uS$15,847 p.a. (£10,000 p.a.). From 1 March 2013  
the fees payable to the Senior Independent Director were 
restructured such that he receives an amount equal 
to uS$198,088 p.a. (£125,000 p.a.) in aggregate for 
this position, being a member of the Board Committees 
and for chairing the Remuneration and nominations 
Committees.  For the avoidance of doubt, all amounts 
referred to in this paragraph include any statutory 
superannuation payments where applicable. It is 
proposed to review the fees payable to non-Executive 
Directors in Q2 2013. 

As a matter of practice, and in line with the Group’s 
approach to financial and risk management, the senior 
executives are responsible for:

•	 developing corporate strategy, performance 

objectives, business plans, budgets etc for review and 
approval by the Board;

•	 managing the day to day business of the Company;
•	 managing the risk and compliance frameworks 
including reporting to the Board and, where 
necessary, the market;

•	 appointing staff, evaluating their performance and 
training requirements as well as development of 
Company policies; and

•	 ensuring all available information in connection with 
items to be discussed at a meeting of the Board is 
provided to each Director prior to the meeting.

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for ensuring 
senior executives properly discharge the responsibilities 
delegated to them and for keeping the Board informed 
on these matters.

The performance of senior executives is evaluated by 
the Remuneration Committee, often taking into account 
recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer and/
or Chairman. The Board can exercise its discretion in 
relation to approving incentives, bonuses and options 
and can recommend changes to the Committee’s 
recommendations. All executives receive base salary 
and superannuation (if applicable) and in some cases, 
performance incentives and fringe benefits.  
These packages are reviewed on an annual basis.  
All remuneration paid to executives is valued at the cost 
to the Company and is measured in accordance with the 
applicable accounting standards. 

The performance of our senior executives was evaluated 
in the current year by the Remuneration Committee.  
The Committee reviewed recommendations received 
from the Chairman, considered the performance of the 
senior executive, his/her current contract, and whether 
a bonus and/or the grant of employee options were 
warranted. In the previous financial year, the Board 
believed it to be appropriate to base performance on 
how well the executive performs his/her role, and not 
necessarily base it on the Company meeting financial 
objectives. The Company has now established a 
structured short term incentive scheme, details of which 
can be found in the Remuneration Report contained 
within this Annual Report. 

Historically, the Directors, executives and employees have 
in the past been invited to participate in the shareholder 
approved Centamin Egypt’s 2006 Employee Option Plan, 
and separate shareholder approval was sought before any 
Director could be issued options under the plan. However, 
Centamin Egypt ceased issuing options under the 2006 
Employee Option Plan in August 2009 and received 
approval from shareholders in February 2011 to establish 
the Executive Director loan Funded Share Plan 2011 and 
the Employee loan Funded Share Plan 2011. These two 
plans were rolled over into equivalent plans in Centamin 
PlC as part of the re-domicile that took place in December 
2011, referred to elsewhere in this report. In addition, 
a new employee option plan was created (the “2011 
Employee Option Plan”).

Options have been issued under these new plans to 
senior employees as set out on page 134. 

non-Executive Directors are encouraged to hold shares 
in the Company to align their interests more closely to 

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Corporate Governance Statement

those of the Company’s shareholders. However, share 
ownership is not enforced by the Company. 

Code and the Canadian Securities Administrators’ 
national Instrument 51-102;

•	 Corporate opportunities or opportunities arising from 
these for personal gain or to compete with the Group;
•	 Protection of and proper use of the Group’s assets; and
•	 Active promotion of ethical behaviour.

The Company has a formal Code of Conduct, which all 
Directors, employees and contractors are required to 
observe, and a range of corporate policies which detail  
the framework for acceptable corporate behaviour.  
These set out the procedures that personnel are required 
to follow in a range of areas, including compliance with  
the law, dealing with conflicts of interest, use of knowledge 
and information, gifts and entertainment, responsibility  
to shareholders and the financial community etc.  
The Company’s policies are reviewed periodically. 

A copy of the Code of Conduct is available on the 
Company’s website or to shareholders upon request. 

Communication to shareholders

The Board of Directors aims to ensure that shareholders 
are provided with important information in a timely 
manner through written and electronic communications. 
It is for this reason that the Company established  
a Shareholder Communications Policy.

The Board of Directors aims to ensure that the 
shareholders, on behalf of whom they act, are informed 
of all information necessary to assess the performance 
of the Company. Information is communicated to the 
shareholders through:

•	 the Annual Report;
•	 the Annual Information Form;
•	 the availability of the Company’s Quarterly Report, 
Half-Yearly Report and other announcements 
distributed to shareholders so requesting;

•	 adherence to continuous disclosure requirements;
•	 webcasts of the Company’s quarterly results;
•	 the Annual General Meeting and other meetings 

called to obtain shareholder approval for Board action 
as appropriate; and

•	 the provision of the Company’s website containing 
all of the above mentioned reports and its constant 
update and maintenance.

The Board expects that the remuneration structure that 
is implemented will result in the Company being able 
to attract and retain the best executives to manage 
the Group. It will also provide the Executives with the 
necessary incentives to grow long-term shareholder 
value. Please refer to the Remuneration Report which 
forms part of the Directors’ Report for information  
on remuneration paid to Directors and executives  
during the financial year.

There are no schemes for retirement benefits other than 
statutory superannuation for non-Executive Directors.

Securities trading policy

The Company has adopted a formal Securities Trading 
Policy restricting Directors, senior executives and 
employees from acting on material information until it 
has been released to the market in accordance with the 
requirements of continuous disclosure. Directors and 
senior management of premium listed companies on 
the lSE are restricted in a number of ways, by statute, 
common law and by the Model Code to deal in the 
Company’s securities. This rule imposes restrictions 
beyond those imposed by law in that the Directors and 
certain employees and persons connected with them do 
not abuse and do not place themselves under suspicion 
of abusing price-sensitive information that they have or 
are thought to have, especially in periods leading up to 
announcement of results (close periods). The Company’s 
Securities Trading Policy is available on the Company’s 
website or to shareholders upon request. 

Commitment to stakeholders and ethical 
standards

The Board supports the highest standards of corporate 
governance and requires its members and the 
management and staff of the Company to act with 
integrity and objectivity in relation to:

•	 Compliance with laws and regulations affecting the 

Group’s operations;

•	 listing rules, the uK Corporate Governance Code, 

and nP 58-201;

•	 Employment practices;
•	 Responsibilities to the community;
•	 Responsibilities to the individual;
•	 The environment;
•	 Conflict of interests;
•	 Confidentiality;
•	 Ensuring that shareholders and the financial 
community are at all times fully informed in 
accordance with the spirit and letter of the Model 

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The Chairman and CEO and other Directors, 
communicate with major shareholders on a regular 
basis in the way of face to face contact, telephone 
conversations, and analyst and broker briefings,  
to help better understand the views of the shareholders. 
Any material feedback is then discussed at Board level.

The Board recognises the importance of keeping  
the market fully informed of the Group’s activities and  
of communicating openly and clearly with all 
stakeholders. The Company established a formal 
Continuous Disclosure Policy to ensure that this occurs. 
The Policy is designed to ensure compliance with the 
listing rules in all jurisdictions in which the Company is 
listed. A copy of this Policy is available on the Company’s 
website or by request. 

In accordance with the Policy, Company information 
considered to be material and which requires 
announcement is announced immediately to the lSE  
and TSX. All key communications are placed immediately 
on the Company website, and when necessary, provided 
directly to shareholders. As a premium listed company 
on the Main Market of the london Stock Exchange, 
the Company also complies with the various obligations 
imposed on it pursuant to the Disclosure Rules and the 
Transparency Rules (“DTRs”).

Statement by the Chief executive officer and 
Chief Financial officer

The Board receives written assurance from the Chief 
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to confirm 
that to the best of their knowledge and belief, the Group’s 
financial position presents a true and fair view and that 
the Financial Statements are founded on a sound system 
of risk management, internal compliance and control. 
Further, it is confirmed that the Group’s risk management 
and internal compliance is operating efficiently and 
effectively. The Board notes that due to its nature, internal 
control assurance from the Chief Executive Officer and 
Chief Financial Officer can only be reasonable rather than 
absolute, and therefore is not and cannot be designed to 
detect all weaknesses in control procedures.

Market purchase of shares

The Company was authorised by shareholders, at the 
2012 AGM, to purchase in the market up to 55,069,869; 
ordinary shares in the share capital, as permitted under 
the Company’s Articles. no shares have been bought 
back under this authority. This standard authority is 
renewable annually and the directors will seek to have it 
renewed at the forthcoming AGM. 

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Remuneration Report

the following section of this remuneration report  
has not been audited by Deloitte LLp. 

•	 Gold production: up 5.2% on expectations
•	 Cost of production: uS$30 lower per ounce  

than targeted

•	 Revenue: 25% increased to uS$426million  

from uS$340million in 2011
•	 An increase in profit since 2011
•	 Improved health and safety performance

The executive directors have been very supportive 
of these initiatives, including in particular the 
Chairman Josef El-Raghy, who with no corresponding 
compensation, voluntarily agreed to sacrifice his 2011 
share award over 1 million shares as well as to the 
acceptance of substantial changes to his employment 
conditions, including the removal of a 24 month notice 
period which had been applicable in the event of  
a change of control.

Finally, the Committee again discussed the combining 
of the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive under 
one person. Whilst recognizing that this does not 
conform to best practice, the Committee concluded, 
nevertheless, that the current arrangement remained 
in the shareholders’ best interests but agreed that as 
Senior Independent Director I would, as detailed in the 
Chairman’s Statement on page 14, take on additional 
responsibilities that will include the chairmanship of the 
Company’s meetings. 

G. Edward Haslam

Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

Introduction from Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee

During the Financial Year ended 31 December 2012 the 
Remuneration Committee comprised three independent 
non-executive Directors and myself as Chairman. The 
Committee met three times during the year and was 
supported by the Company Secretary who also acts as 
secretary to the Committee.

Mindful of the feedback from some institutional 
shareholders the Committee undertook a review of 
all aspects of the executives’ remuneration and in 
particular the introduction of safety targets which if not 
achieved would reduce any bonus otherwise payable 
by a proportionate amount. In conducting this review 
the Committee was conscious not only of the need to 
balance the return to shareholders with the need to 
motivate and retain the executive team but also of the 
need to create a remuneration structure that would:

•	 lock in the key individuals
•	 Reduce the overall remuneration potential for the 

Chairman and other directors 

•	 Enhance the link between individual and  

corporate performance
•	 Be simpler to operate 
•	 Address certain governance issues relating  

to notice periods

The work the Committee has undertaken to take account 
of the above has been to:

•	 Change the annual bonus arrangements
•	 Agree a new service agreement with the Chairman
•	 Establish new long-term incentive arrangements 

under which the executive directors are no longer 
able to participate

In addition, base salaries have been adjusted to be  
in line with those of similar sized mining companies 
and we have introduced both short and long term 
incentive plans for senior management with defined key 
performance indicators. These changes are described  
in more detail below.

In considering levels of remuneration, the Committee 
took into account the performance of the Company, 
which saw an improvement in all the major  
operational indicators.

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Remuneration Governance

the Committee

As mentioned above, the Committee currently comprises 
four non-executive directors all of whom are regarded as 
wholly independent. 

no member of the Committee has any financial interest, 
other than as shareholder, in the matters decided by 
the Committee. none of the members of the Committee 
participate in any bonus scheme, long term incentive, 
pension or other form of remuneration other than the fees 
disclosed below (other than statutory superannuation 
for the Australian resident directors). There is no actual 
or potential conflict of interest arising from the other 
directorships held by members of the Committee.

The members of the Committee, joining dates and 
number of meetings attended during the year are shown 
in the table below. The Company Secretary acts as 
secretary to the Committee.

position

Name

Member 
Since

No of 
Meetings 
attended 

Chair

G. Edward Haslam 

Member Mark Arnesen 

Member

Professor 
Robert Bowker

Member Kevin Tomlinson

March 
2011
March 
2011
March 
2011
April  
2012

3

3

3

3

terms of Reference

The responsibilities of the Committee include:

•	 Framework of remuneration for the company and in 

particular the executive team

•	 Remuneration of executive directors 
•	 long term incentives

Advisers

During the year the Committee was supported by the 
Company Secretary. Centamin commissioned research 
papers from Meis on executive remuneration levels and 
share scheme practice, which were made available to 
the Committee. Meis was subsequently appointed as 
adviser to the Committee. Advice was also received from 
the Company’s legal counsel, norton Rose in london 
and Canada in respect of the deferred bonus plan and 
service agreements. Other than advice on executive 
remuneration Meis provides no other services to the 
Company. norton Rose provides on going legal advice to 
the Company.

The Chairman attends meetings of the Committee to 
make recommendations relating to the performance and 
remuneration of his direct reports. The Chairman and the 
Company Secretary are not in attendance at meetings 
when their own remuneration is under consideration.

Matters Considered by the Committee

The Committee considered the following items during  
the year:

•	 Review of executive director remuneration 
•	 The proposed structure of the share scheme 

arrangements for employees and the executive team 
•	 The introduction of the new deferred bonus plan and 

the grant of awards under the plan 

•	 new service agreement for the Chairman
•	 The provision of advice to the Committee
•	 The annual bonus plan for 2012
•	 The annual bonus plan for 2013

Remuneration policy for 2012 and 2013

Introduction

In developing its remuneration policy the Committee has 
had regard to the fact that the business of the Company  
is operated outside the uK and in a market which requires 
very particular operational and managerial skills.  
The remuneration policy therefore seeks to:

•	 Position remuneration packages to ensure that they 
remain competitive, taking account of all elements  
of remuneration and reflective of the performance  
of the Company

•	 use external benchmark data on a transparent and 
open basis using comparator groups that reflect the 
industry and size of the Company

•	 Provide incentive arrangements for relevant 
employees that are based upon pre agreed 
performance criteria that individuals will then be 
tested against.  Such incentives should be relevant 
and stretching. A “balanced score card” approach  
to annual bonuses will generally be adopted
•	 Provide long term incentives that encourage the 

involvement, in the long term, of the performance of 
the Company. Performance criteria should be relevant 
and capable of being influenced. Executive directors 
will, from 2012, no longer be offered participation in 
any long term incentive arrangements 

•	 Encourage executives, and in particular executive 
directors, to build and then maintain a meaningful 
shareholding in the Company

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Remuneration Report

Remuneration Summary for executive Directors

eLeMeNt

Base pay

oBJeCtIVe

DetAILS

Base pay to be set competitively 
so as to allow the motivation and 
retention of executives

normally reviewed in the first quarter  
of year with changes effective as  
of 1st January.

pension

Positioned to ensure competitive 
packages. 

Benefits

Annual Bonus

There are no benefits

To provide a reward for short term 
performance

Share ownership Requirement

To encourage ownership of shares 
and thereby create a link of interest 
between shareholder and executive

Long term Incentive

To link an executives interest to the 
longer term share performance

Salaries are benchmarked against 
a number of comparator groups as 
described below to provide a balanced 
approach.

The Chairman receives a cash payment in 
lieu of a pension equivalent to 20% of his 
base salary. A 20% contribution rate is 
the market median for the FTSE 250.

Performance criteria set at the beginning 
of the year based upon a balanced 
score card approach. For the Chairman 
a maximum annual bonus opportunity is 
175% and for other executive director, 
whose performance criteria are strongly 
linked to the completion of Stage 4, a 
multi-year project , no annual bonus 
opportunity has been fixed.

Although the Company has no formal 
policy, executive directors are encouraged 
over time, to acquire shares of a value of 
not less than 100% of their base salary. 
This is consistent with the market practice 
for the FTSE 250. Executive directors 
already exceed this requirement.

The current intention is to make no 
further awards under the loan funded 
schemes. For management, but not 
directors, the Company has introduced 
a deferred bonus scheme as part of the 
annual bonus. The Company can require 
up to 100% of a bonus to be deferred into 
shares. Such shares will then be released 
as to a third at the end of each of 12, 24 
and 36 month period. For the executive 
directors the Committee is of the view, 
following the review, that the existing 
shareholdings of the directors already 
create sufficient union of interest between 
executives and shareholders.

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Balance of Remuneration

The balance of remuneration for 2013 is shown in the graph below and is based upon maximum pay-out for Josef 
El-Raghy. The graph does not however show the bonus opportunity for Trevor Schultz, which has not yet been fixed. 
Please refer to the text under the heading “2012 Bonus” below for more detail.

Josef El-Raghy max

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Base

Pension

Annual Variable

Relationship between pay and performance

It is important that executive pay is grounded in the good performance of the Company. While the operational 
performance of the Company over 2012 (a summary of which is set out in the “Performance Highlights” section above) 
has been impressive, the pre-tax profit growth and share price performance over the longer term were also taken into 
account by the Committee. Total shareholder return performance against the FTSE 250 and the FTSE 350 Mining 
indices, which are regarded as being appropriate comparator groups for the Company are shown in the graph below. 
(Source Bloomberg)

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

5 Year Performance

1/2/08

1/2/09

1/2/10

1/2/11

Centamin Plc

FTSE 350 Mining

1/2/12

FTSE 250

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Remuneration Report

10000

10 Year Performance

1000

100

e
t
a
D

3
0
0
2
/
4
0
/
9
2

3
0
0
2
/
8
0
/
6
2

3
0
0
2
/
2
1
/
8
1

4
0
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/
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0
/
9
1

4
0
0
2
/
4
0
/
3
1

4
0
0
2
/
2
1
/
8
0

5
0
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2
/
4
0
/
8
0

5
0
0
2
/
8
0
/
4
0

5
0
0
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/
1
1
/
9
2

6
0
0
2
/
3
0
/
8
2

6
0
0
2
/
7
0
/
6
2

6
0
0
2
/
1
1
/
0
2

7
0
0
2
/
3
0
/
9
1

7
0
0
2
/
7
0
/
7
1

7
0
0
2
/
1
1
/
9
0

8
0
0
2
/
3
0
/
7
0

8
0
0
2
/
7
0
/
7
0

8
0
0
2
/
0
1
/
0
3

9
0
0
2
/
2
0
/
6
2

9
0
0
2
/
6
0
/
6
2

9
0
0
2
/
0
1
/
1
2

0
1
0
2
/
2
0
/
7
1

0
1
0
2
/
6
0
/
7
1

0
1
0
2
/
0
1
/
2
1

1
1
0
2
/
2
0
/
8
0

1
1
0
2
/
6
0
/
9
0

1
1
0
2
/
0
1
/
4
0

2
1
0
2
/
1
0
/
1
3

2
1
0
2
/
5
0
/
9
2

2
1
0
2
/
9
0
/
5
2

Centamin Plc

FTSE 350 Mining

FTSE 250

We also reviewed the share price performance over 10 years.  As can be seen from the above, at the year end, 
Centamin had out-performed the FTSE 250 by 49%.

Remuneration paid 

Remuneration History for Josef el-Raghy

The remuneration packages of the executive directors, and in particular Josef El-Raghy, have been restructured  
so as to reduce the overall remuneration opportunity. The following table shows the remuneration history and future 
potential for Josef El-Raghy. The table shows both the maximum opportunity under the remuneration package and the 
actual achieved/paid. As can be seen the total remuneration opportunity has been substantial reduced in 2012 and  
is further reduced in 2013.

FIGUReS IN US$/£000

2011

2012

2013

Salary

Remuneration 
opportunity

Maximum Bonus Opportunity

Maximum long Term Incentive Opportunity

Total Remuneration Opportunity

uS$620
(£391)

uS$1,035
(£653)

uS$2,479
(£1,564)

uS$4,134
(£2,608)

uS$735
(£464)

uS$1,286 
(£811)

uS$0
(£0)

uS$792
(£500)

uS$1,387
(£875)

uS$0
(£0)

uS$2,020
(£1,275)

uS$2,179
(£1,375)

notes
1.  The salary for 2011 was A$ 600,000 
2.  The base salary for 2012 of uS$734,676 is as reported in the audited section of this Remuneration Report.
3.  For 2011 the maximum bonus opportunity was A$ 1million. For 2012 and 2013 the maximum bonus opportunity was/is 175% of base.
4.  The long term incentive opportunity for 2011 was a potential award under the Directors loan Funded Share Plan 2011 of up to 400% of base pay. 
This opportunity has been valued as being equal to the total value of shares that could have been awarded under the Plan as at the award date. 

5.  The value of pension benefits and leave have not been included.
6.  The loan Funded Share Plan award made in 2011 was voluntarily forfeited in 2012 for no compensation.
7.  The total remuneration figure excludes any contribution in respect of pensions or pay in lieu thereof.
8.  uS$ amounts have been converted to GBP at a rate of 1.5847.

When considering the total cash and total remuneration opportunity of Josef El-Raghy against the FTSE remuneration 
remains conservative being at or below the median.

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Base salaries 

Approach to Annual Bonuses

Base salaries are usually reviewed in the first quarter 
of each year. However, as part of the remuneration 
review that was undertaken in the middle of 2012, 
Josef El-Raghy’s remuneration was considered against 
companies of similar complexity and size (bespoke 
group) and, as was noted in last year’s remuneration 
report, his remuneration was shown to be materially 
below the median. Consideration was also given to  
the remuneration information obtained from four 
additional groups of comparable companies in order  
to gain a balanced view of the market data. The groups 
are the FTSE 250, the Mining Sector, companies with  
a similar market capitalisation, and finally companies 
with a similar turnover. As a result of this exercise,  
Josef El-Raghy base salary was increased with effect 
from July 2012 to bring him into line with the median  
of the data and allow the restructuring of his 
remuneration package.

