Despite AVZ's claims of ongoing talks with high ranking DRC officials for the past year, it seems like the lines of communication might've gone dead ages ago. From the DRC's point of view, Nigel, Graeme, and the gang have rubbed them up the wrong way, making any talk of an MOU just hot air from AVZ. And with Graeme's legal trouble, they probably see him more as a criminal than a business connection.
I'm not saying the DRC would be correct with their judgments, but we have to understand their perspective for possible reasons of why things never moved forward. Keeping the same old faces that the DRC has beef against wasn't exactly the recipe for a breakthrough. When one side's giving you the cold shoulder and communication has ceased, getting an MOU, or any kind of deal on the table was highly unlikely.
I'm not sure who could have stepped in, but having a few seasoned shareholders at the helm would likely have been a better bet than sticking with individuals the DRC wouldn't even engage with.
AVZ Price at posting:
78.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Held