APEX SILVER MINES LIMITED 2,292,526 Ordinary Shares PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT

QuickLinks -- Click here to rapidly navigate through this document

EXHIBIT 1.1

APEX SILVER MINES LIMITED

2,292,526 Ordinary Shares

PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT

February 12, 2004

Sunrise Securities Corp.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Apex Silver Mines Limited, a Cayman Islands company (the "Company"), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell 2,292,526 ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share (the "Ordinary Shares"), to certain investors (collectively, the "Investors"). The Company desires to engage as its placement agent Sunrise Securities Corp. (the "Placement Agent") in connection with such issuance and sale. The 2,292,526 Ordinary Shares to be sold (the "Shares") are described more fully in the Registration Statement (as hereinafter defined).

The Company hereby confirms as follows its agreements with the Placement Agent:

1. Agreement to Act as Placement Agent. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained and subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Placement Agent agrees to act as the Company's exclusive placement agent in connection with the issuance and sale, on a best efforts basis, by the Company of the Shares to the Investors. Upon the occurrence of the Closing (as hereinafter defined), the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent 5.0% of the total gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Shares as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus (as hereinafter defined). The Placement Agent may engage one or more subagents in connection with the offering.

2. Delivery and Payment. At 12:00 p.m., New York City time, on February 18, 2004 or at such other time on such other date as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Placement Agent (such date is hereinafter referred to as the "Closing Date"), (i) each of the Investors will wire to the Company in accordance with the wire instructions set forth in the subscription agreement delivered to each Investor an amount equal to the price per Share as shown on the cover page of the Prospectus multiplied by the number of Shares to be purchased by such Investor, and (ii) the Company will notify the Placement Agent whether the Investors have deposited in the Company's account funds in the amount of $49,999,992, which represents the proceeds of the sale of all of the Shares offered hereby (the "Requisite Funds"). On the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver the Shares to the Investors, which delivery may be made through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company. The closing of the sale of the Shares to the Investors (the "Closing") shall take place at the office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000. All actions taken at the Closing shall be deemed to have occurred simultaneously.

Certificates evidencing the Shares shall be in definitive form and shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Placement Agent shall request by written notice to the Company.

3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Placement Agent that:

(a) Registration Statement. The Company has filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a "shelf" registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-76181) (the "first registration statement"), a "shelf" registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-33642) (the "second registration statement"), and registration statements under the Act pursuant to Rule 462(b) that are related to the first registration statement and the second registration statement, respectively (the "462(b) registration statements," and together with the first registration statement and the second registration statement, collectively, the "registration statement"), which have become effective, relating to the Ordinary Shares and certain other securities of the Company, under the Act, and the rules and regulations (collectively referred to as the "Rules and Regulations") of the Commission promulgated thereunder. The registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the exhibits and information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 434(d) under the Act, is hereinafter referred to as the "Registration Statement." No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and, to the Company's knowledge, no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission. The Company proposes to file the Prospectuses (as defined below) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations. The Prospectuses, in the form in which they are to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations, are hereinafter referred to as the "Prospectus," except that if any revised prospectuses or prospectus supplements shall be provided to the Placement Agent by the Company for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares which differs from the Prospectus (whether or not such revised prospectus or prospectus supplement is required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations), the term "Prospectus" shall be deemed to include such revised prospectuses or prospectus supplements, as the case may be, from and after the time it is first provided to the Placement Agent for such use. Any reference herein to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 which were filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), on or before the last to occur of the effective date of the Registration Statement, or the date of the Prospectus, and any reference herein to the terms "amend," "amendment" or "supplement" with respect to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include (i) the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of the Prospectus, as the case may be, and on or before the Closing Date, which is incorporated therein by reference and (ii) any such document so filed.

(b) Registration Statement and Prospectus. When the Registration Statement became effective, upon the filing or first delivery to the Investors of the Prospectus, as of the date hereof, and at the Closing Date, the Registration Statement (and any post-effective amendment thereto) and the Prospectus (as amended or as supplemented if the Company shall have filed with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus), complied and will comply in all material respects with the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, in the case of the Prospectus) not misleading, and each Preliminary Prospectus, as of the date filed with the Commission, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; except that no representation or warranty is made in this Section 3(b) with respect to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Placement Agent expressly for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, as stated in Section 7(b) hereof. The Company has not distributed any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares, other than the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(c) Subsidiaries. The subsidiaries listed on Schedule 1 to this Agreement (the "Subsidiaries") are the only significant subsidiaries of the Company. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock of each of the Subsidiaries free and clear of any lien, charge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal or other restriction, and all the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Subsidiaries are validly issued and are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive and similar rights.

