In Servis-Terminal LLC v Drelle [2025] EWCA Civ 62, the English Court of Appeal held that a bankruptcy petition cannot be presented based on an unsatisfied foreign judgment where the foreign judgment has not been recognised in that jurisdiction. This update considers the effect that decision may have on statutory demands and applications for the appointment of liquidators based on unrecognised foreign judgments in the British Virgin Islands.

The Hierarchy of the Courts of the Eastern Caribbean

Judges of Barcelona unify principles on certain points of insolvency law

International case law

European jurisprudence on universal and territorial procedures

Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of April 18, 2024 (AIR BERLIN case)

The commercial judges of Madrid publish a guidefor the appointment of an expert on insolvency pre-pack

Public disclosure not required of appointment of expert in restructuring in the context of a pre-insolvency notice

Decision by Pontevedra Commercial Court No 3 on November 16, 2022

In the context of a pre-insolvency notice made on a confidential basis in which the debtor requests appointment of the expert in restructuring, Pontevedra Commercial Court took the view that the appointment does not have to be sent to the Public Insolvency Register to publicly disclose their identity.

No se exige publicidad del nombramiento del experto en reestructuración en el marco de una comunicación de negociaciones de carácter reservado

Auto del Juzgado de lo Mercantil núm. 3 de Pontevedra, de 16 de noviembre de 2022

Los jueces de lo mercantil de Madrid publican una guía para el nombramiento de experto en pre-pack concursal

Broadly, the end of life options for a solvent Cayman Islands company are either a voluntary liquidation or a strike-off. The appropriateness of either method will depend on the business history of the company and its current financial position. The company should ideally have no assets or liabilities before the commencement of either option.

Preliminary steps

Before commencing the dissolution process, it may be necessary to take some preliminary steps, such as ensuring that:

The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has issued its first judgment appointing Restructuring Officers under the new section 91B of the Cayman Islands Companies Act, which came into force on 31 August 2022.

Introduction

Two decisions handed down on the same day – one by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal and the other by the Commercial Division of the High Court – illustrate the approach of British Virgin Islands Courts to applications to appoint liquidators in circumstances where the subject matter of a dispute as to the existence of a debt falls within the scope of an arbitration agreement.

Introduction