In deciding to increase the base pay of Josef El-Raghy 
his position against the market data was only one of the 
factors taken into account.  The following factors were 
also taken into account:

•	 When appointed in 2010 he was given an increase 

which did not take his base pay to the median position 
for his new position. In the subsequent year his base 
pay was frozen and without an increase in 2012 his 
base pay would fall further behind the market.
•	 The removal of long term incentives substantially 

reduce the overall value of his package and therefore 
it was appropriate to position the base pay at no lower 
than the median.

•	 A desire to maintain a consistency across the 

business of the Company by paying a market rate  
at about the median.

The base of Trevor Schultz was A$ 550,000 (£351,000) 
in 2012.

The bonus plan for the executive directors is based upon 
a balanced score card approach designed to encourage 
and reward the delivery of operational performance.  
The bonus is split 70% business and 30% individual 
targets. In particular:

•	 The business targets are based on financial, 

operational, strategic measures and specific business 
tasks. These targets therefore capture both the 
normal financial targets as well as operational targets 
such as health and safety, production targets and 
efficiency, new exploration and M&A opportunities 
and business diversity. 

•	 The individual targets reflect the delivery of individual 

task as well as leadership and management.

Furthermore in assessing the bonus to be paid to Josef 
El-Raghy, the Committee took into consideration the fact 
that his overall remuneration opportunity was reduced 
in the course of 2012 by the voluntary forfeiture, without 
payment, of shares awarded to him under the Director 
loan Funded Share Plan 2011.

2012 Bonus 

The Committee during the year reviewed the annual 
bonus scheme and the bonus scheme that operated for 
substantially all of 2012 which was based upon the same 
balanced score card approach as above. On this basis the 
Committee determined that 80% of the maximum bonus 
of 175% of Josef El-Raghy’s 2012 base salary had been 
achieved by Josef El-Raghy. This reflects the operational 
performance of the Company with many of the targets 
being met or exceeded. no bonus was awarded to Trevor 
Schultz as his remuneration structure is strongly linked to 
the stage 4 expansion project and whilst good progress 
was made it was decided that only upon satisfactory 
completion of stage 4 will any bonus become payable. 
The sum of A$750,000 (uS$777,847) has been provided 
for as at 31 December 2012 representing that amount of 
the bonus which may become payable to Trevor Schultz 
upon satisfactory completion of the Stage 4 project.

2013

The bonus for 2013 will be based upon the balanced 
score card approach above.

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Remuneration Report

pension Arrangements and Benefits in Kind

Shareholding Requirement

Josef El-Raghy is entitled to a payment in respect  
of pension entitlement equal to 20% base pay.  
Trevor Schultz has no such entitlement. Other than 
statutory superannuation for Australian resident 
directors, Professor Robert Bowker and Mr. Mark 
Arnesen and the payments in lieu of pension above,  
no pensions or payments in lieu of pensions are made. 
no benefits in kind are provided to any director.

Service Agreements for executive Directors

During the year, and as part of the review, Josef El-Raghy 
voluntarily agreed to the early cancellation of his service 
agreement, without compensation, and agreed to enter 
into a new service agreement. The new contract, dated 
24 September 2012, provides for 12 months’ notice by 
either party to terminate the contract and does not provide 
for an enhanced notice period in the case of a change  
of control. However, in the case of notice given in 
connection with and shortly following a change of control, 
Josef El-Raghy will be entitled to payment in lieu of an 
amount equal to 12 month’s basic salary together with  
any bonus that, in the opinion of the Remuneration 
Committee, would have been due to him in the 12 month 
period following the giving of the notice.

The service agreement for Trevor Schultz dated  
15 August 2008 provides for six months’ notice from  
the company and three months from Trevor Schultz  
to terminate the agreement.

While the Board has not adopted a formal shareholding 
requirement for executive directors it is keeping this matter 
under review and further monitors the actual shareholding 
to ensure that the actual holding is equal to or exceeds 
the current market practice for the FTSE 250, which is 
typically that such number of shares should be held the 
aggregate market value of which on the date of purchase 
is greater than 100% of the annual base salary.  
Both Josef El-Raghy’s and Trevor Schultz’s shareholdings 
significantly exceed this amount.

Non-executive Directors

under the Articles of Association adopted by the 
Company all directors are now subject to annual 
re-election. All members of the Board offered 
themselves for either election or re-election at the  
last Annual General Meeting of the Company.

Long term Incentive Arrangements 

Introduction

Centamin has a number of share schemes intended to 
facilitate employee and executive participation in the 
capital value of the Company. A number of these share 
schemes were developed to take account of Australian 
tax law. With the review this year the Committee felt that 
the existing schemes were too complex and failed to 
provide any meaningful motivation or link to shareholder 
interests. The following table shows a summary of the 
plans and details on their operation.

This year a new, simple deferred bonus share plan has 
been adopted to replace participation in the other plans.

Historic long term incentive plan summary

Scheme name

Scheme type

participants

Status

Employee loan  
Funded Share Plan 2011

Directors loan Funded 
Share Plan 2011

Employee Share Option 
Scheme

Roll over plan for the 
Centamin Egypt 2011 plan.

Share option type 
arrangement
Roll over plan for the 
Centamin Egypt 2011 plan.

Share option type 
arrangement
Share option scheme 
primarily for uK employees

Employees (not Directors)

Directors

There is no current 
intention to make further 
awards under this scheme

There is no current 
intention to make further 
awards under this scheme

Management  
(not Directors)

Available for use by uK 
employees

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employee Loan Funded Share plan 2011

Shareholding 

There is no formal shareholding requirement but the 
directors are encouraged to hold a meaningful quantity 
of shares. The following table shows the current 
shareholding of each of the directors. Josef El-Raghy’s 
holding is 6.44%. 

Name

executive  
Directors 

Josef El-Raghy

Trevor Schultz

Non-executive 
Directors

Professor Robert 
Bowker

G. Edward Haslam

Mark Bankes

Mark Arnesen

Kevin Tomlinson

As at 31 Dec 
2012

As at 31 Dec 
2011

70,945,086

71,445,086

1,030,000

1,000,000

-

-

102,056

90,000

15,000

-

50,000

60,000

15,000

-

This is the roll-over plan for the Centamin Egypt ltd 
2011 Employee loan Funded Share Plan.  under the 
plan, employees receive a loan to buy shares in the 
Company.  The shares are then held in trust for the 
employee and at the end of three years the employees 
can repay the loan and receive the shares. The loan 
is subject to a maximum repayment period of 3 years.  
Shares under this plan vest in tranches on the first, 
second and third year following grant and vesting is 
subject to the satisfaction of applicable performance 
criteria and the performance criteria in respect of senior 
management are based upon share price, financial, 
production or key tasks.  Comparator companies, where 
used, are selected by the Remuneration Committee from 
peers in the mining sector.

As indicated above, there is no current intention to make 
further awards under this scheme.

Director Loan Funded Share plan 2011

This is again a roll-over plan of the Centamin Egypt 2011 
Executive Director loan Funded Share Plan.  The plan 
operates in exactly the same way as the Employee Plan, 
except that there are mandatory performance conditions 
attached to the Director Plan, and that the shares vest 
in one tranche, three years from the date of grant.  The 
release of award is dependent upon the achievement of 
comparative Total Shareholder Return with 50% based 
upon the FTSE 250 and 50% based upon comparator 
companies.  25% of the award will vest for median 
performance and 100% for upper quartile performance 
under each element.   Comparator companies are selected 
by the Remuneration Committee from peers in the mining 
sector and are as follows: new Gold Inc, Centerra Gold 
Inc; Randgold Resources; Hochschild Mining; Alamos 
Gold Inc; European Goldfields ltd; Eldorado Gold Corp; 
African Barrick Gold; Petropavlovsk Plc.

As indicated above, there is no current intention to make 
further awards under this scheme.

employee Share option plan

This plan was introduced for uK participants in order to 
provide similar benefits to those which were available to 
participants in the other plans. This plan was established 
as part of the re-domicile given that the provision of loans 
and the holding of shares was not appropriate for uK 
participants. Performance criteria are included in respect 
of senior management based upon share price, financial, 
production or key tasks. Comparator companies are 
selected by the Remuneration Committee from peers in 
the mining sector.

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Remuneration Report

AUDIteD SeCtIoN

the following section of this remuneration report has been audited by Deloitte LLp.

Non-executive Director Fees

non-Executive directors receive annual fees within an aggregate Directors’ fee pool limited to an amount which is 
approved by shareholders. The Committee reviews and recommends, for Board approval, remuneration levels and 
policies for Directors within this overall Directors’ fee pool. The fees which are paid are also periodically reviewed.  
The current annual fee rate for non-executive directors is as follows:

Annual Base Fee

Chairman of a Board Committee

Member of a Board Committee

Senior Independent  
non-Executive Director

previous (until early 2011)

As at 31 December 2012

A$40,000 (uS$41,316)

£50,000 (uS$79,235)

A$10,000 (uS$10,329)

£10,000 (uS$15,847)

A$5,000 (uS$5,165)

£5,000 (uS$7,923)

A$nil (uS$nil)

£10,000 (uS$15,847)

These amounts include any statutory superannuation payments where applicable.

The Company has not reviewed the fees of the non-executive directors during the year but has determined to 
commission a review in 2013. no increase in non-executive director fees was awarded during the year save that, with 
effect from 1 March 2013, the fees payable to Gordon Edward Haslam in his capacity as Senior Independent Director 
were increased such that, for so long as the roles of CEO and Chairman are combined, the total fees paid to him, on an 
annual basis, would be £125,000 (uS$198,088) per year. In keeping with the Company’s policy, G. Edward Haslam 
did not participate in any meeting during which his fees were discussed.

The non-executive directors do not participate in any of the Company’s share plans or incentive plans. 

Remuneration table

Name

executive Directors

Josef El-Raghy

Trevor Schultz

Sub-total

Non-executive Directors

Robert Bowker

G. Edward Haslam

Mark Bankes

Mark Arnesen

Kevin Tomlinson 

Sub-total

Total

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

uSD

Base pay

Annual 
Bonus

734,676

983,747

712,983

777,847

1,447,659

1,761,594

59,654

127,895

111,908

111,908

88,411

499,776

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,947,435

1,761,594

Benefits

pension

total 2012

total 2011

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

202,221

1,920,644

1,290,742

-

1,490,830

987,250

202,221

3,411,474

2,277,992

52,254

-

-

-

-

111,908

127,895

111,908

111,908

88,411

129,015

99,505

94,483

94,483

-

52,254

552,030

417,486

254,475

3,963,504

2,695,478

notes on remuneration table:
•	 Kevin	Tomlinson	joined	on	17	January	2012.
•	 Where	state	superannuation	is	payable	in	respect	of	non-executive	directors,	this	is	included	in	the	fees	shown	above.
•	 Directors’	remuneration	paid	in	foreign	currency	was	converted	at	an	average	rate	during	the	year.	The	average	A$:US$	exchange	rate	for	2012	is	

1.0355 and the average £:uS$ exchange rate for 2012 is 1.5847.

•	 The	amounts	shown	in	the	“Pension”	column	above	with	respect	to	Josef	El-Raghy	include	US$94,546	paid	to	him	in	lieu	of	contributions	to	a	

pension scheme and uS$107,675 paid to him in lieu of his accrued but unused entitlement to long service leave due to him under his previous service 
agreement, which amounts became payable upon termination of that agreement. His current service agreement contains no such entitlement. 

.

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Shares Award table (eDLFSp and eSop)

Name

plan

Date of 
Grant

exercise 
price

Balance
31 Dec 
2011

Awards

Vesting

Forfeited/ 
waived

Balance 
31 Dec 
2012

Josef El-Raghy

Trevor Schultz

EDlFSP 

21 March 2011 uS$2.045

1,000,000

EDlFSP 

21 March 2011 uS$2.045

1,000,000

-

-

-

-

1,000,000

-

-

1,000,000

notes on the Shares Award Table:

•	 There were no other options outstanding during the year. 

This report was approved by the Board of Directors and signed on its behalf by:

G. Edward Haslam

Chair of the Remuneration Committee  
27 March 2013 

81

Corporate Social Responsibility Statement

We expect every one of our employees to uphold our 
core value of honesty and integrity  
as well as maintain a safe work place

Centamin is committed to working with the highest 
level of respect for our employees and the communities 
and environments in which we operate, while pursuing 
value for our shareholders. Sustainable development 
considerations form an integral part of our business 
plan and decision making processes. We expect every 
one of our employees to uphold our core value of 
honesty and integrity as well as maintain a safe work 
place, respect for the environment and respect for 
people. All employees are required to understand and 
act in accordance to the company requirements and 
to integrate fully within the work team. We always treat 
people with respect, dignity and common courtesy 
regardless of position, background or lifestyle. 

As 2010 was the Sukari Gold Mine’s first year of 
commercial production, many of our sustainability 
initiatives are in their infancy. However our reporting 
process continues to evolve, as we strive to attain best 
practice levels of transparency and accountability. 

our Approach

We are mindful of our accountability to our people in 
whom we invest, the community in which we work and 
the environment in which we operate. This approach  
is central to our business philosophy and is the basis  
to our future financial growth.

Centamin is committed to minimizing health and safety 
risks to the reasonable practical level, while striving for  
a zero harm and a healthy productive work place.  
To achieve such objectives, we work hard to set a culture 
where safety conscious behaviour is fully embedded 
across all operations. Our key objective is for every 
employee to go home healthy and safe after every 
shift. We strive to improve our safety performance as 
Sukari expands. Our efforts in this area are guided by 
Centamin’s corporate health and safety policy that aims 
to ensure high standards of safety and wellbeing of 
the workforce. The policy outlines our commitment to 
safeguarding our employees, educating our employees 
and contractors and applying safe work systems.

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Monitoring methodology included data collection, 
medical surveillance, auditing, visual inspection,  
as well as systematic observation of the work and 
behaviour of staff. Measurement and evaluation  
of performance were undertaken both in-house  
as well as through third party entities. 

Reactive monitoring was also undertaken to provide 
information on incidents and insights into the need 
for corrective or preventive actions. A comprehensive 
Incident Investigation and Reporting System analysed 
the root causes of incidents was used to address or 
rectify their causes. Employees were required to report 
any incident or near-miss for investigation and analysis. 
All corrective or preventive actions were followed up 
using a tracking system to ensure closure of issues and 
actions. lessons learnt from incidents were shared and 
discussed in pre-start and safety meetings. 

2012 
Frequency 
Rate*

2011 
Frequency 
Rate*

2010 
Frequency 
Rate*

0

0.69

0

1.25

0

0.47

1.37

1.07

2.87

Fatality (FA)

lost Time Injury  
(lTIF)

Medical 
Treatment Injury 
(MTIF)

*based on 200,000 working hours over 12 months.

proactive Approach to Safety

To minimize and control risks, we first identified assessed 
and incorporated risk assessment procedures into all our 
operations and activities. We analysed hazards for their 
probability to actually progress to a loss event, as well  
as the likely consequences of such an event.

new jobs and maintenance operations were preceded 
by a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) of the activity to 
eliminate or control risks and hazards. A Work Permit 
System was developed for risky operations and specific 
permits and procedures were applied within the 
system including confined space, hot work and lifting 
operations. Continuous communication was maintained 
with employees through safety meetings, daily pre-shift 
meetings, tool box talks as well as safety alerts.

Health and Safety

As a result of the systems and programs implemented  
to enhance safety performance in our workplace and  
a determined effort at all levels, 2012 saw an 
improvement in the lost time due to injury (lTI) 
frequency rate as compared to 2011. We are proud that 
Centamin has never experienced any safety-related 
employee fatalities. 

Creating a Safety Conscious Culture

We relentlessly pursue the development of the safety 
culture of our site through empowering the sense of 
responsibility of our employees and embedding the 
concepts of doing work the right safe way. To ensure that 
employees are fully aware of the safety requirements and 
procedures a comprehensive safety induction system is 
in place for new employees, contractors and visitors.  
The content and level of induction varies according to 
the time the person will spend on-site as well as the 
activities he will undertake.

A training plan is set and safety-specific training 
is rolled out to all employees. In 2012, training 
modules addressed Job Hazard Analysis, first aid, fire 
extinguishing, hazard identification, confined space 
entry, hot work, risk assessment, incident investigation, 
work permits, driving policy as well as lifting procedures. 
More comprehensive area-specific training subjects are 
also provided. Full time trainers were available in almost 
all operational departments to provide in-field training 
and coaching for the work force.

tracking Safety performance

A core element of our management system is to assess 
our performance and identify needs for improvement. 
Such assessment addresses the level and effectiveness 
of controls, performance enhancement initiatives 
and actions. In 2012 we pursued a multi-functional 
monitoring system to track performance on a periodic 
basis with different frequencies and approaches. 

The Sukari monitoring plan addressed such occupational 
health and safety issues as: 

•	 Workplace environment to detect zones that need 

further controls or required specific PPE 
•	 Stability of structures to detect any potential 
movement, cracks or other instabilities 

•	 Occupational health parameters for specific work areas
•	 Ensuring fitness to work by testing for alcohol  

and drugs

•	 Implementation of safety procedures and standards 
to ensure they are adhered to and well assimilated 
into the work culture

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Corporate Social Responsibility Statement

emergency Response planning

Health performance

Centamin implements a diligent and rigorous approach 
to its Emergency Preparedness and Response program, 
which represents an important element of our safety 
management system. Being alert and fully prepared 
for any emergency will minimize the magnitude and 
consequences for any unprecedented event. 

A detailed emergency plan was in place throughout 
2012 with full emergency response procedures for 
different scenarios. The plan delineates communication 
arrangements and external resources and facilities 
that might provide support to in-house capabilities. 
We maintained a well qualified emergency response 
and rescue team able to be immediately and efficiently 
mobilized. The team is equipped with response 
equipment, supplies and rescue facilities. 

The emergency arrangements include fire rings of 
different hydrants at different areas, fire control panels 
with manual call points and smoke detectors, foam and 
water fire suppression systems as well as a fire truck for 
heavy fires. A medical evacuation scheme (MEDIVAC) is 
in place, supported by first aid facilities, a fully equipped 
clinic with doctors and qualified nurses as well as an 
ambulance for transportation to the nearest medical 
centres and hospitals. In addition, we coordinate with 
external entities and authorities, including fire station,  
air transport companies, police and hospitals  
– for support during a fire.

A preventive maintenance and inspection program was 
maintained to ensure that all equipment is fit for use 
at all times. We undertook periodic drills to test our 
performance, equipment as well as training. The drills 
were analysed to provide feedback to the emergency 
planners. All employees were reminded of the emergency 
procedures, especially in relation to securing the work 
area, reporting emergency cases as well as evacuation. 

The Sukari site maintained a well-equipped clinic 
providing health and emergency related services on a 
24/7 basis. A doctor and qualified nurse managed the 
clinic and provided professional services. The clinic 
was also equipped to respond to emergency situations 
and medical cases. An ambulance was continuously on 
call to transfer any cases that needed higher medical 
treatment to the Marsa Alam hospital. 

We paid utmost attention to the protection of employees 
from exposure to chemicals, dust, noise and other 
elements that might cause health problems. Area-
specific instructions were in place regarding control 
measures and specific personal protective equipment 
requirements. Awareness and training programs were 
implemented to discuss potential occupational health 
hazards and measures to address them. 

Medical surveillance programs were in place, including 
blood lead analysis for laboratory personnel involved 
in fire assays. Periodic measurements for work 
environment parameters throughout 2012 confirmed that 
employee safety is maintained within the limits specified 
by Egyptian law and supported by best international 
mining practice.

our employees

Our people are our most valuable resource. Centamin’s 
activities provide direct and indirect employment, 
training and work experience to many Egyptians, as well 
as creating an immediate revenue stream for the local 
economy and the Government. At the end of 2012, 
Centamin had just over 1,000 employees on site and 
94% were Egyptian. Approximately 50% of our employees 
are from upper Egypt, the area where Sukari is situated, 
which typically has less economic activity than the richer 
areas around the nile delta. Centamin is committed to 
providing new employment opportunities and assisting the 
economic advancement of upper Egypt.

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The table below sets out the number of people employed by the Group by country, during the years stated.

Year ended
31 December 
2012

Year ended
31 December 
2011

6 months 
ended
31 December 
2010

Year ended
30 June 
2010

Year ended
30 June 
2009

Year ended
30 June 
2008

Egypt

Australia

uK 

Ethiopia

total

1,120

1,106

985

816

362

210

2

7

45

3

2

47

3

-

-

3

-

-

2

-

-

2

-

-

1,174

1,157

988

819

364

212

Given that we are the first modern gold mine in Egypt,  
our aim is to support the development of a workforce 
which will have the competency and experience to form 
the basis for a robust mining industry in Egypt. We pride 
ourselves that about 60% of our employees are less than 
30 years old.

The Group also uses contractors, primarily involving 
construction activities with some involved in drilling 
and blasting activities. The number of employees and 
contractors involved in construction is expected to rise 
and fall in future in line with the further development of 
expansion projects at Sukari.

We are committed to attracting, energizing, developing  
and retaining a highly skilled and experienced workforce. 
We value individuals with outstanding technical, 
professional and managerial skills, working in a positive 
environment and demonstrating willingness to lead,  
take responsibility and display initiative. We aim to foster 
a relation of trust and open dialogue between employees 
and management.

Communicating with our people

2012 saw a formal system developed through which 
employees are encouraged to express their concerns in 
relation to ethical issues, reasonable workplace issues or 
work arrangements. Grievances will be comprehensively 
and transparently investigated and resolved to ensure 
prompt and fair tackling of any concerns that might 
arise. The system will provide feedback to those 
concerned, without any retribution.

training and Development

The training and development of our team at Sukari and 
in our offices around the world was ongoing. It involved 
a variety of theoretical, practical and on-the-job courses 
and took place both at Sukari and abroad. We strongly 
encouraged our employees to realise their ambitions 
and we supported employees who aspire to progress 
up the career ladder and learn new skills. Through an 
inter-departmental mobility programme, we offered our 
people the chance to rotate into other teams to gain 
new knowledge and experience. In 2012, several of our 
employees took part in this programme and they have 
shown great potential in a number of roles.

