Президиум Верховного Суда РФ утвердил Обзор судебной практики разрешения споров, связанных с установлением в процедурах банкротства требований лиц, контролирующих должника и аффилированных с ним лиц.
В Обзоре даны важные разъяснения относительно специфики участия в делах о банкротстве лиц, аффилированных с должником и (или) контролирующих его деятельность.
On December 21, 2017, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation adopted the resolution regarding the liability of the controlling persons in the event of company bankruptcy. The resolution clarified the application of the new law No. 266-FZ dated July 29, 2017 that introduced amendments to the Russian Law on Bankruptcy, including the new chapter III.2 “Liability of the debtor’s executive and other persons in a bankruptcy case.”
Second stage of the tax amnesty in Russia
A Law extending the tax amnesty of capital and the tax-free liquidation of foreign companies entered into force in Russia on 1 March 2018. The tax amnesty has been extended until the end of February 2019.
General context
The statutory regulation of cryptocurrency in Russia is yet to be made compatible with the current dynamics of digital assets.
On March 23 2017 the Federal Tax Service issued a notification entitled On Identifying the Circumstances of an Unjustified Tax Benefit (ED-5-9/547@), which summarises the law enforcement practice associated with assessing the validity of a tax benefit in disputes relating to bad-faith contracting parties.
This review concerns a number of amendments to Federal Law "On insolvency"1 (the "Law") introduced by federal laws No. 222-FZ2 and No. 488-FZ3, and the interpretation of the amendments in the Review of Court Practice on Matters Related to Participation of State Authorities in Insolvency Proceedings and Procedures Applicable in these Proceedings, approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on 20 December 2016 (the "Review").
This review covers the following most important amendments:
On July 31, 2017, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recognized a Russian insolvency proceeding as a foreign main proceeding under chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (“Code”), concluding that (i) a retainer deposited with the debtor’s attorneys in the U.S. was sufficient property within the United States to establish jurisdiction over a debtor under section 109(a) of the Code and (ii) the Russian insolvency proceeding was not “manifestly contrary to public policy of the United States.”
Russia's bankruptcy law (the Law) has been amended to expand the list of persons who may be held vicariously liable for a bankrupt's debts and clarify the grounds for such liability.1
Definition of controlling person clarified
New Federal Law No. 266-FZ dated 29 July 2017 (the Amendment Law) introduces notable changes to Russia’s insolvency rules. Importantly, the law does away with the original provisions on vicarious liability of controlling persons in RF Law No. 127-FZ on Insolvency of 26 October 2002 (the Insolvency Law). The Amendment Law expands this concept in a series of new clauses. The rules came into force 30 July 2017.
Bankruptcy cases can involve not only the debtor’s pledge creditors (creditors whose claims are secured by means of a pledge), but also creditors whose claims are secured by other means of securing the performance of obligations. Said means may include both those means that are explicitly defined in the Russian Civil Code and those that are not. Among the means of proprietary nature (as opposed to means of personal nature, such as suretyship), special mention goes to security deposit, retention money, security transfer of title and finance lease.