The Cayman Islands Grand Court recently delivered its judgment in Re Shinsun Holdings (Group) Co., Ltd. FSD 192 of 2022 (DDJ) (21 April 2023) (unreported) (the “Shinsun Judgment”) in which the court determined the ultimate beneficial owner of bonds, held through Euroclear, did not have standing or authority to progress a winding up petition as a contingent creditor. In this article, we explore similar cases in other offshore and common law jurisdictions.
Shinsun Judgment and the Cayman Position
The recent Hong Kong Court of First Instance decision of Re Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Limited marks another intersection between the public domain of insolvency and the private realm of arbitration.
In this and previous decisions, the Hong Kong courts have grappled with the issue of which should take priority – a winding-up petition, or the contractual term in the relevant contract that states disputes are to be resolved through arbitration or litigation.
Two primary considerations fuel this debate:
In a recent Court of First Instance decision in Re Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Ltd [2023] HKCFI 2065 (Shandong Chenming), Harris J addressed the following issues which are important factors to be considered by creditors in strategising whether to opt for commencing winding-up proceedings against a debtor in recovering a debt, as well as by debtors in potentially raising cross-claims to defend a winding-up petition:
The vast majority of corporate debt issuances are made pursuant to a trustee structure. This approach affords investors the advantage of uniformity of treatment and facilitates collective action, as opposed to the alternative 'fiscal agency' or direct issuance structure. But what happens when an individual investor in a global note structure seeks to take direct enforcement action against an issuer?
Executive Summary
The Insolvency Team at Gall continues to advise Century Sunshine Holdings Group Limited (Stock Code: 509) (the “Company”) on its debt restructuring and has successfully secured sanction of a Hong Kong scheme of arrangement (the “Hong Kong Scheme”) (as part of parallel schemes of arrangement in Hong Kong and Singapore).
Introduction
In a landmark decision issued in July, Re Leading Holdings Group Limited [2023] HKCFI 1770, the Hong Kong Courts addressed, for the first time, the right of an investor of a global note to present a winding-up petition as a contingent creditor.
The Case
The relevant company was incorporated in the Cayman Islands and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It issued 12% Senior Notes which were due in 2022 and the petitioner was the beneficial owner of a sub-interest in those notes.
My colleague Alex Chan and I had the privilege of participating in an interactive webinar hosted by the The Hon Edmund Wong, a member of the Legislative Council and the representative of the accountancy functional constituency. The webinar provided a valuable platform for professionals in the industry to delve into the significance of corporate restructuring and insolvency within the realm of accounting.
The Government of Hong Kong continues its push towards favouring digitisation over using hardcopy documents. The new changes to local bankruptcy laws allows: (1) electronic service of statutory demands; (2) using electronic bundles and skeletons for winding-up and bankruptcy applications; and (3) allowing electronic submission of documents to the Official Receiver.
Electronic service of statutory demands: A game changer for creditors and debtors