CONFLICTING INTERESTS IN CURACAO INSOLVENCY LAW (part 3)
Conflicting interests of the receiver/advocate and his law firm
A receiver must be able to take decisions freely and be able to weigh the interests involved in a bankruptcy against each other in an objective and unbiased manner. Before accepting an appointment as receiver, the respective person must make certain that he is free to act as such. If he had been the advocate (lawyer, attorney) of the bankrupt or of his shareholder or managing director before the bankruptcy order, despite his qualities he is presumed to be unable to act as such, at any rate any semblance of bias …
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CONFLICTING INTERESTS IN CURACAO INSOLVENCY LAW (part 2)
The liability of the receiver
The special characteristics of the duty of a receiver bring with them that his liability, if any, must be assessed against a standard of due care which has been tuned to this. This standard boils down to the fact that a receiver ought to act as can reasonably be required of a receiver having sufficient insight and experience and performing his duties conscientiously and with dedication. Knowledge and experience exceeding the minimum requirements can to a certain extent color the standard in a concrete case: after all there is nothing against taking as a starting …
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CONFLICTING INTERESTS IN CURACAO INSOLVENCY LAW (part 1)
The receiver is sometimes described as an octopus
The receiver (trustee in bankruptcy) as an octopus: this means that in connection with each appointment he is in a way thrown in at the deep end because he has to make himself familiar with the relevant issues in a very short period and because of the number of interests involved in a bankruptcy and these being partly contradictory he often needs eight arms in order to cope with all the requirements and demands. One could just as well describe the receiver as a jack-of-all trades.
The receiver must make choices and …
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PROPOSED REVIEW DUTCH CARIBBEAN LEGISLATION ON DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY IN BANKRUPTCY
Defects detected in the annual accounts drawn up may be relevant
Earlier in 2010, a draft bill was proposed to amend the Corporate Code (Book 2 Civil Code) of Curacao, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (which formerly constituted the Netherlands Antilles). Hopefully, the Bill comes into force in 2011. Among other things, the provisions with regard to Managing Director’s liability have been improved.
In the event of the bankruptcy of the legal entity each Managing Director is jointly and severally liable to the estate for the deficit being the amount of the debts insofar as they cannot be …
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NON-POSSESSORY PLEDGE UNDER THE LAWS OF ARUBA
A non-possessory pledge requires a deed
Security rights are an important issue, especially in financing transactions. A company may, for example, guarantee the obligations of another company under a certain loan facility. There are several alternatives, one of which will be discussed here.
Under the laws of Aruba there are several kinds of pledges, in particular, the possessory and the non-possessory pledge. In the case of a possessory pledge, the physical control of the assets concerned will be transferred from the owner/borrower to the bank/lender.
In the case of a non-possessory pledge, regarding for example registered shares, the pledge is …
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THREE QUESTIONS ON ARUBAN BANKRUPTCY LAWS
FAQ
Question 1
In which cases and by whom may bankruptcy proceedings be initiated in accordance with Aruban bankruptcy law?
Filing for bankruptcy may be done either by the debtor itself or by one or more of its creditors. If the debtor is a company, generally speaking the managing directors do not have the authority to petition for bankruptcy of the company without authorization thereto from the general meeting.
The pre-requisites for making a bankruptcy order on application, regardless of whether the application is made by the debtor or by any of the other above mentioned persons, is, that the …
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THE CREDIT CRUNCH, THE ECONOMIC RECESSION AND MAJOR FRAUDS SCHEMES
Lawyers are having a heyday
Many countries, companies and private individuals are suffering severely from the credit crunch, the economic recession and the various fraud schemes (Madoff, Stanford, Enron, etc.). However, what causes misery to some represents opportunity to others, in this case, the lawyers.
The financial meltdown, for instance, has resulted in governments interfering in financial institutions, people being sacked, and litigation. Securities fraud results in litigation. It seems like a lawyers’ paradise, however let’s not forget that many lawyers are feeling the impact of the crisis as severely as everyone else.
It is however fair to say that …
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THE DISMISSAL OF A TRUSTEE IN BANKRUPTCY IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Dismissal not always at the sole discretion of the judge
A Netherlands Antilles bankruptcy judge may at any time after having heard or after having properly summoned the trustee in bankruptcy, dismiss the trustee and replace him by one or more other trustees. This may be done at the request of the debtor, the trustee himself, another trustee, one or more creditors, the commission of creditors, or by the Judge on his own motion. There are no provisions in the law that stipulate, by reference, according to which consideration(s) such application is decided upon by the Judge.
In a particular …
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RIGHT OF SET-OFF UNDER DUTCH CARIBBEAN LAW
One of the most modern regimes in the world
The legal concept of set-off may be defined as setting cross-claims off against each other to produce a single balance. For instance, if A were to have a claim against B for a sum of money, and B would have a cross-claim against A for a sum of money, then B is entitled to be absolved from payment of A’s claim to the extent of his cross-claim and is also entitled to use his cross-claim in pleadings as a defense in an action by A to enforce his claim.
Set-off functions …
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BANKRUPTCY AND INTEREST CLAIMS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Bankruptcy vs non-bankruptcy claims
There are special statutory provisions regarding agreed interest rates, for instance, in a contract between the creditor and a party who subsequently goes bankrupt, during a bankruptcy (faillissement) and moratorium on payements (surseance van betaling). It is explicitly stated in the Netherlands Antilles Bankruptcy Decree (Faillissementsbesluit 1931) that only the interest accumulated prior to a pronunciation of bankruptcy may be paid from the bankruptcy assets (faillissementsboedel). In the event of a moratorium on payments a similar provision exists.
Bankruptcy does not mean that the bankrupt party ceases to be a debtor of non-verifiable claims. If at …
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THREE QUESTIONS ON DUTCH CARRIBBEAN BANKRUPTCY LAWS
FAQ
Question 1
In which cases and by whom may bankruptcy proceedings be initiated in accordance with Netherlands Antilles bankruptcy law?
Filing for bankruptcy may be done either by the debtor itself or by one or more of its creditors. If the debtor is a company, the managing directors do not have the authority to petition for bankruptcy of the company without authorization thereto from the general meeting, unless otherwise stipulated in the articles of association.
The pre-requisites for making a bankruptcy order on application, regardless of whether the application is made by the debtor or by any of the …
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PLEDGING FUTURE RECEIVABLES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Bankruptcy pledgor will prevent valid pledge
Under the laws of the Netherlands Antilles, a right of pledge may be established on future receivables, however, the right of pledge on a future receivable will only be perfected the moment such a receivable comes into existence, provided that, at such a time, the pledgor is authorized to dispose over or encumber such receivables (‘beschikkingsbevoegd’).
Therefore, if a pledgor has been granted a suspension of payments (‘surséance van betaling verleend’) or has been declared bankrupt (‘failliet verklaard’) in the Netherlands Antilles, before a future receivable, directly resulting from an existing legal relationship, comes …
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