(d) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply with the applicable requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their consolidated cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby (except as otherwise stated therein and subject, in the case of unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year end adjustments), and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein; and the other financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its Subsidiaries and presents fairly the information shown thereby.

(e) No Material Adverse Change. Except as set forth in or otherwise contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and prior to Closing, (i) there has not been and will not have been any change in the capital stock of the Company (except for changes in the number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares of the Company due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of stock options or the sale of shares pursuant to the Company's employee stock purchase plan) or long-term debt of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (except for payments made in the ordinary course of business) or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity, or results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole (a "Material Adverse Change"); (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has entered or will enter into any transaction or agreement, not in the ordinary course of business, that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred or will incur any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business, that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has sustained or will sustain any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(f) Organization. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are, and at the Closing Date will be, duly organized, validly existing as a corporation and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are, and will be at the Closing Date, duly qualified as a foreign corporation for transaction of business and in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have, and at the Closing Date will have, all corporate power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct their respective businesses as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on or affecting the business, properties, management, consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries taken as a whole (a "Material Adverse Effect").

(g) Capitalization. The issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and, other than as disclosed in or contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, are not subject to any preemptive or similar rights. The Company has an authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as of the dates referred to therein (other than the grant of additional options under the Company's existing stock option plans, or changes in the number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares of the Company due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise or conversion of securities exercisable for, or convertible into, shares of Ordinary Shares outstanding on the date hereof) and such authorized capital stock conforms to the description thereof set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The description of the securities of the Company in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is, and at the Closing Date will be, complete and accurate in all material respects. Except as disclosed in or contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as of the date referred to therein, the Company did not have outstanding any options to purchase, or any rights or warrants to subscribe for, or any securities or obligations convertible into, or exchangeable for, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell, any shares of capital stock or other securities.

(h) Due Authorization and Enforceability. The Company has full legal power and authority to enter into this Agreement and any subscription agreement with the Investors (together, the "Transaction Documents") and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The Transaction Documents have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except as rights to indemnity and contribution thereunder may be limited by federal or state securities laws and matters of public policy and except as such enforceability may be subject to the effect of applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

(i) The Shares. The Shares have been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued and delivered and paid for as provided herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Shares is not subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

(j) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or of any of its Subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(k) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale by the Company of the Shares and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or AMEX (including the provisions of Section 713 of the Amex Company Guide), except, in the case of each of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(l) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or AMEX is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale by the Company of the Shares and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, except for the registration of the Shares under the Act and as have otherwise been obtained under the Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required under applicable state securities laws or by the by-laws and rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") in connection with the distribution of the Shares by the Placement Agent.

(m) Legal Proceedings. There are no legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings pending, nor, to the Company's knowledge, any legal, governmental or regulatory investigations pending, to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or its Subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents; to the Company's knowledge, no such actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings that are required under the Act to be described in the Prospectus that are not so described; and (ii) there are no contracts or other documents that are required under the Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not so filed.

(n) Independent Accountants. PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries, are independent public accountants (the "Accountants") with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries as required by the Act.

(o) Title to Real and Personal Property. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted.

(p) Title to Intellectual Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service xxxx registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) (collectively, the "Intellectual Property"), necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as conducted as of the date hereof, except to the extent that the failure to own or possess adequate rights to use such Intellectual Property would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company and its Subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim of infringement or conflict which asserted Intellectual Property rights of others, which infringement or conflict, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(q) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the other, which is required by the Act to be disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and is not so disclosed.

(r) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

(s) Taxes. The Company and its Subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns which have been required to be filed and paid all taxes shown thereon through the date hereof, to the extent that such taxes have become due and are not being contested in good faith (except as would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect); and, except as otherwise disclosed in or contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

(t) Licenses and Permits. The Company and its Subsidiaries possess or have obtained all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as presently conducted as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (the "Permits"), except where the failure to possess, obtain or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as disclosed in or contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received written notice of any proceeding relating to revocation or modification of any such Permit or has any reason to believe that such Permit will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where such revocation or modification of any such Permit or the failure to obtain any such renewal would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(u) No Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(v) Compliance With Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, decisions and orders relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, "Environmental Laws"); (ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; and (iii) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except, in the case of any of clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above, for any such failure to comply or failure to receive required permits, licenses, or other approvals or any such liability as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(w) Compliance With ERISA. Each material employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), that is maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any of its affiliates for employees or former employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"); no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred which would result in a material liability to the Company with respect to any such plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; and for each such plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no "accumulated funding deficiency" as defined in Section 412 of the Code has been incurred, whether or not waived, and the fair market value of the assets of each such plan (excluding for these purposes accrued but unpaid contributions) exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such plan determined using reasonable actuarial assumptions.

