In the twelfth edition of the Going concerns, we cover set-offs and the net result of a creditor dealing with a company in liquidation; the first cross-border pre-pack scheme filed in the Singapore International Commercial Court ("SICC") by a foreign unregistered company that has been successfully sanctioned in Singapore: Re No Va Land Investment Group Corporation [2024] SGHC(I) 17 ("No Va Land"); and UAE's new bankruptcy law that came into effect on 1 May 2024, a relatively substantial overhaul of the onshore insolvency and restructuring regime in the UAE.

本稿では、近年のシンガポールの事業再生/倒産に関連する法・実務の発展を概観しつつ、シンガポール国際商事裁判所(以下｢SICC｣といいます。)における国際事業再生/倒産案件の取扱いについて解説します 。

1. 近年のシンガポール事業再生/倒産に関連する法・実務の発展

シンガポールは、様々なビジネス分野において東南アジア(又はグローバル)におけるハブを指向していますが(例えば、国際仲裁の分野において、シンガポール国際仲裁センター(SIAC)は国際仲裁機関として高い評価を得ています。)、事業再生/倒産の分野も例外ではありません。以下の年表からも分かるとおり、2010年代以降、政府・金融機関・実務家等が一丸となって、①グローバルスタンダードに合致し、かつ、国際倒産への対応も可能な倒産法制度を整備しつつ  、②シンガポールの裁判所を、東南アジアにおける国際事業再生/倒産案件のフォーラムとして確立しようとする動きが顕著に見られます 。

Insolvency set-off is an important quasi-security device for parties engaging in trade or other dealings with a company. It enables mutual debts owed between a party and a company to be set off against each other if the company goes into judicial management or liquidation.

Following an overhaul of the Singapore insolvency regime which came into force on 30 July 2020, the insolvency and restructuring framework was consolidated in the omnibus Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA). One of the key features of the IRDA was to amend the then-existing construct of statutory avoidance actions in Singapore.

Overview of statutory avoidance provisions following IRDA

In its recent judgement of Foo Kian Beng v OP3 International Pte. Ltd. [2024] SGCA 10, the Singapore Court of Appeal laid down some key principles regarding the scope of directors' duties to creditors, i.e. the "creditor duty". These principles serve as useful guidance not just for directors to understand how they should discharge their duties but also for creditors seeking to hold directors to account. We set out some practical guidance for creditors on ensuring that directors discharge the "creditor duty".

What does the "creditor duty" of directors encompass?

Introduction

The players may change but the story is always the same – the debt that is due and owing arises out of documents which contain an arbitration agreement. In such a scenario, should the claimant pursue winding-up proceedings in court or commence an arbitration?

Introduction

In Arab v Pan, in the matter of Pan (No 3) [2024] FCA 563, the Federal Court of Australia addressed critical issues concerning the scope and compliance of summonses for production in bankruptcy, which will also impact corporate insolvency proceedings and such proceedings in other common law jurisdictions.

International Pte Ltd [2024] SGCA 10 is a landmark case by the Singapore Court of Appeal that sets the test for how Singapore courts should in future approach the question of directors duties when a company is facing financial difficulties. It makes clear that the financial state of the company is an important consideration which a director should bear in mind, as it is the indicia of a shift in the economic interests in the company from the shareholders to the creditors.

Key takeaways

In Foo Kian Beng v OP3 International Pte Ltd (in liquidation) [2024] SGCA 10 (OP3 International)¹ the Singapore Court of Appeal considered the trigger for when the director's duty to consider the interests of creditors is engaged (referred to in the judgment as the Creditor Duty).

The Court held that: