To my mind it all goes back to last year. I believe that there was three way meetings starting in Nov/Dec, between Aurelian, Kinross, and the Ecuador government. Sometime in January there was an agreement between the three, Kinross was already a trusted player in Ecuador. But in order for Kinross to afford Aurelian the ARU share price had to drop drastically. The plan was hammered out sometime in February, ergo, Keith Barron resigns.

The cease work for six months order on 18th April was designed for one reason only, and that was to drop the Aurelian share price to an acceptable level for Kinross. There was no need to go through this rigmarole to regain control of concessions as we were led to believe. The 15m shares at $4.75 was simply insurance that things go smoothly. I believe that PA and the BoD were strictly pawns in this game, they had been told by Correa that this is the way it is going down whether they liked it or not. Their options were a payoff to keep their mouths shut. Newmont, Barrick, et al had been informed that if they interfered the government would make their life miserable in Ecuador (You don't f**** with the Latino Machismo, especially in their own country).

Why Kinross was selected I don't know, perhaps during their two years or so in country they had managed to establish some special relationship with Correa and company.

I've just let my imagination run free here, all to be taken with a pinch of salt.