(x) Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act Compliance. The principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company have made all certifications required by the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the "Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act"), and the statements contained in any such certification were complete and accurate as of the dates made. The Company maintains "disclosure controls and procedures" (as defined in Rule 13a-14(c) under the Exchange Act), and such controls and procedures are designed (i) to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission's rules and forms and (ii) to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company does not have any material weaknesses in internal controls, and there has been no fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company's internal control over financial reporting. The Company is otherwise in compliance in all respects with all applicable effective provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission (and intends to comply with all applicable provisions that are not yet effective upon effectiveness), except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(y) Accounting Controls. The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain systems of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability of assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(z) Insurance. The Company and its Subsidiaries carry, or are covered by, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as the Company reasonably believes are adequate for the conduct of its businesses as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and the value of its properties or as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries.

(aa) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has at any time during the last five years (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution to any candidate for public office; or (ii) made any payment to any federal or state government officer or official or other person charged with similar public duties, other than payments required or permitted by the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction thereof.

(bb) No Broker's Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the Placement Agent for a brokerage commission, finder's fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.

(cc) No Registration Rights. No person has the right to require the Company or its Subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or by reason of the issuance and sale of the Shares, except for rights which have been waived.

(dd) No Stabilization. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares, including any action in violation of Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

(ee) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) (a "Forward Looking Statement") contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith. The Forward Looking Statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus from the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ending on March 31, 2003, June 30, 2003 and September 30, 2003 and Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 12, 2003 (i) are within the coverage of the safe harbor for forward looking statements set forth in Section 27A of the Act, Rule 175(b) under the Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act or Rule 3b-6 under the Exchange Act, as applicable, (ii) were made by the Company with a reasonable basis and in good faith and reflect the Company's good faith reasonable best estimate of the matters described therein, and (iii) have been prepared in accordance with Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Act.

(ff) Contracts. All contracts to which the Company and its Subsidiaries are a party have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, constitute valid and binding agreements of the Company, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the counterparties thereto, and are enforceable against the Company in accordance with the terms thereof, subject to the effect of applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally and equitable principles of general applicability, except as would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

(gg) Certificates. No statement, representation or warranty made in the certificate to be delivered to the Placement Agent pursuant to Section 6(g) below will be, when made, inaccurate, untrue or incorrect in any material respect.

(hh) Pre-1992 Form S-3 Eligibility. The Company satisfies the pre-1992 eligibility requirements for the use of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 in connection with the Offering contemplated thereby (the pre-1992 eligibility requirements for the use of the Registration Statement on Form S-3 include (i) having a non-affiliate, public common equity float of at least $150 million or a non-affiliate, public common equity float of at least $100 million and annual trading volume of at least three million shares and (ii) having been subject to the Exchange Act reporting requirements for a period of 36 months).

(ii) AMEX Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Shares will have been approved for listing at Closing, subject to official notice of issuance, on the American Stock Exchange ("AMEX") and shall be issued in compliance with the rules and regulations of AMEX. The Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from AMEX to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of AMEX. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements, including the requirements with respect to the composition of the Company's board of directors and committees of the board of directors.

(jj) Mining Experts. The Company's independent technical consultants Mine Reserves Associates, Inc., who has affirmed and verified the proven and probable ore reserves located at the San Xxxxxxxxx Project and as set forth in or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus are experts (as such term is used in Section 11(b)(3) of the Act) in the field of mining engineering and will have consented by Closing to being named in the Registration Statement.

4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with the Placement Agent that:

(a) Effectiveness. The Registration Statement has become effective, and if Rule 430A is used or the filing of the Prospectus is otherwise required under Rule 424(b), the Company will file the Prospectus (properly completed if Rule 430A has been used) pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the prescribed time period and will provide a copy of such filing to the Placement Agent promptly following such filing.

(b) Amendments or Supplements. The Company will not, during such period as the Prospectus would be required by law to be delivered in connection with sales of the Shares by an underwriter or dealer in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, except as required by law, unless a copy thereof shall first have been submitted to the Placement Agent within a reasonable period of time prior to the filing thereof and the Placement Agent shall not have reasonably objected thereto in good faith.

(c) Notice to Placement Agent. The Company will notify the Placement Agent promptly, and will, if requested, confirm such notification in writing, (1) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective, but only during the period mentioned in Section 4(b); (2) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information relating to or in connection with the sale of the Shares, but only during the period mentioned in Section 4(b); (3) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose or the threat thereof, but only during the period mentioned in Section 4(b); (4) of becoming aware of the occurrence of any event during the period mentioned in Section 4(b) that in the judgment of the Company makes any statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they are made, not misleading; and (5) of receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale in any jurisdiction. If at any time the Commission shall issue any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement in connection with the offering contemplated hereby, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain the withdrawal of any such order at the earliest possible moment. If the Company has omitted any information from the Registration Statement, pursuant to Rule 430A, it will use its best efforts to comply with the provisions of and make all requisite filings with the Commission pursuant to said Rule 430A and to notify the Placement Agent promptly of all such filings.

(d) Ongoing Compliance of the Prospectus. If, at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Shares is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company becomes aware of the occurrence of any event as a result of which the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would, in the reasonable judgment of counsel to the Company, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or the Registration Statement, as then amended or supplemented, would, in the reasonable judgment of counsel to the Company, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or if for any other reason it is necessary, in the reasonable judgment of counsel to the Company or counsel to the Placement Agent, at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus or the Registration Statement to comply with the Act or the Rules and Regulations, the Company will promptly notify the Placement Agent and, subject to Section 4(b) hereof, will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, at the Company's expense, an amendment to the Registration Statement or an amendment or supplement to the Prospectus that corrects such statement or omission or effects such compliance and will deliver to the Placement Agent, without charge, copies thereof in compliance with Section 4(e) below. The Company consents to the use of the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto by the Placement Agent, and the Placement Agent agrees to provide to each Investor, prior to the Closing, a copy of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto.

(e) Delivery of Copies. The Company will furnish to the Placement Agent and its counsel, without charge in New York City (i) at its request, one copy of the Registration Statement, including financial statements and schedules, and all exhibits thereto and (ii) so long as a prospectus relating to the Shares is required to be delivered under the Act, as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto as the Placement Agent may reasonably request.

(f) Compliance with Undertakings. The Company will comply with all of the undertakings contained in the Registration Statement.

(g) Blue Sky Compliance. Prior to the sale of the Shares to the Investors, the Company will cooperate with the Placement Agent and its counsel in connection with the registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under the state securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Placement Agent may reasonably request; provided, that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action which would subject it to general service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the offering and sale of the Shares in the manner set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds."

(i) AMEX. The Company will use its best efforts to ensure that the Shares are listed and quoted on the AMEX at the time of the Closing.

(j) Compliance with Laws. The Company will comply in all material respects with all applicable securities and other applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act, and use its best efforts to cause the Company's directors and officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with such laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.

5. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay all costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including but not limited to costs and expenses of or relating to (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including each pre- and post-effective amendment thereto) and exhibits thereto, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, and the photocopying of copies thereof, (ii) the preparation and delivery of certificates representing the Shares, (iii) furnishing (including costs of shipping and mailing) such copies of the Registration Statement (including all pre- and post-effective amendments thereto), the Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus, and all amendments and supplements to the Prospectus, as may be requested for use in connection with the direct placement of the Shares, (iv) the listing and quotation of the Ordinary Shares on the American Stock Exchange, (v) the registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions designated pursuant to Section 4(g), including the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Placement Agent in connection therewith and the preparation and printing of preliminary, supplemental and final Blue Sky memoranda, (vi) fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Company, and (vii) fees and disbursements of the Accountants incurred in delivering the letter(s) described in Section 6(f) of this Agreement and the consents required for the 462(b) registration statements. The Company shall reimburse the Placement Agent, upon request for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses.

6. Conditions of the Obligations of the Placement Agent. The obligations of the Placement Agent hereunder are subject to the following conditions:

(a) (i) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the qualification or registration of the Shares under the securities or Blue Sky laws of any jurisdiction shall be in effect and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending or threatened by any securities or other governmental authority (including, without limitation, the Commission), (ii) any request for additional information on the part of the staff of any securities or other governmental authority (including, without limitation, the Commission) shall have been complied with to the satisfaction of the staff of the Commission or such authorities and (iii) after the date hereof no amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall have been filed unless a copy thereof was first submitted to the Placement Agent and the Placement Agent did not reasonably object thereto in good faith.