Social and Community Activities

In addition to creating a positive work environment, we 
believe in the importance of helping our employees to 
enjoy their time before and after work. The majority of 
our people live in the Sukari camp, and thus we have 
invested in a variety of leisure facilities such as playing 
fields, a gymnasium, a library, internet access, satellite 
television and a swimming pool. Special barbecue dinners 
are also held at the beach or around Sukari and sports 
tournaments are regularly organised. 

For our married employees, we have implemented  
a relocation programme that allows them to live in Marsa 
Alam, a coastal town 25km from the mine, with their 
spouses. We provide transportation to and from  
Sukari and we plan to expand this programme further 
in coming years. 

We paid much attention to ideas provided by employees 
regarding their work, including modifications to work 
organization that saved time and increased performance 
and safety levels. 

We are proud to have brought mining back to a country 
that was once an important gold-producing country and 
we are paving the way for new investment in Egypt’s 
mining industry.

We kept employees informed of new procedures, 
circumstances or interests through an internal 
information dissemination system, as well as meetings, 
notice boards, emails and informal gatherings.

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Corporate Social Responsibility Statement

the environment

Resource Management 

We believe that environment responsibility is an inherent 
core part of to our business. Centamin’s corporate 
environmental policy outlines our commitment to 
safeguarding the environment, educating our employees 
and communities, and applying sound environmental 
management practices to minimize the risks of the 
environmental impacts of its operations to the  
reasonably practical level. 

Throughout 2012 we pursued programs and systems to 
ensure that the environment is appropriately managed and 
protected in all phases of our exploration, development, 
mining and processing activities. We are committed to 
maintaining and where possible enhancing the high level 
of environmental performance that we have reached. 

Creating an environmentally Responsible Culture 

We maintained the training system through which all 
new employees and visitors undertook an induction to 
introduce them to the company’s systems, procedures and 
instructions as well as inform them of their responsibilities 
and expected performance. Area specific inductions 
highlighted environmental obligations and impacts related 
to specific work operations.

tracking environmental performance

A core element of our management system is to asses 
our performance against our objectives and obligations 
and to provide feedback and assurance regarding 
the level and effectiveness of controls, performance 
enhancement initiatives and actions.

In 2012, we focused on strengthening our in-house 
monitoring capabilities. We have built a self-sustained 
monitoring station with equipment such as ambient and 
point source gas analysers, dust meters, noise meters, 
water kits and equipment to monitor meteorological 
conditions. The station is managed by experienced 
personnel. We are currently finalizing the documentation 
of operational procedures that includes sampling 
instructions, calibration requirements as well as quality 
control/assurance procedures. 

In 2012, we did not have any significant environmental 
incidents. Minor incidents onsite did not impact areas 
outside our boundaries. 

We use ore and process materials such as consumables 
and reagents to extract gold and to produce gold doré. 
Key consumables used are diesel fuel, explosives, 
lubricants and oils, sodium cyanide, lime and grinding 
media. Our environmental management systems 
include processes to manage all consumables and as a 
minimum, we import, transport, store, use and dispose 
of residues of such material according to Egyptian 
regulations. All chemical solutions used in the process 
plant are recycled and reused after regeneration. 

Water

Sukari is situated in the eastern desert of Egypt,  
a hot, dry region with very low annual rainfall (<10mm/
annum). There are no fresh water sources in the area 
and no productive groundwater reservoirs. Water is very 
important to a mining operation and is mainly used for ore 
processing, dust suppression and rock blasting.  
We obtain our water through a pipeline to the Red Sea, 
which is approximately 25km from Sukari. Beach wells 
where seawater infiltrates into groundwater are also used 
as a secondary source of water. In 2012, Sukari used 
about 4.2 million cubic metres of water. We actively 
pursued water conservation opportunities and through  
an internal recycling technique, we optimised its use.

energy

We obtain our energy from diesel fuel oil with low sulphur 
content. Direct energy produced and consumed at Sukari 
includes fuel to run mobile equipment, to produce power 
and heat onsite and for explosives used to mine ore. 
In 2012, Sukari consumed 64.5 million litres of diesel, 
an increase of about 12% over 2011. Since the largest 
consumption element was power generation (c.70%)  
we continued to seek ways to utilize energy more 
efficiently, with stringent monitoring of diesel consumption 
for different users to indicate opportunities for 
conservation. We monitored our emissions due to fuel 
combustion and established that our emissions were well 
within allowable limits. In 2013, we will start calculating  
our greenhouse gases emissions. 

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emissions, effluents and wastes

We monitor emissions, effluents and waste generated 
by Sukari. Programmes are in place to manage dust, 
hazardous and non-hazardous non-process waste, 
waste rock and tailings. We recycled and reused our 
waste to the maximum practical level. Material that could 
not be recycled was disposed of in a manner that was 
environmentally sound. We maintained an inventory 
of all types of waste, their quantities and the method 
of management and disposal as part of our waste 
management programme. 

Biodiversity

The 160km2 Sukari tenement area has very low coverage 
of flora, with mostly barren soil. Due to the scarcity of 
water in the area, desert animals such as the Dorcas 
Gazelle and the red fox are not found, but they do inhabit 
the nearby Wadi El-Gemal protectorate. Centamin is 
committed to protecting the wildlife unique to the eastern 
desert through minimising the negative impact of our 
operations. Biodiversity conservation principles are 
applied to all of our activities and were integrated into the 
project design for Sukari from the outset. 

Rehabilitation

A draft restoration and rehabilitation plan has been 
prepared during construction and is updated and refined 
annually to account for changes in mine development 
and operation as well as environmental and social 
conditions and requirements. A final version of the plan 
will be reached as closure approaches and after due 
consultation with stakeholders. The main activities of 
the rehabilitation process will range from dismantling of 
infrastructure of equipment, winning, hauling, dumping, 
spreading of waste rock, ripping off compacted surfaces 
and grading area to blend with the surroundings. Given 
Sukari area is an arid desert with no topsoil, there will 
be a need to vegetate the surface so as not to alter the 
nature of the area. 

A provision for restoration and rehabilitation is included 
in the annual budget. The provision for future restoration 
costs is the best estimate of the present value of the 
expenditure required to settle the restoration obligation 
at the reporting date. Future restoration costs are 
reviewed annually and any changes in the estimate are 
reflected in the present value of the restoration provision 
at each reporting date. 

In addition to the long term rehabilitation plan, we 
undertake short-term rehabilitation and restoration 
activities especially for construction sites and for spills. 
We have a wide range of spill kits and personnel are 
trained for clean-up operations.

87

Corporate Social Responsibility Statement

Community and Society

Centamin’s concession agreement gives us 30 years 
of operation at the Sukari Gold Mine with a potential 
extension for another 30 years. With such a long tenure, 
which is supported by a long life-of-mine, we take a long 
term view in matters relating to the local community. 

Centamin recognises that it has a responsibility to 
support and enhance the community in which it 
operates. We consider good community relations as a 
key component of continued operational success as 
well as a corporate requirement. We are committed to 
making a long lasting positive impact on the community 
where we do business. We act at all times in a socially 
responsible manner and aim to give back to the 
community in which we operate.

The four key ways in which we do this are:

4. 

 Assisting the local community with its economic 
development

From the commencement of our activities in 1995, 
we have strived to contribute to the development 
of Marsa Alam. Based on the Environmental 
and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and in 
consultation with the Board we have established 
a number of projects and initiatives to support 
infrastructure provision for deprived areas and 
settlements. Such activities respond to needs 
assessments periodically updated and coordinated 
with governmental plans and projects. Projects are 
implemented through direct interaction with the 
community, though local nGOs and community 
support associations or through full cooperation 
with the governmental authorities. In 2012, our 
focus was on supporting infrastructural projects. 

1. 

 Identifying and mitigating any potential negative 
impacts of our activities

Case study

Sukari is situated in barren desert, so the closest 
town (Marsa Alam) is 25km from site. We do not 
have any resettlement, relocation or compensation 
requirements as a result of the development of 
Sukari, however we take into account the potential 
impact of our operations on local people at every 
stage of our activities.

2. 

 engaging in dialogue with our stakeholders and 
listening to their suggestions and concerns

We nurture dialogue and build relations with the 
local community in areas in which we operate.  
A public consultation system has been developed 
and implemented since the project design phase, 
during construction phase and through operation. 
We maintain open channels of communication 
 with all our stakeholders, including two Marsa 
Alam-based development associations, for the 
purpose of information disclosure, raising concerns 
and grievances as well as public consultation. In 
2012, no material concerns were raised concerning 
our operations. 

3. 

 optimising the opportunity for people from the area 
(Upper egypt) to gain employment at Sukari

Since about 50% of Sukari’s employees are from 
upper Egypt, we are strongly contributing to the 
development of this area. Where possible, we tender 
contracts to local companies to aid local economic 
activity and progress. Across Egypt, we use 
more than 6,000 local suppliers and contractors, 
providing jobs and income to a much larger group of 
people than our 1,000 direct employees.

‘Awlad Baraka’ or Children of Baraka from the El Gergab 
clan live in umm Tundubah 14km from Marsa Alam and 
22km away from the mine. There are around 40 houses 
including 200 people in the unofficial settlement. Some 
of Awlad Baraka men work as boat drivers in the near-by 
diving center as well as safari guides. Most households 
have cars which they rent to tourists or local inhabitants. 
Women who are not yet married work in herding.  
After they are married, they remain at home for taking 
care of children.

The city council has announced that they will provide 
land to people living in the unofficial settlement, which 
however has no infrastructure. 

The houses of the settlement are much more modern 
than those of the families in Wadi Sukari. The houses 
have sofas, kitchen, and bedrooms. However, because 
there is no electricity in the houses, families have to rely 
on candles at night.

Through public consultation activities, Centamin 
identified electricity as a priority need for the Awlad 
Baraka. Being near the water intake area for the mine, 
it was possible to have access installed to the power 
line and its transformers. Connections were therefore 
made to Awlad Baraka and power lines were extended to 
every house. Currently, each household has a television, 
satellite and most importantly, refrigerators. The families 
are very happy with the project, which has brought light 
to their lives.

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Directors’ Responsibility Statement

Directors’ Responsibility Statement

Responsibility statement 

We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

•	 the financial statements, prepared in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards, give a 
true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial 
position and profit or loss of the Group and the 
undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a 
whole; and

•	  the management report, which is incorporated into 
the directors’ report, includes a fair review of the 
development and performance of the business and 
the position of the Group and the undertakings 
included in the consolidation taken as a whole, 
together with a description of the principal risks and 
uncertainties that they face.

By order of the Board

Josef El-Raghy 

Chairman 

Pierre louw

Chief Financial Officer 

27 March 2013 

27 March 2013

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual 
Report and the financial statements in accordance with 
applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial 
statements for each financial year. under that law the 
directors are required to prepare the Group financial 
statements in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the 
European union and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. 
under company law the directors must not approve 
the accounts unless they are satisfied that they give 
a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group 
and of the profit or loss of the Group for that period. 
In preparing these financial statements, International 
Accounting Standard 1 requires that directors:

•	 properly select and apply accounting policies;
•	 present information, including accounting policies,  

in a manner that provides relevant, reliable, 
comparable and understandable information; 

•	 provide additional disclosures when compliance with 
the specific requirements in IFRSs are insufficient to 
enable users to understand the impact of particular 
transactions, other events and conditions on the entity’s 
financial position and financial performance; and
•	 make an assessment of the company’s ability to 

continue as a going concern.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate 
accounting records that are sufficient to show and 
explain the company’s transactions and disclose with 
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position 
of the company and enable them to ensure that the 
financial statements comply with the Companies (Jersey) 
law 1991. They are also responsible for safeguarding 
the assets of the Group and hence for taking reasonable 
steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and  
other irregularities.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and 
integrity of the corporate and financial information 
included on the company’s website. legislation in the 
united Kingdom and Jersey governing the preparation 
and dissemination of financial statements may differ 
from legislation in other jurisdictions.

8989

Independent Auditor’s Report  
to the Members of Centamin Plc

We have audited the Group financial statements  
(the “financial statements”) of Centamin plc for the 
year ended 31 December 2012 which comprise of the 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, 
the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, the 
Consolidated Cash Flow Statement, the Consolidated 
Statement of Changes in Equity, and the related notes 
1 to 30. The financial reporting framework that has 
been applied in their preparation is applicable law and 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)  
as adopted by the European union.

This report is made solely to the company’s members, 
as a body, in accordance with Article 113A of the 
Companies (Jersey) law 1991. Our audit work has been 
undertaken so that we might state to the company’s 
members those matters we are required to state to them 
in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the 
fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or 
assume responsibility to anyone other than the company 
and the company’s members as a body, for our audit 
work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

emphasis of matter – significant uncertainty 
relating to the outcome of the Sukari 
exploitation lease judgement

In forming our opinion on the financial statements,  
which is not modified, we have considered the adequacy 
of the disclosures made in notes 3, 4, 6 and 20 to 
the financial statements concerning the judgement of 
the Egyptian Administrative Court, which found the 
Company’s 160km2 exploitation lease for the Sukari mine 
to be invalid, but separately found that there was  
in existence a valid 3km2 exploitation lease. The company 
has filed an appeal before the Supreme Administrative 
Court in Egypt to challenge this judgement and on 
20 March 2013 the Court suspended the enforcement  
of the 30 October 2012 judgement pending a hearing on 
the merits of the appeal. Whilst the Directors are confident 
based on legal advice that the matter will be resolved in 
the Company’s favour, the ultimate outcome of the appeal 
cannot presently be determined with any certainty, and 
no impairment or other impact that may result has been 
recorded in the financial statements.

ReSpeCtIVe ReSpoNSIBILItIeS oF 
DIReCtoRS AND AUDItoR

opINIoN oN FINANCIAL S tAteMeNtS

In our opinion the financial statements: 

•	 give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s 
affairs as at 31 December 2012 and of the Group’s 
profit for the year then ended;

•	 have been properly prepared in accordance with 

IFRS as adopted by European union; 

•	 have been properly prepared in accordance with the 

Companies (Jersey) law 1991.

Separate opinion in relation to IFRS as issued 
by the International Accounting Standards Board 
(IASB)

As explained in the accounting policies to the financial 
statements, the Group, in addition to complying with its 
legal obligation to comply with IFRS’s as adopted by the 
European union, has also applied IFRSs as issued by 
the IASB. In our opinion the group financial statements 
comply with IFRSs as issued by IASB.

As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibility 
Statement, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements and for  
being satisfied that they give a true and fair view.  
Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion  
on the financial statements in accordance with 
applicable law and International Standards on Auditing 
(uK and Ireland). Those standards require us to 
comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical 
Standards for Auditors.

Scope of the audit of the financial statements

An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts 
and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to 
give reasonable assurance that the financial statements 
are free from material misstatement, whether caused by 
fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether 
the accounting policies are appropriate to the group’s 
circumstances and have been consistently applied and 
adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant 
accounting estimates made by the directors; and the 
overall presentation of the financial statements. In 
addition, we read all the financial and non-financial 
information in the annual report to identify material 
inconsistencies with the audited financial statements. 
If we become aware of any apparent material 
misstatements or inconsistencies we consider the 
implications for our report. 

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Matters on which we are required to report by 
exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following:

under the Companies (Jersey) law 1991 we are 
required to report to you if, in our opinion:

•	 proper accounting records have not been kept by 

the parent company, or proper returns adequate for 
our audit have not been received from branches not 
visited by us; or

•	 the financial statements are not in agreement with  

the accounting records and returns; or

•	 we have not received all the information and 

explanations we require for our audit.

other matters

In our opinion the part of the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report to be audited has been properly prepared in 
accordance with the provisions of the uK Companies Act 
2006 as if that Act had applied to the company.

We have reviewed the Directors’ Statement, contained 
within the Directors’ Report in relation to going concern 
as if the company had been incorporated in the uK and 
have nothing to report to you in that respect.

Douglas King

for and on behalf of Deloitte llP

Chartered Accountants and Recognised Auditor

under the listing Rules we are required to review the 
part of the Corporate Governance Statement relating to 
the company’s compliance with the nine provisions of the 
uK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review.

london, uK

27 March 2013

91

Consolidated Statement  
of Comprehensive Income

for the year ended 31 December 2012

31 December
2012

Note 

Before  
exceptional 
items US$’000

exceptional  
items (1)  
US$’000

5

6

6

6

7

426,133

(169,814)

256,319

(25,505)

898

231,712

444

total  
US$’000

426,133

(202,932)

223,201

(25,505)

898

-

(33,118)

(33,118)

-

-

(33,118)

198,594

-

444

31 December  
2011(2)

Restated 
US$’000

340,479

(128,202)

212,277

(19,572)

1,288

193,993

-

232,156

(33,118)

199,038

193,993

(2,804)

(2,804)

-

-

(2,804)

(3,957)

(2,804)

(3,957)

229,352

(33,118)

196,234

190,036

24

24

21.305

21.299

(3.039)

(3.038)

18.266

18.261

17.900

17.881

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Other operating costs

Finance income

profit before tax 

Tax
profit for the year attributable  
to the Company 

other comprehensive income
Items that may be reclassified 
subsequently to profit or loss:
losses on available for sale 
financial assets (net of tax)
Other comprehensive income  
for the year

total comprehensive income 
attributable to the Company

Earnings per share: 

Basic (cents per share)

Diluted (cents per share)

(1) Refer to Note 6 for further details.
(2) The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011 results have been 

restated. Refer to Note 3 for further details.

92

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Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

as at 31 December 2012

Note 

31 December  
2012 
US$’000

31 December 
2011 
US$’000

Change in 
accounting 
policy Note 3
US$’000

31 December  
2011
Restated
US$’000

NoN-CURReNt ASSetS

Property, plant and equipment

Exploration and evaluation asset

Available-for-sale financial assets

Interests in associates

total non-current assets

12

13

14.1

14.2

747,571

45,669

5,613

3,132

532,727

9,169

541,896

31,113

1,831

3,296

-

-

-

31,113

1,831

3,296

801,985

568,967

9,169

578,136

CURReNt ASSetS

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Prepayments

Cash and cash equivalents

total current assets

total assets

NoN-CURReNt LIABILItIeS

Provisions

total non-current liabilities

CURReNt LIABILItIeS

Trade and other payables

Tax liabilities

Provisions

total current liabilities

total liabilities

Net assets

eQUItY

Issued capital

Share option reserve

Other reserves

Accumulated profits

total equity

10

9

11

25

16

15

7

16

17

18

18

94,636

40,736

466

147,133

282,971

69,751

29,998

1,576

164,231

265,556

2,880

-

-

-

2,880

72,631

29,998

1,576

164,231

268,436

1,084,956

834,523

12,049

846,572

5,544

5,544

2,630

2,630

54,606

24,509

-

4,962

59,568

444

717

25,670

65,112

28,300

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,630

2,630

24,509

444

717

25,670

28,300

1,019,844

806,223

12,049

818,272

612,463

608,596

3,477

-

403,904

1,019,844

2,006

-

195,621

806,223

-

-

-

12,049

12,049

608,596

2,006

-

207,670

818,272

The consolidated financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 

27 March 2013 and signed on its behalf by:

Josef El-Raghy 

Pierre louw

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 

Chief Financial Officer

9393

Consolidated Statement of 
Changes in Equity

for the year ended 31 December 2012

Balance as at 1 January 2012

Change in accounting policy*

As restated 

Profit for the year 

Other comprehensive loss for the year

total comprehensive income  
for the year 

Issue of shares under lFSP

Recognition of share based payments

Transfer from share options reserve

Share issue costs

Issued  
Capital 
US$’000

608,596

-

608,596

-

-

-

3,367

-

510

(10)

Balance as at 31 December 2012

612,463

Balance as at 1 January 2011

Profit for the year*

Other comprehensive loss for the year

total comprehensive income  
for the year 

Transfer to accumulated profits

Share options exercised

Issue of shares under lFSP

Recognition of share based payments

Transfer from share options reserve

Other placements

Share issue costs

Issued  
Capital 
US$’000

600,500

-

-

-

-

1,568

2,038

-

452

4,152

(114)

Balance as at 31 December 2011

608,596

other  
reserves 
US$’000

Share options 
reserve 
US$’000

Accumulated 
profits 
US$’000

total  
US$’000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,006

195,621

806,223

-

12,049

12,049

2,006

207,670

818,272

-

-

-

-

1,981

(510)

-

199,038

199,038

(2,804)

(2,804)

196,234

196,234

-

-

-

-

3,367

1,981

-

(10)

3,477

403,904

1,019,844

other  
reserves 
US$’000

Share options 
reserve 
US$’000

Accumulated 
profits 
US$’000

total  
US$’000

2,295

1,050

-

-

-

-

-

-

15,251

193,993

619,096

193,993

(3,957)

(3,957)

190,036

190,036

(2,295)

(88)

2,383

-

-

1,496

(452)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,568

2,038

1,496

-

4,152

(114)

2,006

207,670

818,272

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

*  The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, 

the 2011 results have been restated. Refer to Note 3 for further details.

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Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

for the year ended December 2012

Note 

31 December 
2012 
$US’000

31 December 
2011 restated 
$US’000

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash generated in operating activities

Finance income

Net cash generated by operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

Exploration and evaluation expenditure

Acquisition of financial assets

Acquisition of interests in associates

Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale financial assets

Finance income

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities

Proceeds from the issue of equity and conversion of options

Share issue costs

Net cash provided by financing activities

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

 .

12

13

14

14

17

17

25

25

25(b)

221,405

(898)

220,507

(223,567)

(14,556)

(6,427)

(166)

-

898

154,830

(1,288)

153,542

(116,401)

(23,209)

(17,403)

(3,296)

11,191

1,288

(243,818)

(147,830)

3,367

(10)

3,357

3,606

(114)

3,492

(19,954)

9,204

164,231

2,856

147,133

154,338

689

164,231

9595

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

1.  General Information

Centamin plc (the Company) is a listed public company, 
incorporated in Jersey and through subsidiaries 
operating in Egypt, Ethiopia, united Kingdom and 
Australia. It is the parent company of the Group, 
comprising the Company and its subsidiaries. 

Registered office

principal place of Business

Standards not affecting the reported results nor 
the financial position

The following new and revised Standards and 
Interpretations have been adopted in the current year. 
Their adoption has not had any significant impact on the 
amounts reported in these financial statements but, with 
the exception of the amendment to IFRS 1, may impact 
the accounting for future transactions and arrangements.

Centamin plc 
Ogier House,  
The Esplanade 
St Helier,  
Jersey JE4 9WG

2 Mulcaster Street 
St Helier 
Jersey JE2 3nJ

The nature of the Group’s operations and its principal 
activities are set out in the directors’ report on pages  
58 to 60 and the operating review on pages 17 to 21.

2. 

 Adoption of new and revised 
accounting standards

In the current year, the following new and revised 
Standards and Interpretations have been adopted  
and have affected the amounts reported in these 
financial statements.

Standards affecting the financial statements

IFRIC 20 
Stripping Costs 
in the Production 
Phase of a 
Surface Mine

IFRIC 20 provides clarity on how 
to account for and measure the 
removal of mine waste materials 
which provide access to mineral  
ore deposits.

Refer to Changes in Accounting 
Policy in note 3 for further 
information.

The amendments introduce 
additional disclosures, designed  
to allow users of financial 
statements to improve their 
understanding of transfer 
transactions of financial assets, 
including understanding the 
possible effects of any risks that 
may remain with the entity that 
transferred the assets.  
The amendments also require 
additional disclosures if a 
disproportionate amount of transfer 
transactions are undertaken around 
the end of a reporting period.

The amendment provides an 
assumption that recovery of  
the carrying amount of an asset 
measured using the fair value model 
in IAS 40 Investment Property will, 
normally, be through sale.

The amendment replaces 
references to a fixed date with the 
date of transition to IFRSs’ and 
provides guidance on how an entity 
should resume presenting financial 
statements in accordance with 
IFRSs after a period when the entity 
was unable to comply with IFRSs 
because its functional currency was 
subject to sever hyperinflation.

The amendments provide revised 
requirements for pensions and 
other post-retirement benefits, 
termination benefits and  
other changes.

The amendment revises the way 
other comprehensive income is 
presented.

IFRS 7 
(amended) 
Disclosures – 
Transfers of 
Financial Assets

IAS 12 
(amended) 
Deferred Tax: 
Recovery of 
underlying 
Assets

IFRS 1 
(amended) 
Severe 
Hyperinflation 
and Removal 
of Fixed Dates 
for First-time 
Adopters

IAS 19 (revised) 
Employee 
Benefits

IAS 1 (amended) 
Presentation of 
Items of Other 
Comprehensive 
Income

96
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At the date of authorisation of these financial statements, 
the following Standards and Interpretations which have 
not been applied in these financial statements were in 
issue but not yet effective (and in some cases had not 
yet been adopted by the Eu):

IFRS 1 (amended)

Government loans

IFRS 7 (amended)

 Disclosures – Offsetting 
Financial Assets and Financial 
liabilities

IFRS 9

IFRS 10

IFRS 11

IFRS 12

Financial Instruments

Consolidated Financial 
Statements

Joint Arrangements

 Disclosure of Interests  
in Other Entities

IFRS 13

Fair Value Measurement

IAS 27 (revised)

Separate Financial Statements

IAS 28 (revised)

IAS 32 (revised)

 Investments in Associates  
and Joint Ventures (2011)

 Offsetting Financial Assets  
and Financial liabilities

Improvements to 
IFRSs 2009 - 2011 

Annual Improvements 
2009 - 2011 Cycle 

The directors do not expect that the adoption of the 
standards listed above will have a material impact on 
the financial statements of the Group in future periods, 
except as follows:

•	 IFRS 9 will impact both the measurement and 

disclosures of Financial Instruments;

•	 IFRS 11 will affect joint venture accounting, however 

will have no impact on the accounting of the 
Concession Agreement;

•	 IFRS 12 will impact the disclosure of interests the 

Group has in other entities;

•	 IFRS 13 will impact the measurement of fair value  

for certain assets and liabilities as well as the 
associated disclosures.

Beyond the information above, it is not practicable to 
provide a reasonable estimate of the effect of these 
standards until a detailed review has been completed.

3. 

 Summary of Significant  
Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRSs) adopted by the European union  
(‘Eu IFRS’) and therefore the Group financial statements 
comply with Article 4 of the Eu IAS Regulation.

There are no changes in these accounting policies for 
the year ended 31 December 2012 except as disclosed 
in note 3 below “Changes in accounting policy”.

Changes in accounting policy

IFRIC 20 “Stripping Costs in the Production Phase of a 
Surface Mine”.

The Group changed its accounting policy on stripping 
costs in the production phase of a surface mine effective 
1 January 2012. IFRIC 20 provides clarity on how to 
account for and measure the removal of mine waste 
materials which provide access to mineral ore deposits. 
This waste removal activity is known as ‘stripping’. There 
can be two benefits accruing to the entity from the 
stripping activity:

•	 usable ore that can be used to produce inventory; and 
•	 improved access to further quantities of material that 

will be mined in future periods.

IFRIC 20 considers when and how to account separately 
for these two benefits arising from the stripping activity, 
as well as how to measure these benefits both initially 
and subsequently.

The costs of stripping activity to be accounted for in 
accordance with the principles of IAS 2 Inventories to 
the extent that the benefit from the stripping activity is 
realised in the form of inventory produced.

The costs of stripping activity which provides a benefit 
in the form of improved access to ore is recognised as a 
non-current ‘stripping activity asset’ where the following 
criteria are met: 

i. 

ii. 

iii. 

 it is probable that the future economic benefit 
(improved access to the ore body) associated with 
the stripping activity will flow to the entity;

 the entity can identify the component of the ore 
body for which access has been improved; and

 the costs relating to the stripping activity associated 
with that component can be measured reliably.

97

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

3. 

 SUMMARY oF SIGNIFICANt 
ACCoUNtING poLICIeS 
(CoNtINUeD)

When the costs of the stripping activity asset and the 
inventory produced are not separately identifiable, 
production stripping costs are allocated between the 
inventory produced and the stripping activity asset by 
using an allocation basis that is based on a relevant 
production measure.

A stripping activity asset is accounted for as an addition 
to, or as an enhancement of, an existing asset and 
classified as tangible or intangible according to the 
nature of the existing asset of which it forms part.

A stripping activity asset is initially measured at cost and 
subsequently carried at cost or its revalued amount less 

depreciation or amortisation and impairment losses.  
A stripping activity asset is depreciated or amortised 
on a systematic basis, over the expected useful life of 
the identified component of the ore body that becomes 
more accessible as a result of the stripping activity. 
The stripping activity asset is depreciated using a units 
of production method based on the total ounces to be 
produced over the life of the component of the ore body.

IFRIC 20 includes transitional provisions which permit 
the Group to reclassify any ‘predecessor stripping asset’ 
at the start of the earliest period presented as part of the 
existing asset to which the stripping activity is related, 
which will be 1 January 2011. 

In line with IFRIC 20, our 2012 results now include a 
restatement of the 2011 year as follows:

Impact of IFRIC 20

Increase in profit for the period and total comprehensive income

Increase in Net Assets

Increase in basic earnings per share (cents per share)

Increase in fully diluted earnings per share (cents per share)

Year ended 31 December 2011 
US$’000 

12,049

12,049

1.11

1.11

The adoption of IFRIC 20 had no impact on the Group’s retained earnings as at 1 January 2011.

These financial statements are denominated in united States Dollars, which is the functional currency of Centamin plc. 
All companies in the Group use the united States Dollar as their functional currency except for Sheba Exploration (uK) 
plc and Sheba Exploration limited that use Great British Pound. All financial information presented in united States 
Dollars has been rounded to the nearest thousand dollars, unless otherwise stated.

These financial statements have been prepared on the basis of historical cost, except for the revaluation of certain 
non-current assets and financial instruments. Cost is based on the fair values of the consideration given in exchange 
for assets.

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principles of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements are prepared  
by combining the financial statements of all the 
entities that comprise the consolidated entity, being 
the company (the parent entity) and its subsidiaries 
as defined in IAS 27 “Consolidated and Separate 
Financial Statements”. Consistent accounting policies 
are employed in the preparation and presentation of the 
consolidated financial statements.

The consolidated financial statements include the 
information and results of each subsidiary from the date 
on which the company obtains control and until such 
time as the company ceases to control such entity. 
Control is achieved where the Company has the power to 
govern the financial and operating policies of an entity so 
as to obtain benefits from its activities.

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, all 
intercompany balances and transactions, and unrealised 
profits arising within the consolidated entity are 
eliminated in full.   

Sukari Gold Mines (“SGM”) is jointly controlled by 
PGM and EMRA on a 50% equal basis. For accounting 
purposes, SGM is wholly consolidated within the 
Centamin Group of companies reflecting the substance 
and economic reality of the Concession Agreement  
(see note 23). Pursuant to the Concession Agreement, 
PGM solely funds SGMs activities. PGM is also entitled 
to recover the following costs and expenses payable 
from sales revenue (excluding the royalty payable to 
ARE) (a) all current operating expenses incurred and 
paid after the initial commercial production;  
(b) exploration costs, including those accumulated  
to the commencement of commercial production (at the 
rate of 33.3% of total accumulated cost per annum); 
and (c) exploitation capital costs, including those 
accumulated prior to the commencement of commercial 
production (at the rate of 33.3% of total accumulated 
cost per annum). 

EMRA is entitled to a share of SGM’s net production 
surplus (defined as revenue less payment of the fixed 
royalty to ARE and recoverable costs). Accordingly,  
no EMRA entitlement has been recognised to date.  
Any payment made to EMRA pursuant to these 
provisions of the Concession Agreement will be 
recognised as a variable charge in the income statement. 

Going concern

These financial statements for the year ended 
31 December 2012 have been prepared on a going 
concern basis, which contemplate the realisation of 
assets and liquidation of liabilities during the normal 
course of operations. 

As discussed in note 20, during the year the operation 
of the mine was affected by two legal actions. The first of 
these followed from a decision taken by EGPC to charge 
international, not local (subsidised) prices for the supply 
of Diesel Fuel Oil, and the second arose as a result of 
judgment of an Administrative Court of first instance 
in relation to, amongst other matters, the Company’s 
160km2 exploitation lease. In relation to the first decision, 
the Company remains confident that in the event that it is 
required to continue to pay international prices, the mine 
at Sukari will remain commercially viable. Similarly, the 
Company remains confident that the appeal it has lodged 
in relation to the decision of the Administrative Court will 
ultimately be successful, although final resolution of it 
may take some time. On 20 March 2013 the Supreme 
Administrative Court upheld the Company’s application  
to suspend the decision until the merits of the 
Company’s appeal are considered and ruled on, thus 
providing assurance that normal operations would be 
able to continue during this process. 

In the unlikely event that the Group is unsuccessful  
in either or both of its legal actions, and that the 
operating activities are restricted to a reduced area,  
it is the Director’s belief that the Group will be able  
to continue as going concern. 

The directors have a reasonable expectation that  
the Group will have adequate resources to continue  
in operational existence for the foreseeable future. 
Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of 
accounting in preparing the Annual Financial Statements.

ACCoUNtING poLICIeS

Accounting policies are selected and applied in a manner 
which ensures that the resulting financial statements 
satisfy the concepts of relevance and reliability, thereby 
ensuring that the substance of the underlying transactions 
or other events is reported.

The following significant policies have been  
adopted in the preparation and presentation  
of these financial statements:

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash comprises cash on hand and demand deposits. 
Cash equivalents are short term, highly liquid investments 
that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash 
and which are subject to an insignificant risk of changes 
in value.

99

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

3. 

 SUMMARY oF SIGNIFICANt 
ACCoUNtING poLICIeS 
(CoNtINUeD)

Financial instruments 

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised in 
the Group’s balance sheet when the Group becomes a 
party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial liabilities and equity

Debt and equity instruments are classified as either 
financial liabilities or as equity in accordance with the 
substance of the contractual arrangement.

equity instruments

An equity instrument is any contract that evidences  
a residual interest in the assets of an entity after 
deducting all of its liabilities. Equity instruments issued 
by the Group are recognised at the proceeds received, 
net of direct issue costs.

Financial liabilities

Financial liabilities are classified as either financial 
liabilities ‘at FVTPl’ or ‘other financial liabilities’.

Financial liabilities at FVtpL

Financial liabilities are classified as at FVTPl when 
the financial liability is either held for trading or it is 
designated as at FVTPl. A financial liability is classified 
as held for trading if: 

•	 it has been incurred principally for the purpose  

of repurchasing it in the near term; or

•	 on initial recognition it is part of a portfolio of 
identified financial instruments that the Group 
manages together and has a recent actual pattern  
of short-term profit-taking; or

•	 it is a derivative that is not designated and effective  

as a hedging instrument.

•	 A financial liability other than a financial liability held 
for trading may be designated as at FVTPl upon 
initial recognition if:

•	 such designation eliminates or significantly reduces a 
measurement or recognition inconsistency that would 
otherwise arise; or

embedded derivatives, and IAS 39 Financial 
Instruments: Recognition and Measurement permits 
the entire combined contract (asset or liability) to be 
designated as at FVTPl.

Financial liabilities at FVTPl are stated at fair value, 
with any gains or losses arising on re-measurement 
recognised in profit or loss. The net gain or loss 
recognised in profit or loss incorporates any interest 
paid on the financial liability and is included in the ‘other 
gains and losses’ line item in the income statement.

other financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities, including borrowings, are 
initially measured at fair value, net of transaction costs. 
Other financial liabilities are subsequently measured at 
amortised cost using the effective interest method, with 
interest expense recognised on an effective yield basis. 
The effective interest method is a method of calculating 
the amortised cost of a financial liability and of allocating 
interest expense over the relevant period. The effective 
interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts estimated 
future cash payments through the expected life of the 
financial liability, or, where appropriate, a shorter period.

Derecognition of financial liabilities

The Group derecognises financial liabilities when, and 
only when, the Group’s obligations are discharged, 
cancelled or they expire.

Financial assets

Financial assets are recognised and derecognised on 
trade date where the purchase or sale of a financial 
asset is under a contract whose terms require delivery of 
the financial asset within the timeframe established by 
the market concerned, and are initially measured at fair 
value, net of transaction costs except for those financial 
assets classified as at fair value through the profit or loss 
which are initially measured at fair value.

Subsequent to initial recognition, investments in 
subsidiaries are measured at cost in the company 
financial statements. Other financial assets are “loans 
and receivables”. The classification depends on the 
nature and purpose of the financial assets and is 
determined at the time of initial recognition.

•	 the financial liability forms part of a Group of 

effective interest method 

financial assets or financial liabilities or both, which 
is managed and its performance is evaluated on 
a fair value basis, in accordance with the Group’s 
documented risk management or investment strategy, 
and information about the grouping is provided 
internally on that basis; or

•	 it forms part of a contract containing one or more 

The effective interest method is a method of calculating 
the amortised cost of a financial asset and of allocating 
interest income over the relevant period. The effective 
interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts estimate 
future cash receipts through the expected life of the 
financial asset, or, where appropriate, a shorter period, 
to the net carrying amount on initial recognition.

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Available for sale financial assets

Impairment of financial assets 

listed shares and listed redeemable notes held by the 
Group that are traded in an active market are classified 
as being AFS and are stated at fair value. The Group also 
has investments in unlisted shares that are not traded in 
an active market but that are classified as AFS financial 
assets and stated at fair value (because the directors 
consider that fair value can be reliably measured). 
Fair value is determined in the manner described in 
note 26. Gains and losses arising from changes in fair 
value are recognised in other comprehensive income 
and accumulated in the investments revaluation 
reserve with the exception of impairment losses, 
interest calculated using the effective interest method 
and foreign exchange gains and losses on monetary 
assets, which are recognised directly in profit or loss. 
Where the investment is disposed of or is determined 
to be impaired, the cumulative gain or loss previously 
recognised in the investments revaluation reserve is 
reclassified to profit or loss.

Dividends on AFS equity instruments are recognised 
in profit or loss when the Group’s right to receive the 
dividends is established.

The fair value of AFS monetary assets denominated  
in a foreign currency is determined in that foreign 
currency and translated at the spot rate at the balance 
sheet date. The foreign exchange gains and losses that 
are recognised in profit or loss are determined based on 
the amortised cost of the monetary asset. Other foreign 
exchange gains and losses are recognised in other 
comprehensive income. 

Loans and receivables 

Trade receivables, loans and other receivables that have 
fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an 
active market are classified as “loans and receivables”. 
loans and receivables are measured at amortised cost 
using the effective interest rate method less impairment. 
Interest is recognised by applying the effective interest 
rate except for short-term receivables when the 
recognition of interest would be immaterial.

Financial assets, other than those at fair value through 
profit or loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment 
at each reporting date. Financial assets are impaired 
where there is objective evidence that as a result of one 
or more events that occurred after the initial recognition 
of the financial asset the estimated future cash flows of 
the investment have been impacted. For financial assets 
carried at amortised cost, the amount of the impairment 
is the difference between the asset’s carrying amount 
and the present value of estimated future cash flows, 
discounted at the original effective interest rate.

The carrying amount of the financial asset is reduced by 
the impairment loss directly for all financial assets with the 
exception of trade receivables where the carrying amount 
is reduced through the use of an allowance account. 
When a trade receivable is uncollectible, it is written off 
against the allowance account. Subsequent recoveries 
of amounts previously written off are credited against the 
allowance account. Changes in the carrying amount of 
the allowance account are recognised in profit or loss.

With the exception of available-for-sale equity instruments, 
if, in a subsequent period, the amount of the impairment 
loss decreases and the decrease can be related 
objectively to an event occurring after the impairment was 
recognised, the previously recognised impairment loss is 
reversed through profit or loss to the extent the carrying 
amount of the investment at the date the impairment is 
reversed does not exceed what the amortised cost would 
have been had the impairment not been recognised.

In respect of available-for-sale equity instruments, any 
subsequent increase in fair value after an impairment 
loss is recognised in other comprehensive income.

Derecognition of financial assets

The Group derecognises a financial asset only when 
the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset 
expire, or when it transfers the financial asset and 
substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of 
the asset to another entity. If the Group neither transfers 
nor retains substantially all the risks and rewards of 
ownership and continues to control the transferred asset, 
the Group recognises its retained interest in the asset 
and an associated liability for amounts it may have to 
pay. If the Group retains substantially all the risks and 
rewards of ownership of a transferred financial asset,  
the Group continues to recognise the financial asset 
and also recognises a collateralised borrowing for the 
proceeds received.

101

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

3. 

 SUMMARY oF SIGNIFICANt 
ACCoUNtING poLICIeS 
(CoNtINUeD)

employee benefits

A liability is recognised for benefits accruing to 
employees in respect of wages and salaries, annual 
leave, long service leave and sick leave when it is 
probable that settlement will be required and they are 
capable of being measured reliably.

liabilities recognised in respect of employee benefits 
expected to be settled within 12 months, are measured 
at their nominal values using the remuneration rate 
expected to apply at the time of settlement. liabilities 
recognised in respect of employee benefits which are not 
expected to be settled within 12 months are measured 
as the present value of the estimated future cash flows to 
be made by the consolidated entity in respect of services 
provided by employees up to reporting date.

Superannuation 

The Company contributes to, but does not participate 
in, compulsory superannuation funds on behalf of the 
Employees and Directors in respect of salaries and 
directors’ fees paid. Contributions are charged against 
income as they are made.

exploration, evaluation and development 
expenditure

Exploration and evaluation expenditures in relation to 
each separate area of interest are recognised as an 
exploration and evaluation asset in the year in which they 
are incurred where the following conditions are satisfied:

i) 

 the rights to tenure of the area of interest are 
current; and

and evaluation costs where they are related directly to 
operational activities in a particular area of interest.

Exploration and evaluation assets are assessed for 
impairment when facts and circumstances (as defined 
in IFRS 6 “Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral 
Resources”) suggest that the carrying amount of 
exploration and evaluation assets may exceed its 
recoverable amount. The recoverable amount of the 
exploration and evaluation assets (or the cash-generating 
unit(s) to which it has been allocated, being no larger 
than the relevant area of interest) is estimated to 
determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). 
Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the 
carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised 
estimate of its recoverable amount, but only to the extent 
that the increased carrying amount does not exceed 
the carrying amount that would have been determined 
had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset in 
previous years.

Where a decision is made to proceed with development 
in respect of a particular area of interest, the relevant 
exploration and evaluation asset is tested for impairment, 
reclassified to development properties, and then 
amortised over the life of the reserves associated with the 
area of interest once mining operations have commenced.

Development expenditure is recognised at cost less 
accumulated amortisation and any impairment losses. 
When commercial production in an area of interest has 
commenced, the associated costs are amortised over 
the estimated economic life of the mine on a units of 
production basis.

