In this issue:
Welcome to our corporate and commercial disputes update, a new bi-annual publication in which we summarise some of the most significant cases over the last six months or so in the corporate and commercial dispute resolution market:
On 14 May 2021, the Government of HKSAR and the Supreme People's Court signed the "Record of Meeting of the Supreme People's Court and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Mutual Recognition of and Assistance to Bankruptcy (Insolvency) Proceedings between the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" which effects a cooperation mechanism for Hong Kong liquidators and Mainland administrators to seek mutual recognition and assistance.
On 12 May 2021, Mr Justice Snowden sanctioned Virgin Active’s three inter-conditional restructuring plans under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006. The case has been followed with significant interest in the restructuring community because the restructuring plans included the most extensive cross-class cram down proposal since the introduction of the restructuring plan process last year (DeepOcean and Smile Telecoms are the only other restructuring plans to utilise the cram-down mechanism).
The government has introduced the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space), which came into effect on 4 May 2021, which allows individuals who are struggling with debt to apply for a “breathing space” in which to sort out their finances. This scheme, which was introduced in response to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, includes residential tenants who are in arrears of rent.
What is a breathing space?
There are two types of breathing space:-
Hong Kong and the Mainland have agreed a new co-operation mechanism for cross-border insolvency. Under the agreement, liquidators from Hong Kong may apply to Mainland courts for recognition of insolvency proceedings in Hong Kong, whilst bankruptcy administrators from the Mainland can apply to the Hong Kong High Court for recognition of bankruptcy proceedings in the Mainland.
Hong Kong and the Mainland have agreed a new co-operation mechanism for cross-border insolvency.
The Part 26A Restructuring Plans (the "Plans") proposed by each of Virgin Active Holdings, Virgin Active Limited and Virgin Active Health Clubs Limited (the "Plan Companies") have been sanctioned by the court. This decision has been eagerly anticipated by the restructuring and insolvency market, struggling tenants and the beleaguered landlord community.
Introduction
In R (on the application of KBR, Inc) (Appellant) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office (Respondent) [2021] UKSC 21 the Supreme Court held that the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") may not compel a foreign company to produce documents held overseas under section 2(3) of the Criminal Justice Act 1987 ("CJA 1987").
In this issue:
Rettung durch Restrukturierung im Planverfahren (Restrukturierungsplan & Insolvenzplan)
Introduction
Towards the end of 2020, while businesses were reeling from the challenges of grappling with a global pandemic, the end of the Brexit transition period and LIBOR transition, the Law Commission published a paper analysing the current law underlying intermediated securities - Intermediated securities: who owns your shares? A Scoping Paper.