In the only resolution that was passed at the extraordinary general meeting, former chairman Des Luplau was removed at the meeting, which pitched two groups of shareholders against each other.

Hopkins has both experience in corporate fund raising for resource companies and an extensive oil and gas acquisition background. Carpathian managing director Gerald Johnson said Hopkins had been involved in gas sales contracts in eastern Europe and more recently financing Indonesian oil and gas projects.

Hopkins was currently the lead non-executive director of Evans & Tate Ltd, where he assisted the board in its recent acquisition of Cranswick Premium Wines Ltd. It is expected he will be made chairman of Carpathian at a meeting of the new board today.

Glenn Whiddon of WPN Resources spoke at the EGM in his own defence, saying that as it was his company that was alleged to have been behind the alleged reverse takeover and which he said had been subject to defamatory remarks, he was entitled to ask questions of the Carpathian board.

When defending his role in the power play, he told the meeting he had a letter he was ready to table to support accusations he was making toward executive director Ildiko Wowesny. At that point, acting chairman Martin Bennett said the EGM was not the appropriate forum to raise this matter as it was strictly dealing with the five resolutions at hand.

However after the EGM adjourned, Bennett returned to tell the assembled shareholders that during the break he had approached Whiddon to view the document in question. He said Whiddon had then declined to make good on his offer to produce the alleged letter.

"It is in a matter of fairness that I mention this," Bennett told shareholders when the EGM resumed. "You can draw your own conclusions from that," said Bennett who was appointed director and acting chairman for the duration of the meeting.

Disclosure: The writer has a long term, indirect position in Carpathian shares.