On 24 June 2022, the Honourable Mr Justice Harris (of the High Court of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) granted assistance to Cayman Islands appointed Joint Provisional Liquidators (the “JPLs”) of Seahawk China Dynamic Fund, a solvent company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”). Harris J ruled that the JPLs have the power to act as agents of the Company in Hong Kong. Reasons were delivered on 4 July 2022.

Later in the year amendments to Part V of the Cayman Islands Companies Act (the "Companies Act") will be introduced to commence a new restructuring officer regime available to companies in financial difficulty. Under the new regime, it will be possible to petition the Cayman Court to appoint "restructuring officers" and, from the time of filing, for the company to take the benefit of an automatic moratorium (i.e. akin to a US Chapter 11 stay or English administration moratorium).

A fundamental principle of insolvency law in the Cayman Islands is that upon the commencement of a liquidation of a company, a line is drawn in the sand and the assets of an insolvent company should be distributed on a pari passu basis (e.g. each unsecured creditor should share equally in the available assets of the company). While subject to some exceptions (like any good fundamental principle of law), the concept that all unsecured creditors should be on “equal footing” is the basis for a wide array of insolvency legislation and case law.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code) was enacted to consolidate and amend the laws relating to reorganization and insolvency resolution of corporate persons.

In the recent judgment In the Matter of GTI Holdings Limited delivered on 15 March 20221 , the Cayman Islands Grand Court reiterated the importance of principles of comity in cross-border insolvency matters and the central function of the place of incorporation.

A copy of the full judgment is available here. 

Background

Conyers were instructed by Silver Base Group Holdings Limited (“Silver Base”) in relation to a successful application for the appointment of “light-touch” provisional liquidators for restructuring purposes before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Introduction

In the recent judgment of In the Matter of Margara Shipping Limited (the “Margara Decision”)1 the Cayman Islands Grand Court provided some useful guidance on the basis on which a company can be restored to the Register of Companies (the “Register”) and subsequently wound up pursuant to section 159 of the Companies Act (2021 Revision) (the “Companies Act”) and the Grand Court Rules (2022 Consolidation) (“GCR”), Order 102, Rule 18.

The Legal Basis to Restore and Wind Up A Company

In the recent decision of Evergreen International Holdings Limited, delivered on 11 January 2022, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands made an order for the immediate winding up of a company notwithstanding the company’s cross-applications for an adjournment of the winding up petition and the appointment of “light-touch” provisional liquidators for restructuring purposes. The Court dismissed the company’s cross-applications on the basis that there was no credible evidence which supported the company’s assertion that a viable restructuring was imminent. 

今回のニュースレターでは、2022 年 5 月の破産倒産法関連の主なアップデートについて取り扱ってい ます。最高裁判所（＝SC）、会社法上訴審判所（＝NCLAT）にて下された重要な判決についてまとめ ました。 

Introduction

2016年破産倒産法は、企業債務者の時間的制約のある再建と倒産処理を主たる目的として制定されました。同法に基づき、企業債務者の金融債権者又は事業債権者は、債務不履行が発生した場合、会社法審判所(以下「NCLT」)に対して、企業債務者の倒産処理手続の開始を申請することができます。

会社法上訴審判所(以下「NCLAT」)の各種判決に照らすと、Decree-Holder(後ほど説明します)が企業の債務者に対して破産手続きを開始する権利は、Decree-Holderが金融債権者であるか否かについての見解が分かれており、不確実なものとなっていました。金融債権者が破産手続を開始するプロセスは、事業債権者によるプロセスと比較して、非常に異なっています。

「decree」と「decree holder」の概念について説明すると、「decree」とは、訴訟関係者の権利を説明する裁判官による裁決の公式宣言であり、decreeが下された者が「decree holder」と呼ばれます。