Changes in factors such as estimates of proved and 
probable reserves that affect unit-of-production 
calculations are dealt with on a prospective basis.

ii) 

at least one of the following conditions is also met:

Foreign currencies

a) 

b) 

 the exploration and evaluation expenditures are 
expected to be recouped through successful 
development and exploration of the area of 
interest, or alternatively, by its sale; or

 exploration and evaluation activities in the 
area of interest have not at the reporting date 
reached a stage which permits a reasonable 
assessment of the existence or otherwise of 
economically recoverable reserves, and active 
and significant operations in, or in relation to, 
the area of interest are continuing.

Exploration and evaluation assets are initially measured 
at cost and include acquisition of rights to explore, 
studies, exploration drilling, trenching and sampling and 
associated activities. General and administrative costs 
are only included in the measurement of exploration 

102

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The individual financial statements of each Group 
entity are presented in its functional currency being the 
currency of the primary economic environment in which 
the entity operates. For the purpose of the consolidated 
financial statements, the results and financial position 
of each entity are expressed in united States dollars, 
which is the functional currency of the Group and the 
presentation currency for the consolidated financial 
statements. All companies in the group use the united 
States Dollar as their functional currency except for 
Sheba Exploration Holdings limited (previously, Sheba 
Exploration (uK) plc) and Sheba Exploration limited that 
use Great British Pound.

In preparing the financial statements of the individual 
entities, transactions in currencies other than the  
entity’s functional currency are recorded at the rates of 
exchange prevailing on the dates of the transactions.  
At each reporting date, monetary items denominated in 
foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing 
at the reporting date. non-monetary items carried at 
fair value that are denominated in foreign currencies are 
retranslated at the rates prevailing on the date when the 
fair value was determined. non-monetary items that are 
measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency 
are not retranslated. Exchange differences are recognised 
in profit or loss in the period in which they arise.

Inventories

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net 
realisable value. Costs including an appropriate portion 
of fixed and variable overhead expenses are assigned 
to inventory on hand by the method appropriate to each 
particular class of inventory, with the majority being 
valued on a weighted average cost basis. net realisable 
value represents the estimated selling price less all 
estimated costs of completion and costs necessary to 
make the sale.

Ore stockpiles, gold in circuit and bullion are valued 
applying absorption costing.

Interests in joint ventures

Jointly controlled entities 

Where the Group is a venturer (and so has joint control) 
in a jointly controlled entity, the Group recognises its 
share of the assets, liabilities, income and expenses, line 
by line, in the consolidated financial statements. 

SGM is wholly consolidated within the Centamin Group 
of companies, reflecting the substance and economic 
reality of the Concession Agreement (see note 23). 

Leased assets

leased assets are classified as finance leases when the 
terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and 
rewards incidental to ownership of the leased asset to the 
lessee. All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Operating lease payments are recognised as an expense 
on a straight-line basis over the lease term, except where 
other systematic basis is more representative of the time 
pattern in which economic benefits from the leased 
asset are consumed. Contingent rentals arising under 
operating leases are recognised as an expense in the 
period in which they are incurred.

property, plant and equipment (‘ppe’)

Plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated 
depreciation and impairment. Plant and equipment 
will include capitalised development expenditure. Cost 
includes expenditure that is directly attributable to the 
acquisition of the item as well as the estimated cost 
of abandonment. In the event that settlement of all or 
part of the purchase consideration is deferred, cost is 
determined by discounting the amounts payable in the 
future to their present value as at the date of acquisition.

Depreciation is provided on plant and equipment. 
Depreciation is calculated on a straight line basis so 
as to write off the net cost or other revalued amount of 
each asset over its expected useful life to its estimated 
residual value.

The estimated useful lives, residual values and 
depreciation method are reviewed at the end of each 
annual financial period, with the effect of any changes 
recognised on a prospective basis.

Freehold land is not depreciated.

The following estimated useful lives are used in the 
calculation of depreciation:

Plant and Equipment 

Office Equipment 

Motor Vehicles 

land and Buildings 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2- 50 years

3 - 7 years 

2 - 13 years

4 - 20 years

The gain or loss arising on the disposal or scrappage of 
an asset is determined as the difference between the 
sales proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and 
is recognised in income.

Mine development properties

Where mining of a mineral resource has commenced,  
the accumulated costs are transferred to mine properties.

Amortisation is first charged to new mine development 
ventures from the date of first commercial production. 
Amortisation of mine properties is on a unit of 
production basis resulting in an amortisation charge 
proportional to the depletion of the proved and probable 
ore reserves. The unit of production can be on a tonnes 
or an ounce depleted basis.

Capitalised underground development costs incurred 
to enable access to specific ore blocks or areas of the 
underground mine, and which only provide an economic 
benefit over the period of mining that ore block or area, 
are depreciated on a unit of production basis, whereby 
the denominator is estimated ounces of gold in proven 
and probable reserves within that ore block or area where 
it is considered probable that those resources will be 
extracted economically.

103

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

3. 

 SUMMARY oF SIGNIFICANt 
ACCoUNtING poLICIeS 
(CoNtINUeD)

Stripping activity assets

The group defers stripping costs incurred (removal of 
mine waste materials which provide improved access to 
further quantities of material that will be mined in future 
periods). During the current year, the Group changed its 
accounting policy on stripping costs in the production 
phase of a surface mine “IFRIC 20” effective 1 January 
2012. IFRIC 20 provides clarity on how to account for 
and measure the removal of mine waste materials which 
provide access to mineral ore deposits. This waste 
removal activity is known as ‘stripping’. There can be two 
benefits accruing to the entity from the stripping activity:

•	 usable ore that can be used to produce inventory; and 
•	 improved access to further quantities of material that 

will be mined in future periods.

The costs of stripping activity to be accounted for in 
accordance with the principles of IAS 2 Inventories to the 
extent that the benefit from the stripping activity is realised 
in the form of inventory produced. The costs of stripping 
activity which provides a benefit in the form of improved 
access to ore is recognised as a non-current ‘stripping 
activity asset’ where the following criteria are met: 

i. 

ii. 

iii. 

 it is probable that the future economic benefit 
(improved access to the ore body) associated with 
the stripping activity will flow to the entity;

 the entity can identify the component of the ore 
body for which access has been improved; and

 the costs relating to the stripping activity associated 
with that component can be measured reliably.

When the costs of the stripping activity asset and the 
inventory produced are not separately identifiable, 
production stripping costs are allocated between the 
inventory produced and the stripping activity asset by 
using an allocation basis that is based on a relevant 
production measure. A stripping activity asset is 
accounted for as an addition to, or as an enhancement 
of, an existing asset and classified as tangible or 
intangible according to the nature of the existing asset of 
which it forms part. A stripping activity asset is initially 
measured at cost and subsequently carried at cost or 
its revalued amount less depreciation or amortisation 
and impairment losses. A stripping activity asset is 
depreciated or amortised on a systematic basis, over 
the expected useful life of the identified component of 
the ore body that becomes more accessible as a result 
of the stripping activity. The stripping activity asset is 
depreciated using a units of production method based 

on the total ounces to be produced over the life of the 
component of the ore body.

Deferred stripping costs are included in ‘Stripping 
Assets’, within tangible assets. These form part of the 
total investment in the relevant cash-generating unit, 
which is reviewed for impairment if events or a change in 
circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not 
be recoverable. Amortisation of deferred stripping costs 
is included in operating costs.

Impairment of assets (other than exploration and 
evaluation and financial assets)

At each reporting date, the Group reviews the carrying 
amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to 
determine whether there is any indication that those 
assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such 
indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset 
is estimated in order to determine the extent of the 
impairment loss (if any). Where the asset does not 
generate cash flows that are independent from other 
assets, the Group estimates the recoverable amount of 
the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less 
costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in 
use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to 
their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that 
reflects current market assessment of the time value of 
money and the risks specific to the asset for which the 
estimates of future flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-
generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying 
amount, the carrying amount of the asset (cash-
generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. 
Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the 
carrying amount of the asset (cash-generating unit) 
is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable 
amount, but only to the extent that the increased 
carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount 
that would have been determined had no impairment 
loss been recognised for the asset (cash generating unit) 
in prior years.

A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised 
immediately in profit or less, unless the relevant asset is 
carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal 
of an impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.

Revenue

Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration 
received or receivable for goods and services in the 
normal course of business, net of discounts, VAT and 
other sales-related taxes. 

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Sale of goods 

Business combinations

Revenue from the sale of mineral production is 
recognised when the Group has passed the significant 
risks and rewards of ownership of the mineral production 
to the buyer, it is probable that economic benefits 
associated with the transaction will flow to the Group, 
the sales price can be measured reliably, and the Group 
has no significant continuing involvement and the costs 
incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction 
can be measured reliably. This is when insurance risk 
has passed to the buyer and the goods have been 
collected at the agreed location.

Where the terms of the executed sales agreement allow 
for an adjustment to the sales price based on a survey 
of the mineral production by the buyer (for instance an 
assay for gold content), recognition of the revenue from 
the sale of mineral production is based on the most 
recently determined estimate of product specifications.

pre-production revenues 

Income derived by the entity prior to the date of 
commercial production (being 1 April 2010) was offset 
against the expenditure capitalised and carried in the 
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.  
All revenues recognised after 1 April 2010 are 
recognised in accordance with the revenue policy stated 
above. 1 April 2010 was selected as the commencement 
date of commercial production due to the fact that 
sufficient, stable and sustained production capacity  
had been achieved as at that date.

Interest revenue 

Interest income is recognised when it is probable that 
the economic benefits will flow to the Group and the 
amount of revenue can be measured reliably.

Acquisitions of subsidiaries and businesses are 
accounted for using the acquisition method. The 
consideration for each acquisition is measured at the 
aggregate of the fair values (at the date of exchange) of 
assets given, liabilities incurred or assumed, and equity 
instruments issued by the Group in exchange for control 
of the acquiree. Acquisition-related costs are recognised 
in profit or loss as incurred.

Where applicable, the consideration for the acquisition 
includes any asset or liability resulting from a contingent 
consideration arrangement, measured at its acquisition-
date fair value. Subsequent changes in such fair values 
are adjusted against the cost of acquisition where 
they qualify as measurement period adjustments (see 
below). All other subsequent changes in the fair value of 
contingent consideration classified as an asset or liability 
are accounted for in accordance with relevant IFRSs. 
Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration 
classified as equity are not recognised.

Where a business combination is achieved in stages, the 
Group’s previously-held interests in the acquired entity 
are remeasured to fair value at the acquisition date (i.e. 
the date the Group attains control) and the resulting gain 
or loss, if any, is recognised in profit or loss. Amounts 
arising from interests in the acquiree prior to the 
acquisition date that have previously been recognised in 
other comprehensive income are reclassified to profit or 
loss, where such treatment would be appropriate if that 
interest were disposed of.

The acquiree’s identifiable assets, liabilities and 
contingent liabilities that meet the conditions for 
recognition under IFRS 3 (2008) are recognised at their 
fair value at the acquisition date, except that: 

Interest revenue is accrued on a time basis, by reference 
to the principal outstanding and at the effective interest 
rate applicable, which is the rate that exactly discounts 
estimated future cash receipts through the expected life 
of the financial asset to that asset’s net carrying amount.

•	 deferred tax assets or liabilities and liabilities or 

assets related to employee benefit arrangements 
are recognised and measured in accordance with 
IAS 12 Income Taxes and IAS 19 Employee Benefits 
respectively;

production royalty 

The Arab Republic of Egypt (“ARE”) is entitled to a 
royalty of 3% of net sales revenue as defined from the 
sale of gold and associated minerals from the Sukari 
Project. This royalty is calculated and recognised on 
receipt of the final certificate of analysis document 
received from the refinery. Due to its nature, the 
production is not recognised in cost of sales.

•	 liabilities or equity instruments related to the 
replacement by the Group of an acquiree’s  
share based

•	 payment awards are measured in accordance with 

IFRS 2 Share-based Payment; and

•	 assets (or disposal Groups) that are classified as held 

for sale in accordance with IFRS 5 noncurrent.

105

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

3. 

 SUMMARY oF SIGNIFICANt 
ACCoUNtING poLICIeS 
(CoNtINUeD)

Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations are 
measured in accordance with that Standard. If the initial 
accounting for a business combination is incomplete by 
the end of the reporting period in which the combination 
occurs, the Group reports provisional amounts for 
the items for which the accounting is incomplete. 
Those provisional amounts are adjusted during the 
measurement period (see below), or additional assets 
or liabilities are recognised, to reflect new information 
obtained about facts and circumstances that existed 
as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have 
affected the amounts recognised as of that date.

The measurement period is the period from the date 
of acquisition to the date the Group obtains complete 
information about facts and circumstances that existed 
as of the acquisition date, and is subject to a maximum 
of one year.

Investments in associates

An associate is an entity over which the Group has 
significant influence and that is neither a subsidiary nor 
an interest in a joint venture. Significant influence is 
the power to participate in the financial and operating 
policy decisions of the investee but is not control or joint 
control over those policies.

The results and assets and liabilities of associates 
are incorporated in these financial statements using 
the equity method of accounting, except when the 
investment is classified as held for sale, in which case it 
is accounted for in accordance with IFRS 5 non-current 
Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations.

under the equity method, investments in associates 
are carried in the consolidated balance sheet at cost 
as adjusted for post-acquisition changes in the Group’s 
share of the net assets of the associate, less any 
impairment in the value of individual investments. losses 
of an associate in excess of the Group’s interest in that 
associate (which includes any long-term interests that, 
in substance, form part of the Group’s net investment in 
the associate) are recognised only to the extent that the 
Group has incurred legal or constructive obligations or 
made payments on behalf of the associate.

Any excess of the cost of acquisition over the Group’s 
share of the net fair value of the identifiable assets, 
liabilities and contingent liabilities of the associate 
recognised at the date of acquisition is recognised 
as goodwill. The goodwill is included within the 
carrying amount of the investment and is assessed for 
impairment as part of that investment. Any excess of 

the Group’s share of the net fair value of the identifiable 
assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities over the 
cost of acquisition, after reassessment, is recognised 
immediately in profit or loss.

Where a Group entity transacts with an associate of the 
Group, profits and losses are eliminated to the extent of 
the Group’s interest in the relevant associate.

Share-based payments

Equity-settled share-based payments with employees 
and others providing similar services are measured at 
the fair value of the equity instrument at grant date. Fair 
value is measured by the use of the Black and Scholes 
model. Where share-based payments are subject to 
market conditions, fair value was measured by the use 
of a Monte-Carlo simulation. The fair value determined 
at the grant date of the equity-settled share-based 
payments is expensed over the vesting period, based 
on the consolidated entity’s estimate of shares that will 
eventually vest.

Equity-settled share based transactions with other 
parties are measured at the fair value of the goods or 
services received, except where the fair value cannot 
be estimated reliably, in which case they are measured 
at the fair value of the equity instruments granted, 
measured at the date the entity obtains the goods or the 
counter party renders the service.

The expected life used in the model has been adjusted, 
based on management’s best estimate, for the effects of 
non-transferability, exercise restrictions, and behavioural 
considerations. Further details on how the fair value 
of equity-settled share-based transactions has been 
determined can be found in note 27. At each reporting 
date, the Group revises its estimate of the number of 
equity instruments expected to vest. The impact of the 
revision of the original estimates, if any, is recognised 
in profit or loss over the remaining vesting period, with 
corresponding adjustment to the equity-settled employee 
benefits reserve.

Issued capital

Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue 
of new shares or options are shown in equity as a 
deduction, net of tax, from the proceeds.

Where the Company or other members of the 
consolidated Group purchases the Company’s equity 
share capital, the consideration paid is deducted from 
the total shareholders’ equity of the Group and/or of the 
Company as treasury shares until they are cancelled. 
Where such shares are subsequently sold or reissued, 
any consideration received is included in shareholders’ 
equity of the Group and/or the Company.

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taxation 

Income tax expense represents the sum of the tax 
currently payable and deferred tax.

Current tax 

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for 
the period. Taxable profit differs from profit as reported 
in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
because of items of income or expense that are taxable 
or deductible in other periods and items that are never 
taxable or deductible. The Group’s liability for current tax 
is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or 
substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period.

Deferred tax 

Deferred tax is recognised on temporary differences 
between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities 
in the financial statements and the corresponding 
tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit. 
Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all 
taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets 
are generally recognised for all deductible temporary 
differences to the extent that it is probable that taxable 
profits will be available against which those deductible 
temporary differences can be utilised. Such deferred 
tax assets and liabilities are not recognised if the 
temporary difference arises from goodwill or from the 
initial recognition (other than in a business combination) 
of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects 
neither the taxable profit nor the accounting profit.

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable 
temporary differences associated with investments 
in subsidiaries and associates, and interests in joint 
ventures, except where the Group is able to control the 
reversal of the temporary difference and it is probable 
that the temporary difference will not reverse in the 
foreseeable future. Deferred tax assets arising from 
deductible temporary differences associated with such 
investments and interests are only recognised to the 
extent that it is probable that there will be sufficient 
taxable profits against which to utilise the benefits of the 
temporary differences and they are expected to reverse 
in the foreseeable future.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed 
at the end of each reporting period and reduced to the 
extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable 
profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to 
be recovered.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the 
tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in 
which the liability is settled or the asset realised, based 
on tax rates (and tax laws) that have been enacted or 
substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period. 

The measurement of deferred tax liabilities and assets 
reflects the tax consequences that would follow from the 
manner in which the Group expects, at the end of the 
reporting period, to recover or settle the carrying amount 
of its assets and liabilities.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there 
is a legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets 
against current tax liabilities and when they relate to 
income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and 
the Group intends to settle its current tax assets and 
liabilities on a net basis.

Special considerations

In Australia, Centamin Egypt limited and Pharaoh Gold 
Mines nl have elected to form a tax consolidated group 
and therefore are treated as a single entity for Australian 
income tax purposes. Pharaoh Gold Mines nl has 
elected into the ‘Branch Profits Exemption’ whereby 
foreign branch income will generally not be subject to 
Australian income tax.

In Egypt, Centamin has entered into a concession 
agreement that provides that the income generated by 
Sukari Gold Mining Company’s activities is granted a 
long-term tax exemption from all taxes imposed in Egypt. 

Restoration and rehabilitation

A provision for restoration and rehabilitation is 
recognised when there is a present obligation as a result 
of exploration, development and production activities 
undertaken, it is probable that an outflow of economic 
benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and 
the amount of the provision can be measured reliably. 
The estimated future obligations include the costs of 
dismantling and removal of facilities, restoration and 
monitoring of the affected areas. The provision for future 
restoration costs is the best estimate of the present 
value of the expenditure required to settle the restoration 
obligation at the reporting date. Future restoration costs 
are reviewed annually and any changes in the estimate 
are reflected in the present value of the restoration 
provision at each reporting date.

The initial estimate of the restoration and rehabilitation 
provision relating to exploration, development and mining 
production activities is capitalised into the cost of the 
related asset and amortised on the same basis as the 
related asset, unless the present obligation arises from the 
production of the inventory in the period, in which case the 
amount is included in the cost of production for the period. 
Changes in the estimate of the provision of restoration 
and rehabilitation are treated in the same manner, except 
that the unwinding of the effect of discounting on the 
provision is recognised as a finance cost rather than being 
capitalised into the cost of the related asset.

107

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

4.   CRItICAL ACCoUNtING 

JUDGeMeNtS 

i)   Critical Judgements in Applying the entity’s 

Accounting policies

The following are the critical judgements that 
management has made in the process of applying the 
Group’s accounting policies and that have the most 
significant effect on the amounts recognised in the 
financial statements:

Litigation

The Group is currently a party to two legal actions both 
of which could affect its ability to operate the mine at 
Sukari in the manner in which it is currently operated 
and adversely affect its profitability. The details of this 
litigation, which relate to the loss of the Egyptian national 
subsidy for Diesel Fuel Oil and the ability of the Group 
to operate outside the area of 3km2 determined by the 
Administrative Court of first instance to be the area of 
the exploitation lease, are given on in note 20 to the 
Financial Statements, and in the most recently filed 
Annual Information Form (“AIF”) which is available on 
www.sedar.com. Although it is possible to quantify the 
effects of the loss the national fuel subsidy, it is not 
currently possible to quantify with sufficient precision  
the effect of restricting operations to an area of 3km2. 

Every action is being taken to contest these decisions, 
including the making of formal legal appeals and, 
although their resolution may take some time, 
management remain confident that a satisfactory 
outcome will ultimately be achieved. In the meantime, 
however, the Group is continuing to pay international 
prices for Diesel Fuel Oil. With respect to the 
Administrative Court ruling, on 20 March 2013 the 
Supreme Administrative Court upheld the Company’s 
application to suspend this decision until the merits of 
the Company’s appeal are considered and ruled on, thus 
providing assurance that normal operations would be 
able to continue during this process.

In the unlikely event that the Group is unsuccessful  
in either or both of its legal actions, and that the 
operating activities are restricted to a reduced area,  
it is management’s belief that the Group will be able  
to continue as going concern.

Accounting treatment of Sukari Gold Mines 
(SGM)

SGM is wholly consolidated within the Centamin Group 
of companies, reflecting the substance and economic 
reality of the Concession Agreement (see note 23).

