The United States’ Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has recognised the liquidation of a Cayman company, Saad Investments Finance Company (No5) Limited (“SIFCO5”) (an SPV established to operate as an investment company), as a “foreign main proceeding” under Chapter 15 of the United States’ Bankruptcy Code.
Recognition of the liquidation as foreign main proceedings provides for an automatic stay of proceedings with respect to any assets of SIFCO5 within the United States, amongst other things.
National interests play a distinct part in application of the UNCITRAL model law on cross-border insolvency.
The Model Law
Where an investor in a fund incorporated in the Cayman Islands gave notice of redemption to the fund, held that it became a prospective creditor as soon as the notice was given and a creditor upon expiry of the redemption notice period notwithstanding that the fund had subsequently resolved to suspend redemptions.: -- Culross Global SPC Ltd v Strategic Turnaround Master Partnership Ltd [2010] UKPC 33 (United Kingsom, Privy Council on appeal from the Cayman Islands, 13 December 2010)
Funds' assets in the U.S. has been denied by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. See 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 2949, *26 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Aug. 30 , 2007). The Funds were being liquidated in the Cayman Islands, but the bankruptcy court held that they were not eligible for Chapter 15 relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (the "Code") because the liquidations were not pending in a country where the Funds had their "center of main interests" or an "establishment" for the conduct of business.
Sit Kwong Lam v Petrolimex Singapore Pte. Ltd [2019] HKCA 1220案 (裁决日期：2019年11月1日)
But Ka Chon v Interactive Brokers LLC [2019] 5 HKC 238案 (裁决日期：2019年8月2日)
在Lasmos Limited v Southwest Pacific Bauxite (HK) Limited [2018] HKCFI 426一案中，当案件所涉债务是一项仲裁协议的标的时，公司法庭改变了原先在这种情况下如何裁定清盘程序的做法（被称为“Lasmos裁决”）。在近期的两起破产案件中，上诉法庭对Lasmos裁决发表了附带意见。
Lasmos案之前的裁决
上海华信国际集团有限公司（在中国大陆清算）[2020] HKCFI 167 (裁决日期：2020年1月13日)
这是香港法院首次向中国大陆法院指定的一家中国大陆公司的管理人发出承认令的案件。该案还考虑如果在送达第三债务人暂准令（garnishee order nisi）后，破产令在外国颁布，此时是否应将第三债务人暂准令转为绝对命令。
案件背景
上海华信国际集团有限公司（以下简称为“CEFC”）是一家在中国大陆注册成立的投资控股公司，是一家企业集团的一部分，该企业集团的业务包括资本融资、石油精炼和基础设施。 2019年11月，上海市第三中级人民法院（以下简称为“上海法院”）下令CEFC破产清算，并指定了联合管理人（以下简称为“管理人”）。
CEFC的资产包括对其在香港地区的子公司上海华信集团（香港）有限公司（以下简称为“香港子公司”）的重大债权，该子公司正在清算中。CEFC已就该债权提供债务证明。
This article considers the landmark case by the Hong Kong Court of First Instance, in Joint and Several Liquidators of CEFC Shanghai International Group Ltd [2020] HKCFI 167. It is a significant step that the Hong Kong Courts have taken, enhancing cross-border insolvency cooperation between Mainland China and Hong Kong.
Facts
新冠肺炎疫情的突然爆发，对法院各类案件的审理都造成了一定影响，破产案件同样如此。为妥善处理疫情防控期间的相关工作，降低疫情对案件的不利影响，依法保障债权人、债务人和相关主体的合法权益，多地法院发布了相关通知或者指南，对疫情防控期间破产案件的处理提出要求和作出引导。截至2020年2月28日，我们通过公开渠道检索到共有十九份专门规定破产案件处理的司法文件，包括杭州破产法庭、北京破产法庭、广州破产法庭、深圳破产法庭等专门破产法庭发布的文件，也包括广东、山东、江苏、浙江、江西、上海等地各级法院的有关文件。另外，还有多个综合性司法文件中也涉及到破产案件处理问题，例如广西壮族自治区高级人民法院民二庭《关于审理涉及新冠肺炎疫情民商事案件的指导意见》中就有较大篇幅涉及破产案件的相关问题。我们将检索到的相关司法文件的要点梳理和总结如下，供参与破产案件处理的各方参考。
一、破产案件受理与审查
China Lumena New Materials Corp (in provisional liquidation) [2020] HKCFI 338 (decision made on 23 January 2020 and reasons given on 4 March 2020)
This is the first reported scheme of arrangement in Hong Kong seeking to compromise debt governed by PRC law. Under the Gibbs Rule, a foreign composition does not discharge a debt unless it is discharged under the law governing the debt. In this case, the Hong Kong Court considered an exception to the Gibbs Rule and more generally the principles of sanctioning a scheme.
Background
Re Joint Provisional Liquidators of Moody Technology Holdings Ltd [2020] HKCFI 416
The Hong Kong Court has explained why there is no inconsistency between: (a) its domestic insolvency law which does not permit the appointment of provisional liquidators purely for the purposes of restructuring the company; and (b) common law recognition of foreign "soft-touch" provisional liquidators.
What is a soft-touch provisional liquidator?