A Dutch court today ruled that ABN Amro cannot sell its US unit LaSalle bank without putting the decision to a vote by shareholders in a blow for ABN Amro's plans for a friendly takeover by Barclays.
The sale of LaSalle to Bank of America is crucial to the agreed £45bn takeover of the Dutch bank by Barclays.
The sale of LaSalle was frozen after Dutch shareholder group VEB asked an Amsterdam court for an injuction against the deal which it regarded as a poison pill to deter a rival offer by a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland.
However, in a statement this evening, Barclays said it is continuing to pursue its recommended merger with ABN AMRO.
