LIABILITY FOR NOT OR LATE FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
No obligation to file for bankruptcy
There is no statutory obligation in the Netherlands Antilles for managing directors of a company to file for the bankruptcy of the company. Managing directors are therefore not responsible to the creditors for damages sustained by them as a result of any ‘late’ filing for bankruptcy. There is no such obligation for shareholders of a company either. A liquidator of a company shall, however, file for bankruptcy if he finds that the liabilities are likely to exceed the assets, unless all known creditors agree in writing that the liquidation be continued on a voluntary …
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INADEQUATE CAPITALIZATION IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Liability for thin-capitalization?
In terms of ‘piercing the corporate veil’, thin or inadequate capitalization usually means capitalization that is not in proportion to the nature of the risks the business of the corporation necessarily entails; in other words it is based on likely economic needs rather than legal requirements.
Shareholders of a company in the Netherlands Antilles are under an obligation to pay to the company what is due with respect to the shares, i.e. the shareholder’s capital contribution, and such contribution may not be withdrawn without due process. This is the only financial obligation of a shareholder towards the …
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LIABILITY OF DE FACTO MANAGING DIRECTORS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Policy maker can be held liable
As a general rule a corporation in the Netherlands Antilles is a legal entity distinct from its shareholders. In terms of liability for mismanagement the law focuses on the managing directors as well as other persons who actually “act as managers” (a.k.a. policy makers or de facto managing directors).
Most legal commentators take the view that instructions from a parent company to a subsidiary do not, as such, constitute “management” in the above sense. However, statutory language is ambiguous and there is no Netherlands Antilles case law on this issue. Those who “act as …
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