Resolution of the Ninth Commercial (‘Arbitration’) Court of Appeal

dated 19 June 2012

Parties in dispute

Receiver of Digital Electronics CJSC

Digital Electronics CJSC (the “Debtor”)

SITRONICS OJSC (a party to the challenged transaction with the Debtor, the “Creditor”)

Narrative

The issue of the fee for an insolvency practitioner affects every single person involved in insolvency (bankruptcy) proceedings. It is known that the receiver’s fee is generally paid out of the debtor’s assets. Accordingly, the higher the fee, the fewer the assets that remain to satisfy creditors’ claims, restore the debtor to solvency and distribute the liquidation surplus among the members.

Specifics of enforcing the consequences of the invalidity of a transaction whereby a pledgeholder leaves pledged property in its ownership.

(ruling No. VAS-14907/11 dated 20 March 2012)

By the above ruling, the Supreme Arbitration Court (SAC) has actually reinforced the specifics of enforcing the consequences of a transaction transferring a debtor’s pledged property being invalid if it is not possible to restore the parties to their initial position.

The Russian insolvency legislation mainly consists of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (the Civil Code) and the Federal Law No. 127-FZ on insolvency (bankruptcy) dated 26 October 2002 (the Insolvency Law), the principal legislation on insolvency in the Russian Federation.

Draft new insolvency law for the UAE - is a big clean-up of delinquent debtors on the way?

It has been widely reported that the new insolvency law in the UAE is substantially progressed, with the UAE Federal Cabinet expected to review it in the early part of this year.

Saudi insolvency law has for some time been something of an unknown quantity for non-Saudis. A wide-ranging reform is due to take effect in 2016, which will express elements of the rescue culture and is likely to make restructurings more common. Increased certainty in the outcome of insolvencies will benefit both Saudi businesses and domestic and foreign creditors alike.

As a result of major market changes, business entities more often suspend their operations and become insolvent, during which arises the question of the collectability of the claims of their creditors and associates, as well as persons who are in other relationships with such insolvent business entities.

The legislative framework governing bankruptcy provides partial answers. However, certain questions still remain unanswered in the shining shadow of legal gaps.

Since 14 August 2017 the Serbian Government’s proposal of new Amendments to the Insolvency Act („Amendments“) has been on the agenda of the National Parliament of Serbia. There is no information when the National Assembly will open the discussion and voting procedure on the Amendments. However, recent legislative practice in Serbia shows that Government’s bills rarely suffer material amendments during discussion and voting procedure in the Parliament. Below is a closer insight into the future legislative amendments to the Insolvency Act.

The legal instrument of reorganization plan is in practise often misued. For example, the plan is proposed just to to obtain a period of moratorium (in which the execution proceedings can not be run against the debtor), there are subsequent reorganization plans (so called „Chapter 22“) for the same debtor and plans are proposed even where there are no real economic grounds.

A new Enforcement Law has been introduced in Serbia, a significant portion of which will enter into force on 1 July 2016. One important novelty can be found in its Article 547, which, inter alia, introduces an obligation for certain enforcement creditors to deliver a specific statement to the court within a prescribed window of time, i.e. by 1 July 2016.