Recovery of Capitalised exploration evaluation 
and Development expenditure

The Group’s accounting policy for exploration and 
evaluation expenditure results in exploration and 
evaluation expenditure being capitalised for those 
projects where such expenditure is considered likely to 
be recoverable through future extraction activity or sale or 
where the exploration activities have not reached a stage 
which permits a reasonable assessment of the existence 
of reserves. This policy requires management to make 
certain estimates and assumptions as to future events 
and circumstances, in particular whether the Group will 
proceed with development based on existence of reserves 
or whether an economically viable extraction operation 
can be established. Such estimates and assumptions 
may change from period to period as new information 
becomes available. If, subsequent to the exploration and 
evaluation expenditure being capitalised, a judgement 
is made that recovery of the expenditure is unlikely or 
the project is to be abandoned, the relevant capitalised 
amount will be written off to the income statement.

ii)  Key Sources of estimation Uncertainty

The following are the key assumptions concerning the 
future, and other key sources of estimation uncertainty 
at the reporting date, that have a significant risk of 
causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of 
assets and liabilities within the next financial year:

provision for restoration and rehabilitation costs

The Group is required to decommission, rehabilitate and 
restore mines and processing sites at the end of their 
producing lives to a condition acceptable to the relevant 
authorities. The provision has been calculated taking into 
account the estimated future obligations including the 
costs of dismantling and removal of facilities, restoration 
and monitoring of the affected areas. The provision 
for future restoration costs is the best estimate of the 
present value of the expenditure required to settle the 
restoration obligation at the reporting date.

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ore reserve estimates

Estimates of recoverable quantities of reserves include assumptions on commodity prices, exchange rates, discount rates 
and production costs for future cashflows. It also involves assessment and judgement of difficult geological models.  
The economic, geological and technical factors used to estimate ore reserves may change from period to period. Changes 
in ore reserves affect the carrying values of mine properties, property, plant and equipment, provision for rehabilitation 
assets and deferred taxes. Ore reserves are integral to the amount of depreciation and amortisation charged to the 
Statement of Comprehensive Income and the calculation of inventory.

Production forecasts from the underground mine at Sukari are partly based on estimates regarding future resource and 
reserve growth. It is the opinion of management and Directors that these estimates are both realistic and conservative, 
based on current information. However, as the mine relies on continued deeper development and exploration drilling for 
further reserve definition, the life of this part of the mine remains limited and there is a risk that some or all of this growth 
will not materialise with a consequent negative impact on current production forecasts.

5.  ReVeNUe

An analysis of the Group’s revenue for the year, from continuing operations, is as follows:

Gold sales

Silver sales

Finance income

31 December 
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

425,812

321

426,133

898

427,031

339,779

700

340,479

1,288

341,767

6.  pRoFIt BeFoRe tAX 

Profit for the year has been arrived at after crediting/(charging) the following gains/(losses) and expenses:

Before 
exceptional 
items 
US$’000

(140,067)

5,854

(35,601)

(169,814)

31 December  
2012

exceptional 
items 
US$’000

31 December 
2011

total 
US$’000

US$’000

(36,654)

3,572

(36)

(33,118)

(176,721)

(112,393)

9,426

(35,637)

(202,932)

2,833

(18,642)

(128,202)

Cost of sales

Mine production costs

Movement in inventory 

Depreciation and Amortisation

109

  
Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

6.  pRoFIt BeFoRe tAX (CoNtINUeD)

Finance income

Interest received

other operating costs

Corporate compliance

Corporate consultants

Employee entitlements

Salary and wages

Travel and accommodation

Other administration expenses

Employee equity settled share based payments

Fixed royalty – Attributable to the Egyptian government

Foreign exchange gain, net

Investment loss, net of tax

Provision for restoration and rehabilitation – unwinding of discount

Share of loss in associate

lease payments

exceptional items

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
 2011  
US$’000

898

1,288

(2,956)

(772)

(141)

(8,314)

(956)

(1,887)

(1,981)

(12,769)

5,170

-

(263)

(330)

(306)

(1,506)

(383)

(33)

(1,598)

(694)

(1,090)

(1,496)

(13,360)

584

93

(89)

-

-

The Directors consider that items of income or expense which are material by virtue of their unusual, irregular or 
non-recurring nature should be disclosed separately if the consolidated financial statements are to fairly present 
the financial position and underlying business performance. In order to allow a better understanding of the financial 
information presented within the consolidated financial statements, and specifically the Group’s underlying business 
performance, the effect of exceptional items are shown below.

Included in Cost of sales

Mine production costs

Movement in inventory

Depreciation and Amortisation

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

(36,654)

3,572

(36)
(33,118)

-

-

-
-

110

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In January 2012 the Company received a letter from 
Chevron to the effect that Chevron would not be able to 
continue supplying Diesel Fuel Oil (DFO) to the mine at 
Sukari at local subsidised prices. It is understood that 
the reason that this letter was issued was that Chevron 
had received a letter instructing it to do so from the 
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (“EGPC”). It 
is further understood that EGPC itself took the decision 
to issue this instruction because it had received legal 
advice from the legal Advice Department of the Council 
of State (an internal government advisory department) 
that the companies operating in the gold mining sector 
in Egypt were not entitled to such subsidies. In addition, 
the Company during the year received a demand from 
Chevron for the repayment of fuel subsidies received 
in the period from late 2009 through to January 2012, 
amounting to some uS$60 million (EGP403 million).

The Group has taken detailed legal advice on this matter 
(and, in particular, on the opinion given by legal Advice 
Department of the Council of State) and in consequence 
in June lodged an appeal against EGPC’s decision in the 
Administrative Courts. Again, the Group believes that 
its grounds for appeal are strong and that there is every 
prospect of success. However, as a practical matter, and 
in order to ensure the continuation of supply, the Group 
has since January advanced funds to our fuel supplier, 
Chevron, based on the international price for diesel. 

Included in other operating costs

Re-domicile costs

As at the date of this document, no final decision 
had been taken by the courts regarding this matter. 
Furthermore, the Group remains of the view that 
an instant move to international fuel prices is not a 
reasonable outcome and will look to recover funds 
advanced thus far should the court proceeding 
be concluded in its favour. However, Management 
recognises the practical difficulties associated with 
re-claiming funds from the government and for this 
reason have, fully provided against the prepayment of 
uS$41.4 million, as an exceptional item, as follows: 

(a)  a uS$33.1 million increase in cost of sales,
(b)  a uS$0.6 million increase in stores inventories, 
 a uS$3.6 million increase in mining stockpiles  
(c) 
and ore in circuit, and
 a uS$4.1 million increase in property, plant and 
equipment (capital WIP).

(d) 

This has resulted in a net decrease of uS$33.1 million  
in the profit and loss.

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

(564)

(2,645)

The re-domicile costs relate to the expenses incurred in moving the Group from Australia to Jersey by means of the 
Company becoming the holding company of the Group.

111

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

7.  tAX

Tax recognised in profit is summarised as follows:

(a) tax expense

Current tax

Current tax expense in respect of the current year 
Adjustments recognised in the current year in relation to the current tax  
in prior period

Deferred tax
Deferred tax expense relating to the origination and reversal of temporary 
differences

Tax losses and temporary differences not recognized

Total tax expense

The tax expense for the year can be reconciled to the profit per  
the consolidated statement of comprehensive income as follows: 

Profit before income tax

Add: Share of loss in Associate

Tax expense calculated at 0% (2011 : 30%)(1) of profit before tax

Tax effect of amounts which are not deductible/taxable in calculating  
taxable income:

non-deductible expenses

Tax effect of income not taxable in determining taxable profit

Tax losses and temporary differences not recognized
Adjustments recognised in the current year in relation to the current tax  
in prior periods

Tax expense for the year

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
 2011  
US$’000

-

(444)

-

-
(444)

-

-

222

(222)
-

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

198,594

330

198,924

-

-

-

-

(444)

(444)

31 December 
 2011  
US$’000

193,994

-

193,994

58,198

48,703

(107,209)

308

-

-

(1)  The tax rate used in the above reconciliation is the corporate tax rate of 0% payable by Jersey corporate entities under the Jersey tax law (2011 : 

30% payable by Australian corporate entities on taxable profits under the Australian tax law). There has been no change in the underlying corporate 
tax rates when compared to the previous financial period.

Current tax liabilities

Current tax payable 

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

-

444

112

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8.  SeGMeNt RepoRtING

The Group is engaged in the business of exploration 
and mining of precious and base metals only, which 
represents a single operating segment. The Board is 
the Group’s chief operating decision maker within the 
meaning of IFRS 8. 

tax consolidation

Relevance of tax consolidation to the consolidated entity

Companies within the Groups wholly-owned Australian 
resident entities formed a tax-consolidated Group with 
effect from 1 July 2003. The head entity within the  
tax-consolidated Group is Centamin Egypt limited.  
The members of the tax-consolidated Group are 
identified at note 21.

nature of tax funding arrangements and tax sharing 
agreements

Entities within the tax-consolidated Group have entered 
into a tax funding arrangement and a tax-sharing 
agreement with the head entity. under the terms of the 
tax funding agreement, Centamin Egypt limited and 
each of the entities in the tax-consolidated Group has 
agreed to pay a tax equivalent payment to or from the 
head entity, based on the current tax liability or current 
tax asset of the entity. Such amounts are reflected  
in amounts receivable from or payable to other entities  
in the tax-consolidated Group.

The tax sharing agreement entered into between 
members of the tax-consolidated Group provides for the 
determination of the allocation of income tax liabilities 
between the entities should the head entity default on 
its tax payment obligations. no amounts have been 
recognised in the financial statements in respect of this 
agreement as payment of any amounts under the tax 
sharing agreement is considered remote.

113

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

9.  tRADe AND otHeR ReCeIVABLeS

Gold sales debtors

Other receivables

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

40,736

-

40,736

29,976

22

29,998

Trade and other receivables are classified as loans and receivables and are therefore measured at amortised cost. 
The average age of the receivables is 35 days (2011: 32 days). no interest is charged on the receivables. There are 
no trade receivables past due and impaired at the reporting date, and thus no allowance for doubtful debts has been 
recognised. Of the trade receivables balance, the gold sales debtor is all receivable from Johnson Matthey of Canada. 
The amount due has been received subsequent to year-end and was considered to be fully recoverable. 

The directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other receivables is approximately equal to their fair value.

10. INVeNtoRIeS

Mining stockpiles and ore in circuit

Stores 

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011* 
US$’000

22,800

71,836

94,636

13,374

59,257

72,631

* The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011 results have 

been restated. Refer to note 3 for further details.

During the year uS$20,493 (2011: uS$295,000) of inventory has been written off to other operating costs.

114

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11.  pRepAYMeNtS

Prepayments

Fuel prepayments

Movement in fuel prepayments

Balance at the beginning of the year

Fuel prepayment recognised 

less: Provision charged to (1):

 Mine production costs (see note 6)

 Property, plant and equipment (see note 6)

 Inventories (see note 6)

Balance at the end of the year

(1) Refer to note 6, Exceptional Items, for further details. 

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

466

-
466

1,576

-
1,576

-

41,417

(36,654)

(4,157)

(606)
-

-

-

-
-

115

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

12. pRopeRtY, pLANt AND eQUIpMeNt

office 
equipment 
US$’000

Land and 
buildings 
US$’000

plant and 
equipment 
US$’000

Motor 
vehicles 
US$’000

Mine 
Development 
properties(1) 
US$’000

Stripping 
Asset(1) 
US$’000

Capital 
WIp 
US$’000

total 
US$’000

Cost
Balance at  
31 December 2011

Additions

Transfers
Balance at  
31 December 2012

Accumulated 
depreciation
Balance at  
31 December 2011
Depreciation and 
amortisation
Balance at  
31 December 2012

Cost
Balance at  
31 December 2010

Additions

Transfers
Balance at  
31 December 2011

Accumulated 
depreciation
Balance at  
31 December 2010
Depreciation and 
amortisation
Balance at  
31 December 2011

Net book value

2,727

220

648

14

-

157

273,940

77,074

119,837

-

-

56,570

4,426

28,202

-

3,595

171

278,366

105,276

176,407

(1,926)

(9)

(14,883)

(19,510)

(4,135)

(590)

(7)

(13,369)

(10,197)

(11,474)

(2,516)

(16)

(28,252)

(29,707)

(15,609)

2,243

9

475

2,727

14

241,140

56,338

125,947

-

-

-

-

-

32,800

20,736

(6,110)

14

273,940

77,074

119,837

(1,417)

(8)

(6,242)

(12,073)

(2,081)

(509)

(1)

(8,641)

(7,437)

(2,054)

(1,926)

(9)

(14,883)

(19,510)

(4,135)

As at 31 December 2011

801

5

259,057

57,564

115,702

As at 31 December 2012

1,079

155

250,114

75,569

160,798

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

108,767

582,359

184,522

241,312

(33,433)

-

259,856

823,671

-

-

-

(40,463)

(35,637)

(76,100)

40,276

465,958

122,502

122,511

(54,011)

(6,110)

108,767

582,359

-

-

-

(21,821)

(18,642)

(40,463)

108,767

541,896

259,856

747,571

(1) The Group changed its accounting policy on production-phase stripping costs with effect from 1 January 2012. As a result, the 2011 results have 

been restated. Refer to note 3 for further details.

116

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13. eXpLoRAtIoN AND e VALUAtIoN ASSet

Balance at the beginning of the period

Acquisition of Sheba Exploration (uK) plc – exploration rights

Expenditure for the period

Balance at the end of the period

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

31,113

-
14,556

45,669

3,752

10,413
16,948

31,113

The exploration and evaluation asset relates to the drilling, geological exploration and sampling of potential ore 
reserves. During the prior year the Group acquired the exploration rights in Sheba Exploration (uK) plc of uS$10.2 
million for the licences of Werie lehe and Saharti licences, granted until 29 november 2013, and the una Deriam 
licence, granted until 19 March 2014. Both licences are renewable for a period of one year.

14. AVAILABLe-FoR-SALe FINANCIAL ASSetS AND INteReStS IN ASSoCIAteS

14.1 

Available-for-sale financial assets

Balance at the beginning of the period

Acquisitions

Disposals

Profit/(loss) on foreign exchange movement

loss on fair value of investment – other comprehensive income

Balance at the end of the period

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

1,831

6,427
-

159

(2,804)

5,613

-

17,403
(11,408)

(207)

(3,957)

1,831

The available for sale financial asset at year-end relates to a 14% equity interest in nyota Minerals limited (“nYO”), a 
listed public company. Management are not planning on divesting from this investment in the foreseeable future. 

During 2011 the Group acquired shares in Auryx Gold Corporation (“AYX”) a listed public company for uS$11,408,000 
and the investment was sold for uS$11,191,490 during the prior year. A profit on disposal of uS$92,754 and a foreign 
exchange loss of uS$207,000 were realised.

14.2 

Interests in associates

Balance at the beginning of the period

Acquisitions

Share of loss in associate

Balance at the end of the period

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

3,296

166
(330)

3,132

-

3,296
-

3,296

The interest in associate relate to the Group’s 36% equity interest in Sahar Minerals limited, of which 33%  
was acquired in July 2011, and an additional 3% was acquired in December 2012. The associate holds exploration 
rights and continues to explore.

In 2011, the interest in associate was held at the cost of uS$3,296,000 at year-end and no movement in the 
investment was recorded as there was no financial information available for the associate since acquisition. 

117

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

15. tRADe AND otHeR pAYABLeS

Trade payables

Other creditors and accruals

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

21,121

33,485
54,606

12,909

11,600
24,509

Trade payables principally comprise the amounts outstanding for trade purchases and ongoing costs. The average 
credit period taken for trade purchases is 38 days (2011: 45 days). Trade payables are interest free for periods ranging 
from 30 to 180 days. Thereafter interest is charged at commercial rates. The Group has financial risk management 
policies in place to ensure that all payables are paid within the credit timeframe.

The directors consider that the carrying amount of trade payables approximate their fair value.

16. pRoVISIoNS

Current

Employee benefits (i)

Bonus provision

Non-current

Employee benefits

Restoration and rehabilitation (ii)

Movement in restoration and rehabilitation provision

Balance at beginning of the year

Additional provision recognised

Interest expense – unwinding of discount

Balance at end of the year

Movement in bonus provision

Balance at beginning of the year

Provision recognised

Balance at end of the year

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

625
4,337

4,962

-

5,544

5,544

2,630

2,651

263

5,544

-

4,337

4,337

717
-

717

-

2,630

2,630

2,541

-

89

2,630

-

-

-

(i)  Employee benefits relate to annual, sick and long service leave entitlements. The current provision for employee 
benefits as at 31 December 2012 includes uS$625,118 (31 December 2011: uS$707,780) of annual leave 
entitlements.

(ii)  The provision for restoration and rehabilitation represents the present value of the directors’ best estimate of the 
future outflow of economic benefits that will be required to remove the facilities and restore the affected areas at 
the Group’s sites discounted by 10%. This estimate has been made on the basis of benchmark assessments of 
restoration works required following mine closure and after taking into account the projected area to be disturbed 
over the life of the mine.

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17.  ISSUeD CApItAL

Balance at beginning of the period

Issue of shares upon exercise of options and warrants

Transfer from share options reserve

Other placements

Share issue costs

Balance at end of the period

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

608,596

600,500

-
510

3,367

(10)

3,606
452

4,152

(114)

612,463

608,596

During 2011 the Company re-domiciled to Jersey and the presentation below is line with the requirements of the Jersey 
Companies Act.

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December  
2011  
US$’000

Number

$’000

Number

$’000

Fully paid ordinary shares

Balance at beginning of the period

Issue of shares under share/option scheme

Transfer from share option reserve

Other placements (net of share issue costs)

1,096,297,381
5,100,000

608,596
3,357

1,081,946,250
11,312,500

-

-

510

-

-

3,038,631

600,500
3,606

452

4,038

Balance at end of the period 

1,101,397,381

612,463

1,096,297,381

608,596

At 31 December 2012 the Company held 11,347,222 ordinary shares of in treasury (2011: 8,840,000 ordinary shares).

Fully paid ordinary shares carry one vote per share and carry the right to dividends. See note 27 for more details of the 
share options.

18. ReSeRVeS

Option reserve

Asset realisation reserve

Other reserves – sub-total

Share option reserve

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

-

-
-

3,477

3,477

-

-
-

2,006

2,006

The option reserve and share option reserve have been created from the issuing of options for a consideration greater 
than their then nominal or par value.

The asset realisation reserve has been created from the realisation of particular assets.

The capital reserve was created from the cancellation of shares in the Company held by Pharaoh Gold Mines nl.

119

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

18.  ReSeRVeS (continued)

option reserve

Balance at beginning of the period

Movements during the period

Balance at the end of the period 

Share option reserve

Balance at beginning of the period

Cost of share-based payments

Transfer to issued capital

Transfer to retained earnings

Balance at the end of the period

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

-
-

-

2,006

1,981

(510)

-

3,477

1,857
(1,857)

-

1,050

1,496

(452)

(88)

2,006

The share option reserve arises on the grant of share options to employees under the employee share option plan and 
on grant of broker warrants. Amounts are transferred out of the reserve and into issued capital when the options and 
warrants are exercised.

19.  CoMMItMeNtS FoR eXpeNDItURe

(a) Capital expenditure commitments

Plant and equipment

not longer than 1 year

longer than 1 year and not longer than 5 years

longer than 5 years

(b) operating lease commitments

Office premises

not longer than 1 year

longer than 1 year and not longer than 5 years

longer than 5 years

Operating lease commitments are limited to office premises in london and Jersey.

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

55,978

40,026

-

-

-

-

55,978

40,026

319

486

60

865

56

-

-

56

120

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egyptian Court Litigation 

On 30 October 2012, the Administrative Court in Egypt 
handed down a judgment in relation to a claim brought by, 
amongst others, an independent member of the previous 
parliament, in which he argued for the nullification of the 
agreement that confers on the Group rights to operate 
in Egypt. This agreement, the Concession Agreement, 
was entered into between the Arab Republic of Egypt, 
the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (“EMRA”) and 
Centamin’s wholly owned subsidiary Pharaoh Gold Mines 
(“PGM”), and was approved by the People’s Assembly as 
law 222 of 1994.

In summary that judgment states that, although the 
Concession Agreement itself remains valid and in force, 
sufficient evidence had not been submitted to Court 
in order to demonstrate that the 160km2 “exploitation 
lease” between PGM and EMRA had received approval 
from the relevant Minister as required by the terms of 
the Concession Agreement. Accordingly, the Court 
found that the exploitation lease in respect of the area of 
160km2 was not valid although it stated that there was 
in existence such a lease in respect of an area of 3km2. 
Centamin, however, is in possession of the executed 
original lease documentation which clearly shows that the 
160km2 exploitation lease was approved by the Minister 
of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. It appears that an 
executed original document was not supplied to the Court. 

upon notification of the judgment the Group took various 
steps to protect its ability to continue to operate the mine 
at Sukari. These included both lodging a formal appeal 
before the Supreme Administrative Court on 26 november 
2012 and, in the first instance, lodging an “Objection 
to Enforcement” in respect of with the Civil Court on 31 
October 2012; this was an interim measure which had 
the effect of “staying” (postponing) implementation of the 
original ruling until such time as the Objection is heard. 
In addition, in conjunction with the formal appeal the 
Group applied to the Supreme Administrative Court to 
suspend the initial decision until such time as the court 
is able to consider and rule on the merits of the appeal. 
On 20 March 2013 the Court upheld this application thus 
suspending the initial decision and providing assurance 
that normal operations would be able to continue whilst 
the appeal process is underway. 

20. CoNtINGeNt LIABILItIeS AND 
CoNtINGeNt ASSetS

Contingent Liabilities

Fuel Supply

In January 2012, the Group received a letter from 
Chevron to the effect that Chevron would only be able to 
supply Diesel Fuel Oil (“DFO”) to the mine at Sukari at 
international prices rather than at local subsidised prices, 
which had the effect of adding approximately uS$150 
per ounce to the cost of production. It is understood that 
the reason that this letter was issued was that Chevron 
had received a letter instructing it to do so from the 
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (“EGPC”). 
It is further understood that EGPC itself issued this 
instruction because it had received legal advice from 
the legal Advice Department of the Council of State 
(an internal government advisory department) that the 
companies operating in the gold mining sector in Egypt 
were not entitled to such subsidies. In november, the 
Group received a further demand from Chevron for the 
repayment of fuel subsidies received during the period 
from late 2009 through to January 2012, amounting to 
EGP403 million (approximately uS$60 million at current 
exchange rates).