(b) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), (i) there shall not have been a Material Adverse Change, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, in each case other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) or the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), and (ii) the Company shall not have sustained any material loss or interference with its business or properties from fire, explosion, flood or other casualty, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or any court or legislative or other governmental action, order or decree, which is not set forth in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) or the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), if in the judgment of the Placement Agent any such development makes it impracticable or inadvisable to consummate the sale and delivery of the Shares to Investors at the public offering price.

(c) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there shall have been no litigation or other proceeding instituted against the Company or any of its officers or directors in their capacities as such, before or by any federal, state or local court, commission, regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental body, domestic or foreign, which litigation or proceeding is reasonably expected by management to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(d) Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct at the Closing Date, as if made on such date, and all covenants and agreements herein contained to be performed on the part of the Company and all conditions herein contained to be fulfilled or complied with by the Company at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been duly performed, fulfilled or complied with.

(e) The Placement Agent shall have received from each of (i) Xxxxx Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx, US counsel for the Company, and (ii) X.X. Xxxxxx & Company, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, such counsel's written opinion addressed to the Placement Agent and dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent substantially as set forth in Exhibits A-1 and A-2 attached hereto, respectively.

(f) The Accountants have previously furnished to the Placement Agent a letter, dated January 27, 2004 (the "Original Letter"), addressed to the Placement Agent, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters. At the Closing Date, the Accountants shall have furnished to the Placement Agent a letter, dated the date of its delivery, which shall confirm, on the basis of a review in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Original Letter, that nothing has come to their attention during the period from the date of the Original Letter referred to in the prior sentence to a date (specified in the letter) not more than five days prior to the Closing Date which would require any change in the Original Letter if it were required to be dated and delivered at the Closing Date.

(g) At the Closing Date, there shall be furnished to the Placement Agent a certificate, dated the date of its delivery, signed by each of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each in his capacity as such, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent to the effect that each signer has carefully examined the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that to each of such person's knowledge:

(i) (A) As of the date of such certificate, (x) the Registration Statement does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading and (y) the Prospectus does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (B) no event has occurred as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein not untrue or misleading in any material respect.

(ii) Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as if such representations and warranties were made on the Closing Date.

(iii) Each of the covenants and agreements required in this Agreement to be performed by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date and each condition required herein to be fulfilled or complied with by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date has been duly performed, fulfilled or complied with.

(iv) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are contemplated by the Commission.

(v) Subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements in the Prospectus, there has been no material adverse change in the financial position or results of operations of the Company, except as set forth in or contemplated by the Prospectus.

(h) The Shares shall be qualified for sale in such states as the Placement Agent may reasonably request and each such qualification shall be in effect and not subject to any stop order or other proceeding on the Closing Date; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action which would subject it to taxation or general service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.

(i) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Placement Agent such certificates, in addition to those specifically mentioned herein, as the Placement Agent may have reasonably requested as to the accuracy and completeness, at the Closing Date, of any statement in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as to the accuracy, at the Closing Date, of the representations and warranties of the Company, as to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, or as to the fulfillment of the conditions concurrent and precedent to the obligations hereunder of the Placement Agent.

(j) The Shares shall have been approved for listing, subject to official notice of issuance, on the AMEX, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Placement Agent.

7. Indemnification and Contribution.

(a) Indemnification of the Placement Agent. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agent, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and each person, if any, who controls such Placement Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities, joint or several (including, without limitation, reasonable fees of one outside legal counsel and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred) that arise out of, or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except insofar as (i) such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information furnished to the Company in writing by the Placement Agent expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Placement Agent consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below and (ii) such indemnity with respect to any Prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of the Placement Agent (or any person controlling the Placement Agent) from whom the person asserting such loss, claim, damage or liability purchased the Shares if such person did not receive a copy of the Prospectus at or prior to the consummation of the sale of such Shares to such person in any case where such delivery is required by the Act and the untrue statement or omission of a material fact was corrected in a revised or supplemented Prospectus.

(b) Indemnification of the Company. The Placement Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its affiliates, directors and officers who signed the Registration Statement, its employees, agents and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information furnished to the Company in writing by the Placement Agent expressly for use in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Placement Agent consists of the following: the statements relating to placement agent compensation set forth under the heading "Plan of Distribution" and on the cover page.

