The UAE Gazette of 31 October 2023 includes Federal Decree-Law No. 51 of 2023 on Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy (the “New Law”). Here are some highlights:
- A section of the Courts is designated to monitor and administer bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings. This section is chaired by a Court of Appeal Judge.
- Resolution of claims between debtors and creditors is encouraged; for example, by providing wider scope to debtors seeking Protective Composition.
Routes to Reorganisation
A Comparative Study of the Insolvency Procedures Available in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United States and England and Wales
First published in the INSOL Restructuring Alert (November 2023)
Introduction
Introduction
A recent Commercial Court decision has raised an intriguing question of private international law: can a foreign judgment be enforced in England and Wales if it is not enforceable in the country where it was given?
In Dubai civil cases, if someone proves they cannot pay what the court ordered, they will normally avoid facing an arrest warrant, the emirate's highest judicial body has said.
Creditors need to demonstrate that the person who owes the money has sufficient funds to pay the debt before the court can issue an arrest warrant for unpaid dues.
Overview
This week’s Dekagram examines what happens when rules change: that transitional period between one set of rules and another, when no one is quite sure what’s happening. We seem to have had quite a few of those recently; just as we were getting over the horrors of the Withdrawal Act, along came the changes to the Fixed Recoverable Costs regime – changes which, we remind readers, remain in a state of flux, notwithstanding that the new regime is now in force.
Res Judicata and Rule Changes
Over the past year or so, we have seen a number of examples of Dubai Courts taking an extremely cautious approach to handling debtor-led bankruptcy cases, particularly in relation to determining whether there is a legitimate distressed financial position and enquiring as to the conduct of managers leading to the bankruptcy of companies.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Morgan Heavener, Darren Mullins and Paul Wright, Accuracy
This is an extract from the 2023 edition of GIR's Europe, Middle East and Africa Investigations Review. The whole publication is available here.