The Group has taken detailed legal advice on this matter 
(and, in particular, on the opinion given by the legal 
Advice Department of the Council of State) and in June 
2012 lodged an appeal against EGPC’s decision in the 
Administrative Courts. Again, the Group believes that its 
grounds for appeal are strong and that there is a good 
prospect of success. However, as a practical matter, 
and in order to ensure the continuation of supply whilst 
the matter is resolved, the Group has since January 
advanced funds to our fuel supplier, Chevron,  
based on the international price for fuel.

As at the date of this document, no decision had been 
taken by the courts regarding this matter. The Group 
remains of the view that an instant move to international 
fuel prices is not a reasonable outcome and will look 
to recover funds advanced thus far should the court 
proceeding be successfully concluded. However, 
Management recognises the practical difficulties 
associated with re-claiming funds from the government 
and for this reason have fully provided against the 
prepayment of uS$41.4 million, as an exceptional 
item. Refer to note 6 of the accompanying financial 
statements for further details on the impact of this 
exceptional provision on the Group’s results for 2012.

no provision has been made in respect of the historic 
subsidies prior to January 2012 as, based on legal advice, 
the Company believes that the prospects of a court finding 
in its favour in relation to this matter remain very strong.

121

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

Contingent Assets

There were no contingent assets at year-end 
(31 December 2011: nil).

EMRA lodged its own appeal in relation to this matter on 
27 november 2012, the day after the Company’s appeal 
was lodged. Furthermore, in late December 2012, the 
Minister of Petroleum lodged a supporting appeal and 
shortly thereafter publicly indicated that, in his view, 
the terms of the Concession Agreement were fair and 
that the “exploitation” lease was valid. The Minister of 
Petroleum also expressed support for the investment and 
expertise that Centamin brings to the country. We believe 
this demonstrates the government’s commitment to our 
investment at Sukari and the desire to stimulate further 
investment in the Egyptian mining industry.

We do not yet know when the appeal will conclude, 
although are aware of the potential for the process in 
Egypt to be lengthy. The Company has taken extensive 
legal advice on the merits of its appeal from two leading 
Egyptian law firms who have confirmed that the proper 
steps were followed with regard to the grant of the 
160km² lease.  We therefore remain of the view that 
the appeal is based on strong legal grounds and will 
ultimately be successful.  In the event that the appellate 
court fails to be persuaded of the merits of the case 
put forward by the Group, the operations at Sukari may 
be adversely effected to the extent that the companies 
operation exceeded the exploitation lease area of 3km² 
referred to in the original court decision.

The Company remains confident that normal operations 
at Sukari will be maintained whilst the appeal case  
is heard.

122

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21. SUBSIDIARIeS

The parent entity of the Group is Centamin plc, incorporated in Jersey, and the details of its subsidiaries are as follows:

Country of 
incorporation

ownership interest

31 December  
2012  
%

31 December 
2011  
%

Australia

Australia
Australia

Australia

Egypt

Egypt

united Kingdom

united Kingdom

Jersey

Jersey

Ethiopia

Bermuda

100

100
100

100

50

 50

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100
100

100

50

 50

100

100

-

-

100

100

Centamin Egypt limited

Viking Resources limited

north African Resources nl

Pharaoh Gold Mines nl

Egyptian Pharaoh Investments¹

Sukari Gold Mining Co

Centamin uK limited

Sheba Exploration Holdings limited2

Centamin Group Services limited

Centamin Holdings limited

Sheba Exploration limited

Centamin limited

¹ Dormant company.
² Previously Sheba Exploration (uK) Plc

123

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

22. AUDItoR’S ReMUNeRAtIoN

The analysis of the auditor’s remuneration is as follows:

Fees payable to the company’s auditor and their associates  
for the audit of the company’s annual accounts

Additional fees relating to the prior year*

Fees payable to the company’s auditor and their associates  
for other services to the group

- The audit of the company’s subsidiaries 

total audit fees

Non audit fees:

Audit related assurance services

Other assurance services

Tax compliance services

Tax advisory services

total non-audit fees

* Additional one-off fees incurred as a result of the re-domicile process.

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

210

191

48

449

126

-

79

122

327

231

-

-

231

-

308

90

247

645

The auditor of the Centamin plc Group of companies is Deloitte llP. During 2011 Deloitte performed tax advisory 
services for the various tax implications and considerations for the re-domicile, and for the IPO and related services.

Deloitte obtained pre-approval from the Audit Committee for performing these services and have used separate teams 
for the tax advisory services, than the team performing the audit.

The Audit Committee and the external auditor have safeguards in place to avoid the possibility that the auditor’s 
objectivity and independence could be compromised. These safeguards include the implementation of a policy  
on the use of the external auditor for non-audit related services. 

Where it is deemed that the work to be undertaken is of a nature that is generally considered reasonable to be 
completed by the auditor of the Company for sound commercial and practical reasons, the conduct of such work  
will be permissible provided that it has been pre-approved. All these services are also subject to a predefined fee limit. 
Any work performed in excess of this limit must be approved by the Audit Committee.

124

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23. JoINtLY CoNtRoLLeD eNtItIeS
The consolidated entity has material interests in the following ventures:

Name of joint venture

principal activities

percentage Interest

31 December  
2012  
%

31 December 
2011  
%

Egyptian Pharaoh Investments1

Exploration

Sukari Gold Mines

Exploration and Production

50

50

50

50

1 Dormant Company.

The Group’s interest as a joint venture partner, in the above jointly controlled entities, is detailed below. The amounts 
are included in the consolidated financial statements of the Group using the line-by-line reporting format.

Statement of financial position

Current assets

Cash 

Trade and other receivables

Inventories

Prepayments 

Non-current assets

Exploration, evaluation and development

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Statement of comprehensive income

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Other operating income 

Other operating costs

profit before income tax

Tax expenses

Net profit for the year

31 December  
2012  
US$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

32,107
40,734

94,636

289

32,100
29,976

72,631

247

167,766

134,954

32,002

32,002

53,601
53,601

426,133

(204,109)

222,024

37

4,096

226,157

-
226,157

18,699

18,699

21,639
21,639

340,479

(128,201)

212,278

700

(1,631)

211,347

-
211,347

Capital commitments arising from the Group’s interests in joint ventures are disclosed in note 19.

125

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

Through its wholly owned subsidiary, PGM, the Company 
entered into the Concession Agreement with EMRA 
and the Arab Republic of Egypt granting PGM and 
EMRA the right to explore, develop, mine and sell gold 
and associated minerals in specific concession areas 
located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. The Concession 
Agreement came into effect under Egyptian law on 
13 June 1995. 

In 2001 PGM, together with EMRA, were granted an 
Exploitation lease over 160 km2 surrounding the Sukari 
Project site. The Exploitation lease was signed by 
PGM, EMRA and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum 
and gives tenure for a period of 30 years, commencing 
24 May 2005 and extendable by PGM for an additional 
30 years upon PGM providing reasonable commercial 
justification. 

In 2006 SGM, was incorporated under the laws of Egypt. 
SGM was formed to conduct exploration, development, 
exploitation and marketing operations in accordance 
with the Concession Agreement. Responsibility for the 
day-to-day management of the Project rests with the 
General Manger, who is appointed by PGM. 

The fiscal terms of the Concession Agreement require that 
PGM solely funds the SGM. PGM is however entitled to 
recover from sales revenue recoverable costs, as defined 
in the Concession Agreement. EMRA is entitled to a share 
of SGM’s net production surplus or profit share (defined 
as revenue less payment of the fixed royalty to ARE and 
recoverable costs). As at 31 December 2012, PGMs 
has not recovered its cost and accordingly, no EMRA 
entitlement has been recognized to date, it is anticipated 
that the first payment to EMRA will become payable during 
2013, any payment made to EMRA pursuant to these 
provisions of the Concession Agreement will be recognised 
as a variable royalty charge to the income statement. 

The Concession Agreement grants certain tax 
exemptions, including the following: 

•	 From 1 April 2010, being the date of Commercial 

Production, the Sukari Project is entitled to a 15 year 
exemption from any taxes imposed by the Egyptian 
government on the revenues generated from the 
Sukari Project. PGM and EMRA intend that SGM 
will in due course file an application to extend the 
tax-free period for a further 15 years. The extension 
of the tax-free period requires that there has been 
no tax problems or disputes in the initial period and 
that certain activities in new remote areas have been 
planned and agreed by all parties; 

•	 PGM and SGM are exempt from custom taxes and 

duties with respect to the importation of machinery, 
equipment and consumable items required for the 
purpose of exploration and mining activities at the 
Sukari Project. The exemption shall only apply if 
there is no local substitution with the same of similar 
quality to the imported machinery, equipment or 
consumables. Such exemption will also be granted 
if the local substitution is more than 10% more 
expensive than the imported machinery, equipment 
or consumables after the additional of the insurance 
and transportation costs; 

•	 PGM, EMRA and SGM and their respective buyers 

will be exempt from any duties or taxes on the export 
of gold and associated minerals produced from the 
Sukari Project; 

•	 PGM at all times is free to transfer in uS dollars or 
other freely convertible foreign currency any cash 
of PGM representing its share of net proceeds and 
recovery of costs, without any Egyptian government 
limitation, tax or duty; and 

•	 PGM’s contractors and sub-contractors are entitled 
to import machinery. Equipment and consumable 
items under the “Temporary Release System” which 
provided exemption from Egyptian customs duty. 

126

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24. eARNINGS peR SHARe

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

Basic earnings per share

31 December  
2012  
Cents per Share

31 December 
2011  
Cents per Share

18.27

18.26

17.90

17.88

The earnings and weighted average number of ordinary shares used in the calculation of basic earnings per share are 
as follows:

Earnings used in the calculation of basic EPS

31 December  
2012  
$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

199,038

193,993

31 December
2012
No.

31 December
2011
No.

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of basic EPS

1,089,653,789

1,083,738,358

Diluted earnings per share

The earnings and weighted average number of ordinary shares used in the calculation of diluted earnings per share are 
as follows:

31 December  
2012  
$’000

31 December 
2011  
US$’000

Earnings used in the calculation of diluted EPS

199,038

193,993

31 December
2012
No.

31 December
2011
No.

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of diluted EPS

1,089,977,621

1,084,906,503

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of basic EPS

1,089,653,789

1,083,738,358

Shares deemed to be issued for no consideration in respect of employee options
323,832
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in the calculation of diluted EPS 1,089,977,621

1,168,145
1,084,906,503

no potential ordinary shares were excluded from the calculation of weighted average number of ordinary shares for the 
purpose of diluted earnings per share.

127

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

25. NoteS to t He StAteMeNtS oF CASH FLoWS

(a) Reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents

For the purpose of the statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents includes cash on hand and at bank  
and deposits. 

Cash and cash equivalents

31 December  
2012  
$’000

31 December 
2011  
$’000

147,133

164,231

(b) Reconciliation of profit for the year to cash flows from operating activities

profit for the year

Add/(less) non-cash items:

Depreciation/amortisation of property, plant and equipment

Stock write-off

Increase in provisions

Foreign exchange rate gain, net 

listed shares - unrealized gain

Share of loss in associate

Share based payments

Changes in working capital during the period: 

Increase in trade and other receivables

Increase in inventories

Decrease in prepayments 

Increase in trade and other payables 

Cash flows generated from operating activities

31 December  
2012  
$’000

31 December 
2011  
$’000

199,038

193,993

35,637

20

7,159

(4,320)

-

330

1,981

(10,738)

(22,005)

1,110

13,193
221,405

18,642

295

171

(584)

(93)

-

1,496

(29,870)

(34,612)

(1,116)

6,508
154,830

(c) Non-cash financing and investing activities

During the year there have been no non-cash financing and investing activities. During the prior year 3,038,631 
ordinary shares valued at uS$4.2 million and cash of uS$6.2 million totalling uS$10,413,000 as per note 13  
and were issued/paid to the owners of Sheba Exploration Holdings limited (previously, Sheba Exploration (uK) plc)  
as consideration for the acquisition of interests in four exploration licences in Ethiopia. 

128

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26. FINANCIAL INStRUMeNtS

(a) Group risk management

The Group manages its capital to ensure that entities within the Group will be able to continue as a going concern while 
maximising the return to stakeholders through the optimisation of the cash and equity balance. The Group’s overall 
strategy remains unchanged from the previous financial period.

The Group has no debt and thus not geared at year-end or in the prior year. The capital structure consists of cash 
and cash equivalents and equity attributable to equity holders of the parent, comprising issued capital and reserves 
as disclosed in notes 17 and 18. The Group operates in Australia, london, Jersey, Egypt and Ethiopia. none of the 
Group’s entities are subject to externally imposed capital requirements.

The Group utilises inflows of funds toward the ongoing exploration and development of the Sukari Gold Project in Egypt.

Categories of financial assets and liabilities:

Financial assets

Available for sale assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities

Trade and other payables

31 December  
2012  
$’000

31 December 
2011  
$’000

5,613

147,133

40,736
193,482

-

54,606
54,606

1,831

164,231

29,998
196,060

-

24,509
24,509

(b) Financial risk management and objectives

The Group’s overall risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to 
minimise potential risk adverse effects and ensure that net cash flows are sufficient to support the delivery of the 
Group’s financial targets whilst protecting future financial security. The Group continually monitors and tests its forecast 
financial position against these objectives.

The Group’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks: market; commodity; credit; liquidity; foreign exchange; 
and interest rate. These risks are managed under Board approved directives through the Audit Committee. The Group’s 
principal financial instruments comprise interest bearing cash and cash equivalents. Other financial instruments 
include trade receivables and trade payables, which arise directly from operations.

It is, and has been throughout the period under review, Group policy that no speculative trading in financial 
instruments be undertaken.

129

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

26. FINANCIAL INStRUMeNtS (continued)

(c) Market risk

The Group operates internationally and is exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from various currency exposures, 
primarily with respect to the Australian dollar. Great British pound and Egyptian pound. Exposure to Canadian dollars 
has diminished considerably when compared to prior periods. Foreign exchange risk arises from future commercial 
transactions and recognised assets and liabilities that are denominated in a currency that is not the entity’s functional 
currency. The risk is measured by regularly monitoring, forecasting and performing sensitivity analyses on the Group’s 
financial position.

Financial instruments denominated in Great British pound, Australian dollar and Egyptian pound are as follows:

Great British pound

31 
December
2012
US$’000

31 
December
2011
US$’000

Australian dollar
31 
31 
December
December
2012
2011
US$’000
US$’000

egyptian pound
31 
31 
December
December
2012
2011
US$’000
US$’000

1,055

4,062
5,117

6,585

6,585
(1,468)

3,046

-
3,046

211

211
2,835

21,963

1,550
23,513

11,361

11,361
12,152

31,567

1,831
33,398

3,648

-
3,648

7,713

-
7,713

671

6,268

27,594

671
32,727

6,268
(2,620)

27,594
(19,881)

Financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Available for sale assets

Financial liabilities

Trade and other payables 

Net exposure

The following table summarises the sensitivity of financial instruments held at the reporting date to movements in the 
exchange rate of the Great British and Egyptian pounds and Australian dollar to the united States dollar, with all other 
variables held constant. The sensitivities are based on reasonably possible changes over a financial period, using the 
observed range of actual historical rates.

uS$/GB£ increase by 10%

uS$/GB£ decrease by 10%

uS$/A$ increase by 10%

uS$/A$ decrease by 10%

uS$/E£ increase by 10%

uS$/E£ decrease by 10%

Impact on profit
31 
December
2012
US$’000

31 
December
2011
US$’000

Impact on equity
31 
31 
December
December
2012
2011
US$’000
US$’000

133

(133)

(108)

108

(1,105)
1,105

(2,961)
2,961

238

(238)

(127)

127

(155)

155

(144)
144

-

-

(108)

108

(2,961)
2,961

(127)

127

The Group’s sensitivity to foreign currency has decreased at the end of the current period mainly due to the decrease  
in foreign currency cash holdings in Australian dollars and Great British pounds and a corresponding increase  
in uS dollar cash holdings.

The Group has not entered into forward foreign exchange contracts. natural hedges are utilised wherever possible to 
offset foreign currency liabilities. The Company maintains a policy of not hedging its currency positions and maintains 
currency holdings in line with underlying requirements and commitments.

130

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(d) Commodity price risk

The Group’s future revenue forecasts are exposed to commodity price fluctuations, in particular gold prices.  
The Group has not entered into forward gold hedging contracts. 

(e) Interest rate risk

The Group’s main interest rate risk arises from cash and short term deposits and is not considered to be a material risk 
due to the short term nature of these financial instruments. Cash deposits are placed on term period of no more than 
30 days at a time.

The financial instruments exposed to interest rate risk and the Group’s exposure to interest rate risk as at balance date 
were as follows:

Weighted 
Average
effective 
Interest Rate
%

Less than 1 
month
US$’000

1-12 months 
US$’000

>12 months 
US$’000

total 
US$’000

Consolidated

31 December 2012

Financial assets

Variable interest rate instruments

0.64

non-interest bearing

Financial liabilities

Variable interest rate instruments 

non-interest bearing

-

-

-

31 December 2011

Financial assets

Variable interest rate instruments

0.75

non-interest bearing

Financial liabilities

Variable interest rate instruments 

non-interest bearing

-

-

-

33,251

48,333
81,584

-

54,606
54,606

-

16,261
16,261

-

24,323

24,323

111,898

-
111,898

-

-
-

147,970

-
147,970

-

1,346

1,346

-

-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-

-

-

-

145,149

48,333
193,482

-

54,606
54,606

147,970

16,261
164,231

-

25,669

25,669

131

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

(f) Liquidity risk 

The Group’s liquidity position is managed to ensure that sufficient funds are available to meet its financial 
commitments in a timely and cost effective manner.

ultimate responsibility or liquidity risk management rests with the Board of Directors, who has established an 
appropriate management framework for the management of the Group’s funding requirements. The Group manages 
liquidity risk by maintaining adequate cash reserves and management monitors rolling forecasts of the Group’s liquidity 
on the basis of expected cash flow. The tables above reflect a balanced view of cash inflows and outflows and shows 
the implied risk based on those values. Trade payables and other financial liabilities originate from the financing of 
assets used in the Group’s on-going operations. These assets are considered in the Group’s overall liquidity risk. 
Management continually reviews the Group liquidity position including cash flow forecasts to determine the forecast 
liquidity position and maintain appropriate liquidity levels.

Liquidity risk:

Consolidated

31 December 2012

Financial assets

Variable interest rate instruments

non-interest bearing

Financial liabilities

Variable interest rate instruments 

non-interest bearing

31 December 2011

Financial assets

Variable interest rate instruments

non-interest bearing

Financial liabilities

Variable interest rate instruments 

non-interest bearing

Less than  
1 month

1-12 months

>12 months

total

33,251

48,333

81,584

-

54,606
54,606

-

16,261
16,261

-

24,323

24,323

111,898

-

111,898

-

-
-

147,970

-
147,970

-

1,346

1,346

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-
-

-

-

-

145,149

48,333

193,482

-

54,606
54,606

147,970

16,261
164,231

-

25,670

25,670

132

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(g) Credit risk

Credit risk refers to the risk that a counter-party will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to 
the Group. The Group has adopted a policy of only dealing with credit-worthy counter-parties and obtaining sufficient 
collateral or other security where appropriate, as a means of mitigating the risk of financial loss from defaults. The Group 
measures credit risk on a fair value basis. The Group’s credit risk is concentrated on one entity, but the Group has good 
credit checks on customers and none of the trade receivables from the customer has been past due. Also, the cash 
balances held in Canadian and Australian dollars which are held with a financial institution with a high credit rating.

The gross carrying amount of financial assets recorded in the financial statements represents the Group’s maximum 
exposure to credit risk without taking account of the value of collateral or other security obtained.

(h) Fair value

The carrying amount of financial assets and financial liabilities recorded in the financial statements represents their 
respective fair values, principally as a consequence of the short term maturity thereof.

(i) Fair value measurements recognised in the statement of financial position

The following table provides an analysis of financial instruments that are measured subsequent to initial recognition at 
fair value grouped into levels 1 to 3 based on the degree to which the fair value is observable:

•	 level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical 

assets or liabilities;

•	 level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that 

are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and
•	 level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or 

liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

total

2012

Available for sale financial assets

5,613

-

2011

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Available for sale financial assets

1,831

-

There were no financial assets or liabilities subsequently measured at fair value on level 3 fair value  
measurement bases.