(c) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought, threatened or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such person (the "Indemnified Person") shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the "Indemnifying Person") in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent that it has been prejudiced thereby; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under this Section 7. If any such proceeding shall be brought, threatened or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section 7 that the Indemnifying Person may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reasonable and shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for the Placement Agent, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents and any control persons of the Placement Agent shall be designated in writing by the Placement Agent and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement, its employees and agents, and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding with respect to which indemnification is available hereunder that is effected without its written consent, but if any such proceeding is settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment in any such proceeding for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel in connection with any such proceeding as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.

(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Shares and the total fee received by the Placement Agent in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Placement Agent and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

(e) Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Placement Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person (and not reimbursed by the Indemnifying Person) in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, in no event shall the Placement Agent be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the fees received by it hereunder with respect to the offering of the Shares exceed the amount of any damages that the Placement Agent has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

(f) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 7 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.

8. Termination.

(a) The obligations of the Placement Agent under this Agreement may be terminated, in the absolute discretion of the Placement Agent, at any time prior to the Closing Date, by notice to the Company from the Placement Agent, without liability on the part of the Placement Agent to the Company if, prior to delivery and payment for the Shares, (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; (iv) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities other than current hostilities, or the subject of an act of terrorism, there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or (v) there shall have occurred any other calamity or crisis or any change in general economic, political or financial conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event in clause (iv) or (v) makes it, in the sole judgment of the Placement Agent, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Prospectus.

(b) The obligations of the parties under this Agreement shall be automatically terminated in the event that the Requisite Funds have not been deposited by the Investors into the Company's account by the close of business on February 18, 2004.

(c) If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to any of the provisions hereof (otherwise than pursuant to Section 8(b) and other than a termination of the Placement Agent's engagement pursuant to Section 8(a)), or if the sale of the Shares provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Placement Agent set forth herein is not satisfied or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof, the Company will, subject to demand by the Placement Agent, reimburse the Placement Agent for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection herewith.

9. Notices. Notice given pursuant to any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and, unless otherwise specified, shall be mailed or delivered (a) if to the Company, at the office of the Company, 0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxx, XX 00000, Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx (facsimile: (000) 000-0000, with a copy to Xxxxx Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx LLP, 0000 00^xx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxx, XX 00000, Attention: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Esq. (facsimile: (000) 000-0000) or (b) if to the Placement Agent, at the office of (i) Sunrise Securities Corp., 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxxxx Low (facsimile: (000) 000-0000), with a copy to (ii) Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx and Xxxxx, P.C., 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx, Esq. (facsimile: (000) 000-0000). All notices, requests, consents and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall be addressed to the receiving party's address set forth above or to such other address as a party may designate by notice hereunder, and shall be either (i) delivered by hand, (ii) made by telex, telecopy, e-mail or facsimile transmission, (iii) sent by recognized overnight courier, or (iv) sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid. All notices, requests, consents and other communications hereunder shall be deemed to have been made (i) if by hand, at the time of the delivery thereof to the receiving party at the address of such party set forth above, (ii) if made by telex, telecopy, e-mail or facsimile transmission, at the time that receipt thereof has been acknowledged by electronic confirmation or otherwise, (iii) if sent by overnight courier, on the next business day following the day such notice is delivered to the courier service, or (iv) if sent by registered or certified mail, on the 5th business day following the day such mailing is made.

10. Survival. The respective representations, warranties, agreements, covenants, indemnities and other statements of the Company and the Placement Agent set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company, any of its officers or directors, the Placement Agent or any controlling person referred to in Section 7 hereof and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Shares. The respective agreements, covenants, indemnities and other statements set forth in Sections 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 hereof shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination or cancellation of this Agreement.

11. Successors. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Placement Agent, the Company and their respective successors and legal representatives, and nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provisions herein contained, this Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of no other person except that (i) the indemnification and contribution contained in Sections 7(a) and (d) of this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Placement Agent and any person or persons who control the Placement Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and (ii) the indemnification and contribution contained in Sections 7(b) and (d) of this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who have signed the Registration Statement, its employees and agents, and any person or persons who control the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act. No purchaser of Shares shall be deemed to be a successor Investor by reason merely of such purchase.

12. Applicable Law. The validity and interpretations of this Agreement, and the terms and conditions set forth herein, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the conflicts of laws provisions thereof. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, New York for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by delivering a copy thereof via overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Each party hereto (including its affiliates, agents, officers, directors and employees) hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile signature page were an original thereof.

14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties hereto as to the matters covered hereby and supersedes all prior understandings, written or oral, relating to such subject matter.

Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement between the Company and the Placement Agent.

