In our recent update on AGMs, we mentioned that the Government is due to pass legislation giving companies increased flexibility for holding Annual General Meetings, amongst other measures to help businesses through the COVID-19 situation.
As the business world starts to count the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government measures taken to contain it, attention is turning to the tools available to help companies that have been financially impacted.
Many companies are deferring payments to conserve liquidity, raising difficult questions around directors’ duties and leading to an immediate focus on how to protect the business from resulting creditor action.
On 18 May 2020, the same date that Romania switched to a state of alert that will expire on 17 June 2020, Law no. 55/2020 entered into force, which contains amendments to legal provisions for regular insolvency during the state of alert.
The most important amendments include a deferral of the obligation to file for insolvency, an increase in the threshold for petitioning for insolvency, extension of the duration for the reorganisation plan and an extension of other procedural deadlines.
The following is a list of the major amendments contained in the law:
Key Notes:
The sprawling and complex cross-border fraud litigation being pursued by the Joint Liquidators (Paul Atkinson and Glyn Mummery of FRP Advisory) of Grosvenor Property Developers Ltd (‘the Company’) has reached a significant milestone. The counsel team (instructed by Alyson Reilly and Séamas Gray of gunnercooke) led by Rory Brown (and including Martin Young, Nora Wannagat, and Andrew Shipley) has been involved in over 25 heavily contested hearings (in the High Court in London and in the CFI, DIFCC, Dubai) in the last 13 months.
Can you take security over all types of assets, including working capital? Generally yes, before filing for the reorganization or the ruling setting forth the start of the liquidation bankruptcy. After the beginning of the reorganization proceedings, no further security interests can be granted over the assets of the debtor for credits due before the beginning of the reorganization proceedings. The debtor can grant security interests for new creditors after the start of the reorganization proceedings.
A company or group's financial distress causes significant turmoil for its owners, directors, managers, employees and often its suppliers and other creditors. For directors in particular, there are significant responsibilities and potential personal liabilities associated with the management of a company where its business is in financial distress.
The office of the Registrar of Corporate Affairs (the “Registrar”) in the British Virgin Islands (the “BVI”) has responsibility for the incorporation, striking-off and restoration of struck off companies to the register of companies (the “Register”).
Administrative strike off of a British Virgin Islands company
The Registrar may strike a company off the Register for a number of different reasons, including:
Introduction
The concept of winding up does not exclusively apply to insolvent companies. Solvent companies can also be wound up, on the initiation of the company’s directors and shareholders (for example, as part of a corporate reconstruction or to close down non-operating or redundant entities).
An overview of the two key procedures to effect the dissolution of a solvent Australian company, being Members’ Voluntary Liquidation and Deregistration, is set out below.
Antqip Hire highlights the importance of drafting a DOCA carefully, and properly communicating to creditors the commercial risks
The case of Antqip Hire was brought by the liquidators of two related entities (Antqip Pty Limited and Antqip Hire Pty Limited).
Orders were sought determining: