SABESP Has Not Yet Obtained from the Public Attorney's Office the Final Calculation of the Retirement and Pension Benefits Paid
September 21 2009 - 8:04PM
PR Newswire (US)
SAO PAULO, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Companhia de
Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo - SABESP (BM&FBovespa:
SBSP3; NYSE: SBS) (the "Company"), one of the largest water and
sewage services providers in the world based on the number of
customers, hereby informs that the Public Attorney's Office of the
State of Sao Paulo (the "Public Attorney's Office) have not yet
delivered its final interpretation regarding the calculation and
eligibility criteria applicable to the outstanding debt owed by the
State of Sao Paulo (the "State) to the Company in respect of
supplemental retirement and pension benefits (the "Benefits") that
the Company paid on behalf of the State to the former employees of
the State-owned companies which merged to form the Company. We
expected to have received it by August 20, 2009. We have been
closely monitoring the Public Attorney's Office's analysis of this
issue and we expect to receive this final interpretation soon, but
the Public Attorney Office did not set a new date to issue its
final interpretation. As previously informed, once the Public
Attorney's Office issues a final interpretation of the calculation
and eligibility criteria applicable to the Benefits and the Company
is able to finalize the discussions with the State regarding the
portion of the outstanding debt owed by the State to the Company
that remains unsettled, totaling R$409.1 million (this amount does
not include certain applicable adjustments) as of December 31, 2008
(the "Unsettled Amount"), the Company expects that its independent
auditors will have a more current determination so as to assess
their previously issued opinion qualification in their report for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. However, the Company
cannot assure that based on the new facts its independent auditors
will be able to issue a report without the qualification for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. In light of the above and of
the information provided in the Form 12b-25 filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission on July 1st, 2009, the Company
will continue to monitor and assess all the developments in
relation to its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2008, but, at this stage, is not in a position
to determine when it will be able to file. DATASOURCE: Companhia de
Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo CONTACT: IR Contact: Mario
Arruda Sampaio, 5511 3388-8664, , or Angela Beatriz Airoldi, 5511
3388-8793, , both of Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de
Sao Paulo
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