		Very truly yours,
		APEX SILVER MINES LIMITED
		By:		/s/ XXXX X. XXXXXX Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxxx Title: Chief Financial Officer

Confirmed as of the date first above mentioned:
SUNRISE SECURITIES CORP.
By:		/s/ XXXXXX XXXXXX Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Title: CFO

EXHIBIT A-1

Matters to be Covered in the US Counsel Legal Opinion

1. each subsidiary of the Company incorporated in the United States (individually a "Domestic Subsidiary" and collectively the "Domestic Subsidiaries") has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is chartered or organized, with full corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectuses, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification, except where such breach, violation or imposition would not individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on or affecting the business, properties, management, consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries taken as a whole;

2. all the outstanding shares of capital stock of each Domestic Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and, except as otherwise set forth in the Prospectuses, all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Domestic Subsidiaries are owned by the Company, directly or indirectly, free and clear of any perfected security interest and, to the knowledge of such counsel, after due inquiry, any other security interests, claims, liens or encumbrances;

3. the Shares being sold hereunder by the Company have been approved for listing, subject to official notice of issuance, on the American Stock Exchange and will not result in the violation of the rules and regulations of the American Stock Exchange, including the provisions of Section 713 of the Amex Company Guide;

4. except as set forth in the Prospectuses, to the knowledge of such counsel, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of Ordinary Shares or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding;

5. to the knowledge of such counsel, there is no pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of a character required to be disclosed in the Prospectus which is not adequately disclosed in the Prospectuses, and there is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Prospectuses, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required;

6. the Registration Statements have become effective under the Securities Act, and the filings of the Prospectuses have been made in the manner and within the time required by Rule 424 of the Securities Act. To our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been instituted, threatened or contemplated by the SEC. The Registration Statements as of their effective dates and each of the Prospectuses at the date of each such prospectus and any further amendments thereto made by the Company prior to the date hereof comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; provided, however that we express no opinion with respect to the financial statements and notes thereto and related schedules therein or other financial data derived from accounting records and other statistical, ore reserve and resource and geological information. During the course of the Company's preparation of the Prospectuses, we participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company and the Company's independent public accountants, Sunrise Securities Corp. and its counsel, during which the contents of the Registration Statements and the Prospectuses were discussed, and, while we have not independently verified and are not passing upon the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements made in the Registration Statements, the Prospectuses, we have no reason to believe that the Registration Statements, as of the date of the Prospectuses and as of the date hereof, contained or contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading (other than the financial statements and notes thereto and related schedules therein or other financial data derived from accounting records and other statistical, ore reserve and resource and geological information, as to which we are not expressing an opinion); or that the Prospectuses, as of their dates or as of the date hereof, contained or contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than the financial statements and notes thereto and related schedules therein or other financial data derived from accounting records and other statistical, ore reserve and resource and geological information, as to which we are not expressing an opinion);

7. the Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectuses, will not be an "investment company" required to register under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;

8. to such counsel's knowledge, no consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction (and the securities laws of any jurisdiction outside the United States) in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Investors in the manner contemplated in the Agency Agreement and in the Prospectuses and such other approvals (specified in such opinion) as have been obtained;

9. to such counsel's knowledge, neither the issue and sale of the Shares, nor the consummation of any other of the transactions contemplated herein nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with, result in a breach or violation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries pursuant to, (i) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument, filed as a material contract by the Company under the Exchange Act, to which the Company or its Subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which their respective property is subject, or (ii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or its Subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or its Subsidiaries or any of its or their respective properties, except where such breach, violation or imposition would not individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on or affecting the business, properties, management, consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and

10. except as set forth in the Prospectuses, to such counsel's knowledge, no holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Securities Act.

EXHIBIT A-2

Matters to be Covered in the Cayman Islands Counsel Legal Opinion

1. The Company is a limited liability exempted company duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has full corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus.

2. The Company has full corporate power, authority and legal right to execute and deliver the Documents to which it is a party and to perform its obligations under the Documents.

3. The outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid; the Ordinary Shares being sold by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered to and paid for by the investors pursuant to the Placement Agency Agreement will be fully paid; and the holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to pre-emptive or other rights to subscribe for the Ordinary Shares; and the liability of a shareholder in respect of such Ordinary Shares is limited to the amount that the shareholder has agreed to pay for such Ordinary Shares and the Company cannot call for additional sums to be paid by the shareholders in respect of such Ordinary Shares

4. The Documents to which the Company is a party have been duly authorised and executed and, when delivered by the Company, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their respective terms. The Documents will have been duly executed by the Company when executed by a Director of the Company authorised pursuant to the Resolutions (as defined in Schedule 1).

