Key Point
- The UK government's proposals to only partially implement a new UNCITRAL Model Law means that creditors of English law debts who do not consent to a foreign restructuring proceeding will still have recourse to enforcing their rights against the debtor's UK-based assets.
English Law Is Still a Special Situation
Elon Musk recently said he has a "super bad feeling" about the economy, pithily declaring what most financial commentators have been predicting in more technical terms.
Key Points
- The use by Malaysia Airlines' subsidiary, MAB Leasing Ltd. (incorporated in Malaysia) ("MABL"), in 2021, of an English Scheme of Arrangement (a "Scheme") to compromise its aircraft lease obligations proved that US Chapter 11 is not the only route to a globally recognised compromise of airline leases.
- Airline lessors should now prepare themselves for Schemes (and possibly also other English restructuring processes) as an alternative to Chapter 11.
Background
Readers will recall, on April 1, 2020 the RF President signed RF Law No. 98-FZ, amending RF Law No. 127-FZ On Insolvency (Bankruptcy) of October 26, 2002 (the Law) and authorising the Government to impose a moratorium on creditors’ initiation of bankruptcies to stabilize the economy in exceptional cases (a Moratorium).
Immediately thereafter, by Decree No. 428 of April 3, 2020 as part of the COVID-19 relief program, the Government adopted such a Moratorium until 7 January 2021 (the COVID Moratorium).
A limitation period is the statutory time limit set out in law for a person to file a lawsuit as a result of some loss or damage. Each Canadian province has a specific statutory framework governing limitation periods for legal matters falling under provincial jurisdiction. Many provinces use a “discoverability” scheme under which a person must commence legal proceedings within two years of specific factual elements being “discovered” by the person.
In this article, Dentons gives its inside view on the pre-pack evaluator's report, made compulsory earlier this year to improve the confidence of creditors in pre-pack administration sales to connected persons. We consider the practicalities of selecting the right evaluator for the job, the potential for "opinion shopping" from evaluators and whether these new regulations have achieved what was intended.
A recap on pre-packs
Executive summary
KEY POINTS The risk that prepetition lease payments made by a lessee that is a debtor in a US bankruptcy will be clawed back from an aircraft lessor can be reduced if: • the lease is a true lease rather than a disguised secured loan or finance lease • one or both of basic rent and maintenance reserves are payable in advance (i.e., at the beginning of a rent period rather than at the end) • basic rent and maintenance reserves are payable monthly rather than quarterly or semiannually • the lessor enforces the lease’s payment obligations consistently • any payment made by a third party on beha
Overview
Last week saw the government further extend COVID-19 emergency insolvency provisions until 31 March 2021. Since April, these have: