Where a contract contains a non-assignment clause, a liquidator may not, as part of his liquidation of an insolvent company's assets, assign the contract to a third party without first seeking the consent of the contracting counterparty:

-- Owners of Strata Plan 5290 v CGS & Co Pty Ltd (Australia, New South Wales, Court of Appeal, 30 June 2011)

A winding up application may be resisted by reason of a cross-claim against the petitioning creditor.

Introduction

The Singapore High Court has confirmed that it will recognize the status and powers of a foreign liquidator in the liquidation of an unregistered foreign company in Singapore.

Life cycle of a company

Statistics from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority ("ACRA") of Singapore reveal that the increasing number of companies formed in Singapore (2004:17,151; 2009:26,414) is matched by a corresponding increase in the number of companies ceasing operations (2004:5,882; 2009:22,388).

In Petroprod Ltd (in official liquidation in the Cayman Islands and in compulsory liquidation in Singapore) v Larsen Oil and Gas Pte Ltd [2010] SGHC 186 the Singapore High Court considered whether an action brought to avoid transactions that allegedly violated insolvency laws should be stayed in favour of arbitration.

The case of Petroprod Ltd (in official liquidation in the Cayman Islands and in compulsory liquidation in Singapore) v Larsen Oil and Gas Pte Ltd [2010] SGHC 186 (“Petroprod Ltd”) is significant as the Singapore High Court decided that claims which arise from avoidance provisions in Singapore insolvency laws are non-arbitrable as they exist for the benefit of the general body of creditors as a whole.

In Pacific King Shipping Pte Ltd & Anor v Glory Wealth Shipping Pte Ltd, one of the key issues which the Singapore High Court had to consider was whether the defendant was precluded from commencing winding up proceedings against the plaintiffs via section 254(2)(a) read with section 254(1)(e) of the Companies Act (the “CA”) on the basis of a debt that was founded on a foreign arbitration award which had not been enforced.

The case of Norwest Holdings Pte Ltd (in liquidation) v Newport Mining Ltd [2010] SGHC 144 involved
the sale of the shares of a company which owned phosphate mining and production facilities in the
Sichuan province.

Payments made by a company to its holding company shortly before its winding up were held to have amounted to an unfair preference of the holding company and could be clawed-back from it

The Singapore High Court has considered for the first time whether an action brought to avoid transactions that allegedly violated insolvency laws should be stayed in favour of arbitration. The court held that such disputes are not suitable for arbitration due to the public interest involved.

The Singapore Court of Appeal decision of Chee Yoh Chuang & Anor (as Liquidators of Progen Engineering Pte Ltd (in liquidation)) v Progen Holdings Ltd considered how the lawought to balance the rights of creditorswith the companies directors' desire to keep the company afloat when the company has financial difficulties and when payments were made to creditors.