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The Pauline Action is a legal mechanism that allows creditors to apply to the Royal Court of Jersey to set aside transactions undertaken by a debtor to defraud or otherwise prejudice them.

Emirates NBD Bank PJSC v Almakhawi and Others [2024] JRC 256 is the most recent case from the Royal Court to affirm that the Pauline Action, which has its origins in Roman law, remains an effective debt recovery tool for creditors in Jersey.

Purpose of the Pauline Action

On the 2 August 2021 Treasury released a consultation paper titled ‘Helping Companies Restructure by Improving Schemes of Arrangement. The consultation is aimed at reforming Australia’s scheme of arrangement procedure.

A recent decision of the Federal Court has confirmed that a secured creditor who consents to employee creditors being paid out of the charged asset pool is entitled to be subrogated to the priority rights of those employee creditors.

1.1 Facts

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) was the only secured creditor of Akron Roads Pty Ltd (Akron), holding fixed and floating charges over all of Akron’s undertakings and assets. In 2010, liquidators were appointed to Akron.

Insolvency relief extended to 31 December 2020

On Sunday, the Federal Government announced that it will extend until the end of the year insolvency relief measures which were put in place from March 2020 as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic which were due to expire on 25 September 2020.[1]

Introduction

In the current COVID-19 environment it is likely that there will be more businesses becoming insolvent. Some of those businesses will have an interest in Jersey property. For example as owners of Jersey property or holders of a lease of retail premises situated in the Island. The business may also have locally employed employees to consider.