5. The execution, delivery and performance of the Documents to which the Company is a party, the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, the compliance by the Company with the terms and provisions thereof and the issuance of the Ordinary Shares do not:

(a) contravene any law, public rule or regulation applicable to the Company which is currently in force; or

(b) contravene the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company.

6. Neither the execution, delivery or performance of any of the Documents to which the Company is a party nor the consummation or performance of any of the transactions contemplated thereby by the Company or the issuance of the Ordinary Shares, requires the consent or approval of, the giving of notice to, or the registration with, or the taking of any other action in respect of any Cayman Islands governmental or judicial authority or agency.

7. The law chosen in each of the Documents to which the Company is a party to govern its interpretation would be upheld as a valid choice of law in any action on that document in the courts of the Cayman Islands. Furthermore, the Company can xxx and be sued in its own name under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the irrevocable submission of the Company to the non-exclusive personal jurisdiction of a New York Court, the waiver by the Company of any objection to the venue of a proceeding of a New York Court and the agreement of the Company that the Placement Agency Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York are legal, valid and binding; and judgment obtained in a New York Court arising out of or in relation to the obligations of the Company under the Placement Agency Agreement, not being a sum payable in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or a fine or other penalty, is enforceable against the Company in the courts of the Cayman Islands.

8. There are no stamp duties (other than the stamp duties mentioned in qualification 2 in Schedule 3), income taxes, withholdings, levies, registration taxes, or other duties or similar taxes or charges now imposed, or which under the present laws of the Cayman Islands could in the future become imposed, in connection with the enforcement or admissibility in evidence of the Documents or on any payment to be made by the Company or any other person pursuant to the Documents. The Cayman Islands currently have no form of income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.

9. None of the parties to the Documents (other than the Company) is or will be deemed to be resident, domiciled or carrying on business in the Cayman Islands by reason only of the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Documents to which any of them is party.

10. A judgment obtained in a foreign court will be recognised and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands without any re-examination of the merits:

(a) at common law, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, where the judgment is final and in respect of which the foreign court had jurisdiction over the defendant according to Cayman Islands conflict of law rules and which is conclusive, for a liquidated sum not in respect of penalties or taxes or a fine or similar fiscal or revenue obligations, and which was neither obtained in a manner, nor is of a kind enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands; or

(b) by statute, by registration in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands and execution as if it were a judgment of the Grand Court, where the judgment is a judgment of a superior court of any state of the Commonwealth of Australia which is final and conclusive for a sum of money not in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine, penalty or revenue obligation and which remains enforceable by execution in that jurisdiction.

11. It is not necessary or advisable under the laws of the Cayman Islands that any of the Documents or any document relating thereto be registered or recorded in any public office or elsewhere in the Cayman Islands in order to ensure the validity, effectiveness or enforceability of any of the Documents.

12. It is not necessary under the laws of the Cayman Islands (i) in order to enable any party to any of the Documents to enforce their rights under the Documents or (ii) solely by reason of the execution, delivery and performance of the Documents that any party to any of the Documents should be licensed, qualified or otherwise entitled to carry on business in the Cayman Islands or any other political subdivision thereof.

13. The Company has executed an effective submission to the jurisdiction of the courts of the jurisdiction specified in the Documents.

14. The Company is subject to civil and commercial law with respect to its obligations under the Documents and neither the Company nor any of its assets is entitled to immunity from suit or enforcement of a judgment on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise in the courts of the Cayman Islands in proceedings against the Company in respect of any obligations under the Documents, which obligations constitute private and commercial acts rather than governmental or public acts.

15. Based solely upon our examination of the Cause List and the Register of Writs and other Originating Process of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands conducted on [ ] 2004, we confirm that there are no actions, suits or proceedings pending against the Company before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands and no steps have been, or are being, taken to compulsorily wind up the Company and based solely upon our examination of the records of the Company referred to in this opinion no resolution voluntarily to wind up the Company has been adopted by its members.

16. A judgment of a court in the Cayman Islands may be expressed in a currency other than Cayman Islands dollars.

17. There are no foreign exchange controls or foreign exchange regulations under the currently applicable laws of the Cayman Islands.

QuickLinks

APEX SILVER MINES LIMITED 2,292,526 Ordinary Shares PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT

Document Metadata

Table of Contents

APEX SILVER MINES LIMITED 2,292,526 Ordinary Shares PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT

Document Metadata