Hi,
I am prepared to stick my neck out here, and go as far as saying that, if STO is pushed and shoved into a corner, and smells that there could be a NO vote looming, they might allow ESG to pay a special dividend out of the cash they have left on hand. It has happened before, so I can't see as to why it cannot happen again.
But, as it is all a big guess, please DYOR.