ELECTRONIC MONEY INSTITUTIONS IN ARUBA

A license is required

The European Central Bank defines e-money as follows (a non-legal definition): “E-money can be defined as any amount of monetary value represented by a claim issued on a prepaid basis, stored in an electronic medium (for example, a card or computer) and accepted as a means of payment by undertakings other than the issuer, predominantly for small-value transactions (for example, the settlement of modest transactions over the Internet and of parking or telephone charges and payment for public transport services).” (Electronic Money Institutions. Current trends, regulatory issues and future prospects. Legal Working Paper Series, No. 7/2008).


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24
Oct 2013
CATEGORY

Finance

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THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF A CURAÇAO COMPANY (III)

Controlling minority?

Such a situation (i.e. example 2) is possibly less desirable from the company’s perspective, certainly where the more essential decision-making is concerned. Although decisions should be taken on the basis of a discussion of content and it will not always be possible to predict how the meeting of shareholders will vote, the possibility of ‘accidental’ majorities (whereby a minority shareholder nevertheless has the majority through the absence of others at the meeting of shareholders) leads to less predictability, or at least to greater uncertainty.

If a company has, for example, one 30% shareholder and the remaining 70 shareholders …
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15
Oct 2013
CATEGORY

Corporate

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THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF A CURAÇAO COMPANY (I)

Comparable with a constitution

The articles of association of a Curaçao company (a public [NV] or private [BV] limited liability company) are somewhat comparable with a constitution or state regulations: the articles of association comprise – like the law, but also additionally to the law and, where permitted, unlike the law – the rules of play (rights, obligations and powers) to which all the organs of the company (managing board, supervisory board, shareholders’ meeting) and the members of those organs must adhere or on which they can rely.

The law of Curaçao does not prescribe that a special (or qualified) …
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09
Oct 2013
CATEGORY

Corporate

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VALIDLY REPRESENTING A CURACAO COMPANY

Extract and Articles are of importance

Limited liability companies like the Curaçao NV or BV are legal entities. Whether or not a managing director has the authority to validly represent a company can be derived from the extract from the Trade Register of the Chamber of Commerce of Curaçao together with the articles of association of the company.

However, it could be the case that the company has further regulations from which representation limitations follow. This should be assessed on a case by case basis.

A counterparty may rely on a written statement from the board of managing directors or …
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26
Sep 2013
CATEGORY

Corporate

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DE FUN FACTOR

Over plezier en vertrouwen

Geen enkele cliënt zal zijn advocaat willen betalen voor het maken van grappen. En als advocaat hoef je ook helemaal niet grappig te zijn. En als een zaak ernstig van aard is dan mag je zelfs niet grappig zijn. Maar omdat zaken doorgaans meer dan enkele uren of dagen duren, is een goede band tussen een advocaat en zijn cliënt onontbeerlijk.

Natuurlijk, een cliënt kiest een advocaat waarin hij vertrouwen heeft. Een verdwaald geval daargelaten, lijkt mij dat een open deur. Wat ook ‘open’ hoort te zijn is de communicatie tussen een advocaat en zijn cliënt. …
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23
Sep 2013
CATEGORY

Various

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IMPACT OF THE LIABILITY TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIRECTOR (I)

Liability of the 2nd degree director

Under Section 2:17 subsection 1 of the Curaçao Civil Code, the liability of a legal entity as a director of another legal entity (the direct or 1st degree director) also rests jointly and severally on each person who at the time this liability arose for the legal entity was its director (the indirect or 2nd degree director). It applies to this indirect director as it applies to the direct director that he will not be liable if he can prove that he cannot be blamed for the improper performance of duties, also considering his …
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04
Sep 2013
CATEGORY

Corporate

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DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY IN CURACAO

Quasi-director may be held liable too

The members of the board of managing directors are personally and severally liable towards the limited liability company (NV or BV) for any loss caused by the improper performance of duties. Each member of the board who proves that he cannot be blamed for such improper performance and that the activities concerned fall outside the scope of activities addressed to him, and that he has not been negligent in taking steps to avert the related consequences, is not liable (Section 2:14 subsection 4 Curaçao Civil Code; “CCC”). Therefore, a division of tasks among such …
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30
Aug 2013
CATEGORY

Corporate

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FRIS EN FRUITIG

Over het verkopen van dorstlessers en advocaten

Waarom koopt iemand frisdrank A wel, frisdrank B niet en frisdrank C af en toe? Een kwestie van smaak? Zeker. Een kwestie van prijs? Dat ook. Een kwestie van kwaliteit (en de hoeveelheid of juist het ontbreken van schadelijke ingrediënten)? Niet zelden. Een kwestie van gemoedstoestand? Zal ongetwijfeld ook een rol spelen. Het gevoel dat iemand bij een product heeft? Ook dat lijkt mij een factor van betekenis.

Bewust of onbewust verdisconteren mensen de diverse aspecten die zij van belang vinden in hun aankoopbeslissing. Die afweging kan ook door iemand anders gemaakt worden, …
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28
Aug 2013
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ASSET PROTECTION IN CURACAO

Curaçao: a jurisdiction not to be missed

A Curaçao private foundation or a trust is often used for asset protection and privacy purposes. The Curaçao private foundation and the Curaçao trust must be set up by a notarial deed executed before a civil law notary in Curaçao. Both the private foundation and the trust are a very flexible solution for asset protection and privacy purposes. A private foundation, for instance, can be easily implemented in international holding structures through Curaçao and is very suitable for family asset protection. By means of a letter of wishes or provisions in the articles …
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20
Aug 2013
CATEGORY

Finance

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THE COSTS OF LITIGATION

Parties have to bear their own attorney costs

Under the laws of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba, generally speaking, each party has to bear its own attorney costs, except if there is an agreement in place between the parties providing for such compensation. Other costs related to proceedings are for instance bailiff costs and court fees.

The extent to which the aforementioned costs of litigation are to be borne by the party losing the case are determined by the court. The costs will in fact not compensate the actual costs and attorneys fees incurred. They are …
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12
Aug 2013
CATEGORY

Legal

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SEIZING ASSETS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Court approval required, but freezing assets is rather easy

Under the laws of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba any party with a prima facie claim may file a petition for a court order granting an attachment, which petitions are generally granted, solely based on the allegations in the petition. Seizing assets of a another party may already be possible at a time when the claim (e.g. under an agreement or a guarantee) is not yet due, but where there is good reason to believe that, when it will become due, the other party will not honor …
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09
Aug 2013
CATEGORY

Legal

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GERARD SPONG SIGNEERT ZIJN BOEK IN CURACAO

De Breuk

WILLEMSTAD – Gerard Spong heeft vandaag zijn nieuwste boek ‘De Breuk’ gepresenteerd op Curacao. Spong is strafrechtadvocaat in Amsterdam. Zijn advocatenkantoor Spong Advocaten is geassocieerd met SMS Attorneys at Law te Curacao.

Recentelijk heeft Spong zijn veertigjarig jubileum als advocaat gevierd.

Van zijn hand verscheen ‘De Breuk’, een juridische thriller gebaseerd op ware feiten en, naar zijn zeggen, een van zijn meest opmerkelijke moordzaken.

In de media is het boek omschreven als: ‘Fascinerende reconstructie, geschreven met humor en gevoel voor detail. Vermakelijk en leerzaam voor zowel advocaten als leken ’ volgens de Volkskrant en ‘Een meesterlijk boek dat naar …
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05
Aug 2013
CATEGORY

Various

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