-

-

5,613

total

1,831

133

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

27.  SHARe BASeD pAYMeNtS

employee Share option plan (eSop)

The consolidated entity had an Employee Share Option 
Plan (ESOP) in place for executives and employees. 
Options were issued to key management personnel 
under the Employee Option Plan 2006 (previously 
the Employee Option Plan 2002) as part of their 
remuneration. Options were offered to key management 
personnel at the discretion of the Directors, having 
regard, among other things, to the length of service 
with the consolidated entity, the past and potential 
contribution of the person to the consolidated entity 
and in some cases, individual performance. Each share 
option converts into one ordinary share of the Company 
on exercise. The options carry neither rights to dividends 
nor voting rights and are not transferable. Options vest 
over a period of 12 months, with 50% vesting and 
exercisable after six months and the other 50% vesting 
and exercisable after 12 months of issue. All options 
are issued with a term of three years. At the discretion 
of the Directors part or all of the options issued to an 
executive or employee may be subject to performance 
based hurdles. no performance based hurdles have 
been applied for options granted to date. upon exercise 
of the options the ordinary shares received rank equally 
with the existing ordinary shares. no options have been 
offered under the ESOP in 2011 or 2012.

executive Directors Loan Funded Share plan 
(eDLFSp) & employee Loan Funded Share plan 
(eLFSp)

Shares were issued to Executive Directors under the 
Executive Directors loan Funded Share Plan EDlFSP 
2011 and Employees under the ElFSP as part of their 
remuneration package.

under the terms of the EDlFSP and ElFSP, the 
Company has provided a limited recourse and interest 
free loan to certain employees of the Company for the 
purpose of acquiring the new Shares (the “loan”). The 
purchase of the shares has been funded by the loan 
and the shares will not vest until certain performance 
conditions are met. In the event the performance 
conditions are not met, or the shares are forfeited by 
the participant, the Company can either re-acquire the 
shares or direct the trustee to sell them on, offsetting 
the proceeds against the outstanding loan amount 
and waiving the remainder of the loan. Subject to 
performance conditions and time based hurdles being 
met, the loan will be repayable by the relevant employee 
in full on the earlier of the termination date of the loan 
(three years from the date of issue) or the date on which 
the shares are disposed of.

Further details of the EDlFSP and ElFSP can be found 
in the notice of General Meeting for the shareholder 
meeting held on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, and full 
copies of the plan are available upon request.

Further details of the performance conditions can be 
found in the remuneration report.

 2011 employee option Scheme

Options were issued under the 2011 Option Scheme 
(EOS) made in accordance with thresholds set in plans 
approved by shareholders at the Extraordinary General 
Meeting of Shareholders on 14 December 2011. All 
employees of the Group other than directors shall be 
able to participate in the 2011 EOS. The Committee 
shall select from time to time from such group the actual 
participants in the 2011 EOS.

The 2011 EOS provides for employees (other than 
Directors) to receive up to an annual aggregate of options 
over ordinary shares, with an exercise price calculated 
by either the volume weighted average closing price of 
Ordinary Shares sold on an exchange for the five trading 
days most recently preceding the day as at which the 
market value is calculated or if market value is required 
to be determined in another manner or another amount 
for the purposes of tax legislation in another jurisdiction, 
then the value is so determined at the date of issue. 
The ability to exercise the options is conditional on the 
Group achieving its performance hurdles. For the initial 
grants to be made under the 2011 EOS it is the current 
intention that the performance criteria will be the TSR 
performance criteria as detailed in the 2011 Executive 
lFSP. Further details of the performance conditions can 
be found in the remuneration report.

under the 2011 EOS the exercise price of the options 
is denominated in pound sterling. All options expire 
on the earlier of their expiry date or termination of the 
individual’s employment. 

Deferred Bonus Share plan

During the year the Company implemented a Deferred 
Bonus Share Plan (DBSP) which is a long term share 
incentive arrangement for senior management (but not 
executive directors) and other employees (participants).

under the DBSP, the Board shall, at its absolute discretion, 
require such eligible participants to defer up to one 
hundred per cent (100%) of their bonus opportunity and 
such eligible participants shall not be paid their deferred 
bonus in cash but shall instead be granted a Deferred 
Bonus Award over such number of Shares provided that 
the eligible participant remains in employment on the 
date of grant (effectively the vesting date). The award of 
the deferred shares will not have any performance criteria 
attached. They will however be subject to a service period.

134

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The total share-based payment charge relating to Centamin plc shares for the year is split as follows:

2011 EOS

lFSP

DBSP

2012  
US$’000

2011  
US$’000

110

1,650

221
1,981

-

-

 1,496

1,496

LFSp awards and eoS options granted during the year:

The fair value of the share-based payments awarded under the lFSP and granted under the 2011 EOS was measured 
by the use of the Black and Scholes model where share-based payments have non-market based performance 
conditions. Where share-based payments are subject to market conditions, fair value was measured by the use of a 
Monte-Carlo simulation. The Monte-Carlo simulation has been used to model the Company’s share prices against the 
performance of the chosen comparator group and the FTSE 250 at the relevant vesting dates. 

The assumptions used in these are set out below:

LFSp 2012

eoS 2012(1)

05-Apr
35-40

750,000

0.6380

0.6754

1-3

51.67%

0.41%-
0.52%
0%

100%

15-Aug
41-46

21-Mar
21-25

800,000

8,742,500

0.6950

1.2590

0.6823

1-3

51.48%

0.18%-
0.25%
0%

100%

1.2590

1-3

50.08%

0.78%-
1.65%
0%

100%

LFSp 2011

21-Jun
26-29

825,000

1.1710

1.1710

1-3

47.05%

0.56%-
1.13%
0%

100%

30-Sep
30

400,000

1.1710

1.1710

1-3

47.05%

1.13%

0%

100%

Date of Grant
Series number

05-Apr
31-34

number of Instruments 5,100,000

Share price at date of 
Grant (£)
Exercise price (£)

Vesting conditions(2)

0.6380

0.6754

1-3

Expected volatility(3)

51.67%

0.41%-
0.52%
0%

100%

Risk Free interest rate(4)  

Expected departures

Expected outcomes of 
meeting performance 
targets at grant date
FV at grant date 
(weighted average) (£)

0.2022

0.1300

0.1939

0.4364

0.3134

0.3842

(1) There were no options granted under the 2011 EOS during 2011.
(2) Variable vesting dependent on one to three years of continuous employment and, for certain series, market based performance conditions  

being achieved.

(3) The expected volatility of Centamin and each company in the chosen comparator group and the FTSE 250 Index Companies (FTSE 250) has been 

calculated using approximately 2 years of historical price data.

(4) The expected rate of return used in the valuations for Centamin and other uK comparator companies was set to equal the uK government bond 

rate with a yield-to-maturity that is equivalent to the tenor of the Options. When modelling the share price of Canadian comparator companies, the 
Canadian government bond rate was used.

135

 
Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

27.  SHARe BASeD pAYMeNtS (CoNtINUeD)

Deferred share awards granted during the year:

Grant date 

number of instruments

Share price at grant date £

Share price at grant date uS$

Vesting period (years) (1)

Expected dividend yield (%) 

Fair value (£) (2)

Fair value (uS$) (2)

DBSp 2012

11 October 2012

1,000,000

1.0060

1.6265

1-3

n/a

1.0060

1.6265

(1) Variable vesting dependent on one to three years of continuous employment.
(2) The fair value of shares in the DBSP was calculated by using the closing share price on grant date, converted at the closing £:uS$ foreign 

exchange rate on that day, no other factors were taken into account in determining the fair value.

The following table reconciles the outstanding share options granted under the Employee Share Option Plan at the 
beginning and end of the reporting period:

31 December 2012
US$ 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

Number of 
options

31 December 2011
US$ 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

Number of 
options

1,630,150

1.20

3,325,150

1.2432

-

-

-

Balance at beginning of the period

Granted during the period (a)

Expired/lapsed during the period (b)

(1,630,150)

1.9228

(350,000)

Exercised during the period

Balance at the end of the period (c)

Exercisable at the end of the period

-
-

-

-
-

-

(1,345,000)
1,630,150

1,630,150

-

1.8658

1.1334
1.20

1.20

The following table reconciles the outstanding share options granted under 2011 Employee Option Scheme, at the 
beginning and end of the reporting period:

31 December 2012
US$ 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

Number of 
options

31 December 2011
US$ 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

Number of 
options

-

1,550,000

(150,000)

-
1,400,000

1,400,000

-

1.0718

1.0730

-
1.0716

1.0716

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

Balance at beginning of the period

Granted during the period (a)

Expired/lapsed during the period (b)

Exercised during the period

Balance at the end of the period (c)

Exercisable at the end of the period

136

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The following reconciles the outstanding share options granted under the EDlFSP and ElFSP at the beginning and end 
of the reporting period:

31 December 2012
US$ 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

Number of 
options

31 December 2011
US$ 
Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

Number of 
options

Balance at beginning of the period 

Granted during the period (a)

7,472,222

2.00547

-

-

5,100,000

1.0730

9,967,500

 2.01195

Expired/lapsed during the period (b)

(2,435,000)

1.8169

(2,495,278)

2.03138

Exercised during the period

Balance at the end of the period (c)

Exercisable at the end of the period

-
10,137,222

275,000

-
1.5808

1.9435

-
7,472,222

-

-
2.00547

-

The following reconciles the outstanding share awards granted under the DBSP at the beginning and end of the 
reporting period:

Balance at beginning of the period 

Granted during the period 

Expired/lapsed during the period 

Exercised during the period

Balance at the end of the period

Exercisable at the end of the period

31 December 
2012
Number of 
awards

31 December 
2011
Number of 
awards

-

1,000,000

-

-
1,000,000

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

28.  KeY MANAGeMeNt peRSoNNeL CoMpeNSAtIoN

Key management personal are persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the 
activities of the Group, directly or indirectly, including any director (executive or otherwise) of the Group.

The aggregate compensation made to key management personnel of the consolidated entity and the Company is set 
out below:

Short-term employee benefits

long-term employee benefits

Post-employment benefits

Share-based payments

Total

Consolidated

31 December  
2012  
US$

31 December 
2011  
US$

7,916,848

2,257,547

116,226

78,295

1,209,491
9,320,860

40,216

33,215

1,495,506
3,826,484

137

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

29. ReLAteD pARtY tRANSACtIoNS

a) equity interests in related parties

equity interests in subsidiaries

Details of the percentage of ordinary shares held in subsidiaries are disclosed in note 21.

equity interests in associates and joint ventures

Details of interests in joint ventures are disclosed in note 23.

b) Key management personnel compensation

Details of key management personnel compensation are disclosed below.

c) Key management personnel equity holdings

The details of the movement in key management personnel equity holdings of fully paid ordinary shares  
in Centamin plc during the financial period are as follows:

31 December 2012

Balance at
1 January 
2012(2)

Granted as 
remuneration
(LFSp)

Granted as 
remuneration
 (DBSp)

Received on 
exercise of 
options

Net other 
change(1)

Balance at
31 December 
2012

Balance held 
nominally

J El-Raghy 

T Schultz

G Haslam

M Arnesen

M Bankes

K Tomlinson

P louw

A Pardey

H Brown

C Aujard

Y El-Raghy

A Davidson

71,445,086

1,000,000

50,000

15,000

60,000

-

637,500

775,000

475,000
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

600,000

510,000

500,000

500,000

-
-

-

-

510,000

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

(500,000) 70,945,086

30,000

1,030,000

52,056

102,056

-

30,000

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

15,000

90,000

-

1,737,500

1,785,000

475,000
-

510,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

138

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29. ReLAteD pARtY tRANSACtIoNS 

c) Key management personnel equity holdings (continued)

31 December 2011

Balance at
1 January 
2011(2)

Granted as 
remuneration
(LFSp)

Granted as 
remuneration
 (DBSp)

Received on 
exercise of 
options

Net other 
change (1)

Balance at
31 December 
2011

Balance held 
nominally

J El-Raghy 

69,195,086

1,000,000

H Michael

T Schultz

C Cowden

H Bottomley

G Haslam

M Arnesen

M Bankes

K Tomlinson

P louw

M DiSilvio

H Brown

C Aujard

Y El-Raghy

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

1,000,000

-

-

-

-

-

-
600,000

-

250,000

225,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,250,000 71,445,086

-

-

1,000,000 (1,000,000) 1,000,000

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

50,000

15,000

60,000

-
37,500

-

-

-

-

-

-

50,000

15,000

60,000

-
637,500

-

475,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

(1) ‘net other change’ relates to the on market acquisition or disposal of fully paid ordinary share, including the forfeiture of shares awarded under the 

lFSP and DBSP.

(2) includes shares held under lFSP/DBSP

139

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

for the year ended  31 December 2012

d) Key management personnel share option holdings 

The details of the movement in key management personnel options to acquire ordinary shares in Centamin plc are as 
follows:

31 December 2012

Balance at
1 January 
2012

Granted as 
remuneration

exercised

other 
changes

Balance 
vested 
during the 
financial 
period

Balance 
vested and 
exercisable 
at 31 
December 
2012

Balance at
31 
December 
2012

J El-Raghy 

T Schultz

G Haslam

M Arnesen

M Bankes

K Tomlinson

P louw

A Pardey

H Brown

C Aujard

Y El-Raghy

A Davidson

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
600,000

-

500,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
600,000

-

500,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

31 December 2011

Balance at
1 January 
2011

Granted as 
remuneration

exercised

other 
changes

Balance 
vested 
during the 
financial 
period

Balance 
vested and 
exercisable 
at 31 
December 
2011

Balance at
31 
December 
2011

J El-Raghy

H Michael

C Cowden

H Bottomley

T Schultz

G Haslam

M Arnesen

M Bankes

K Tomlinson

P louw

M Di Silvio

H Brown

C Aujard

Y El-Raghy

-

-

-

-

1,000,000

-

-

-

-
-

475,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(1,000,000)

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

(125,000)

(350,000)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

Apart from the details disclosed in this note, no key management personnel has entered into a material contract with 
the Company or the economic entity since the end of the previous financial year and there were no material contracts 
involving key management personnel interests at year-end.

140

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30. SUBSeQUeNt eVeNtS

As referred to in note 20, the Group is involved in  
on-going litigation in respect of the both the price at 
which Diesel Fuel Oil is supplied to the mine at Sukari 
and the validity of the 160km2 exploitation lease.  

Subsequent to year end the Company acquired  
a further interest in nyota Minerals limited and Sahar 
Minerals limited for uS$1,163,969 and uS$500,000 
respectively.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Concession Agreement, 
any Profit Share payments made to EMRA are due on 
an annual basis at the end of SGM’s financial year, 
being 30 June.  Based on the Company’s calculation 
there was no Profit Share due to EMRA as at 30 June 
2012.  Furthermore, it is expected that there will be 
Profit Share due to EMRA for the current SGM financial 
year ending 30 June 2013, based on budgeted 
production, gold price and operating expense forecasts.  
Following discussions with EMRA, and with a view to 
demonstrating goodwill toward the Egyptian government, 
subsequent to year end PGM has made an advance 
payment to EMRA of uS$8,200,000. Calculations 
for Profit Share will be done annually on the audited 
accounts of SGM and this advance payment will be 
netted off against any future Profit Share that becomes 
payable to EMRA.  

There were no other significant events occurring  
after the reporting date requiring disclosure in the  
Financial Statements.

e)  other transactions with key management 

personnel

The related party transactions for the year ended 
31 December 2012 are summarised below:

Mr J El-Raghy is a director and shareholder of  
El-Raghy Kriewaldt Pty ltd (“El-Raghy Kriewaldt”). 
El-Raghy Kriewaldt provides office premises to the 
Company. All dealings with El-Raghy Kriewaldt are  
in the ordinary course of business and on normal 
terms and conditions. Rent and office outgoings 
paid to El-Raghy Kriewaldt during the period were 
A$21,499 or uS$22,103 (31 December 2011: 
A$33,480 or uS$32,192).

Mr C Cowden, a non-Executive Director until his 
resignation on 26 May 2011, was also a director 
and shareholder of Cowden limited, which provided 
insurance broking services to the Company.  
All dealings with Cowden limited were on normal 
terms and conditions. Cowden limited was paid 
A$2,293 or uS$2,397 during the period for which 
Mr C Cowden was a related party during the year 
ended 31 December 2011, with A$ 11,815 or 
uS$12,349 paid to Cowden limited to be passed  
on to underwriters for premiums during the period  
for which Mr C Cowden was a related party during 
the year ended 31 December 2011.

f) transactions with the Government of egypt

Royalty costs attributable to the Government of Egypt  
of uS$12,769,084 (2011: uS$13,360,000) were 
incurred in 2012.

g) transactions with other related parties

Other related parties include the parent entity, 
subsidiaries, and other related parties.

During the prior financial period, the Company 
recognised tax payable in respect of the tax liabilities 
of its wholly owned subsidiaries. Payments to/from the 
Company are made in accordance with terms of the 
tax funding arrangement. 

During the financial period the Company provided 
funds to and received funding from subsidiaries.

All amounts advanced to related parties are 
unsecured. no expense has been recognised in the 
period for bad or doubtful debts in respect of amounts 
owed by related parties.

Transactions and balances between the Company and 
its subsidiaries were eliminated in the preparation of 

consolidated financial statements of the Group.

141

Glossary

assay 

grade 

qualitative analysis of ore to determine its components

Au 

chemical symbol for the element gold

Board 

the Board of Directors of the Group

DBSp 

Deferred Bonus Share Plan

Directors

relative quantity or the percentage of ore mineral or 
metal content in an ore bodyIndicated Resource as 
defined in the JORC Code, is that part of a mineral 
resource which has been sampled by drill holes, 
underground openings or other sampling procedures  
at locations that are too widely spaced to ensure 
continuity but close enough to give a reasonable 
indication of continuity and where geoscientific data  
is known with a reasonable degree of reliability.  
An indicated mineral resource will be based on more 
data and therefore will be more reliable than an inferred 
resource estimate

the Directors of the Board of Centamin plc

Inferred Resource

dump leach 

a process used for the recovery of metal ore from 
typically weathered low-grade ore. Blasted material is 
laid on a slightly sloping, impervious pad and uniformly 
leached by the percolation of the leach liquor trickling 
through the beds by gravity to ponds. The metals are 
recovered by conventional methods from the solution 

eDLFSp

Executive Director loan Funded Share Plan

eLFSp

Employee loan Funded Share Plan

eSop

Employee Share Option Plan

eoS

Employee Option Share Plan

Feasibility Study 

as defined in the JORC Code, is that part of a mineral 
resource for which the tonnage and grade and mineral 
content can be estimated with a low level of confidence. 
It is inferred from the geological evidence and has 
assumed but not verified geological and/or grade 
continuity. It is based on information gathered through 
the appropriate techniques from locations such as 
outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes which 
may be limited or of uncertain quality and reliability

JoRC 

Joint Ore Reserves Committee of the Australasian 
Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute  
of Geoscientists and the Minerals Council of Australia

Material tailings 

material that remains after all metals/minerals 
considered economic have been removed from the ore

mill 

equipment used to grind crushed rocks to the desired 
size for mineral extraction 

mineralisation 

extensive technical and financial study to assess  
the commercial viability of a project

process of formation and concentration of elements and 
their chemical compounds within a mass or body of rock 

flotation 

mineral processing technique used to separate mineral 
particles in a slurry, by causing them to selectively 
adhere to a froth and float to the surface

g/t 

gram per metric tonne

mtpa 

million tonnes per annum

net production surplus or profit share

revenue less payment of the 3% royalty to Arab Republic 
of Egypt ‘ARE’ and recoverable costsopen pit large scale 
hard rock surface mine

142
142

A n n u a l
A n n u a l

  R e p o r
  R e p o r

t
t

  2 0 1 2
  2 0 1 2

open pit

large scale hard rock surface mine

ore 

recovery 

proportion of valuable material obtained in the 
processing of an ore, stated as a percentage 

mineral deposit that can be extracted and marketed 
profitably

resource 

ore body 

mining term to define a solid mass of mineralised 
rock that can be mined profitably under current or 
immediately foreseeable economic conditions

ore reserve 

the economically mineable part of a Measured or 
Indicated mineral resource. It includes diluting materials 
and allowances for losses which may occur when the 
material is mined. Appropriate assessments, which 
may include feasibility studies, have been carried 
out, and include consideration of and modification by 
realistically assumed mining, metallurgical, economic, 
marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental 
factors. These assessments demonstrate at the time of 
reporting that extraction could be reasonably justified. 
Ore reserves are sub-divided in order of increasing 
confidence into Probable and Proven

concentration or occurrence of material of intrinsic 
economic interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such  
a form that there are reasonable prospects for eventual 
economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade 
geological characteristics and continuity of a mineral 
resource are known, estimated or interpreted from 
specific geological evidence and knowledge. Mineral 
resources are subdivided into Inferred, Indicated and 
Measured categories

stockpile 

an accumulation of ore or mineral formed to create  
a reserve for loading or when demand slackens or when 
the process plant is unequal to handling mine output

strip ratio 

the unit amount of spoil or waste that must be removed 
to gain access to a similar unit of ore or mineral 

ounce or oz 

troy ounce (= 31.1035 grams)

probable

measured and/or indicated mineral resources which are 
not yet proven, but where technical economic studies 
show that extraction is justifiable at the time of the 
determination and under specific economic conditions

production

Total attributable gold production, as stated throughout 
this document, is comprised of 100% of production from 
the Group’s subsidiaries 

proven

measured mineral resources, where technical economic 
studies show that extraction is justifiable at the time 
of the determination and under specific economic 
conditions

143

CeNt

C E N T A M I N

A M I N  pL C

Incorporated and registered 
in Jersey with registered 
number 109180

CoNtACt DetAILS

ReGISteReD oFFICe 
Centamin plc, Ogier House,  
The Esplanade, St Helier  
Jersey, JE4 9WG

JeRSeY 
level 2 
2 Mulcaster Street 
St Helier 
Jersey JE2 3nJ 
Tel: +44 1534 8287 00 
Fax: + 44 1534 7319 46

eGYpt
361 EI-Horreya Road, Sedi Gaber 
Alexandria, Egypt 
T: +203 5411 259 
F: +203 5226 350

UNIteD KINGDoM
14 Berkeley Street, london 
W1J 8DX, uK 
T: +44 20 7569 1670 
F: +44 20 4709 1432

AUStRALIA
57 Kishorn Road, Mount Pleasant 
Western Australia 6153 
T: +61 8 9316 2640 
F: +61 8 9316 2650