insolvency

Case Update: The First Judicial Management Decision in Malaysia

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Summary

The High Court case of Re Leadmont Development Sdn Bhd [2018] 1 LNS 1420 is the first decision on judicial management in Malaysia.

Judicial management orders were granted ex parte for two related companies, Leadmont Development Sdn Bhd (“Leadmont”) and its subsidiary Sierra Delima Sdn Bhd (“Sierra Delima”). The judicial management orders were to facilitate the rehabilitation of these two companies. The companies wanted to successfully complete their project, the Selayang StarCity Project. A secured creditor of the companies, Infra Segi Sdn Bhd (“Infra Segi”), intervened after the grant of the judicial management orders to set aside the orders.

Image: http://www.selayangstarcity.com.my/

The decision is important for setting out the background and statutory framework of the judicial management provisions in Malaysia. It spells out the test for the grant of a judicial management order. The Court ultimately exercised its inherent jurisdiction to set aside the earlier judicial management orders. Continue reading →

1MDB is Insolvent: Directors’ Liabilities for the Debts

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In a Media Release on 23 May 2018, Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance announced that it had met with 1MDB’s Board of Directors. The directors confirmed that 1MDB was insolvent and was unable to pay its debts. 1MDB’s debts may be in the region of RM42 billion. This figure is based on the declassified Auditor General Report  issued in 2015.

 

With this tremendous amount of debt, I touch on one aspect of directors’ liabilities. The directors and other officers of 1MDB, when allowing 1MDB to take on so much debt, can be held personally liable for these debts. Continue reading →

INSOL International’s Kuala Lumpur Seminar – 28 November 2017

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INSOL International is the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals. It is a world-wide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialise in turnaround and insolvency.

INSOL International will be holding its first-ever event in Malaysia with its Kuala Lumpur One Day Seminar on 28 November 2017 at the KL Hilton.

Continue reading →

Bankruptcy Amendments: The New Insolvency Rules and Voluntary Arrangement Rules

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As I have updated in my earlier article, the amendments to the Bankruptcy Act have now all come into force on 6 October 2017. We should now all be referring to it as the Insolvency Act 1967, instead of the old Bankruptcy Act 1967.

As a reminder, the new term Insolvency Act 1967 still merely refers to individual insolvency or individual bankruptcy. It does not involve corporate insolvency. Further, even under the Insolvency Act 1967, it continues to refer to the act of bankruptcy and the bankruptcy order.

Going hand in hand with the renamed Insolvency Act 1967, there are now a host of new rules that come along with the Act. Continue reading →

SSM National Insolvency Conference 2017: Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency under the Companies Act 2015

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On 3 October 2017, the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) is holding the SSM National Insolvency Conference 2017 entitled ‘Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency under Companies Act 2016: A Paradigm Change’. I have been involved in the organising of the sessions and it promises to be a very interesting conference. The registration fee is RM700.

I will be speaking and moderating Session 2 on ‘Corporate Rescue Mechanism: How It Will Work’. Joining me will be Mohamed Sufyan Mohamed Mokhtar from SSM and  Victor Saw of PwC.

Under the Companies Act 2016, the corporate rescue mechanism is made up of corporate voluntary arrangement and judicial management. Although the corporate rescue mechanism provisions have not been brought into force yet, it is anticipated that these provisions will come into effect by May 2018. In the meantime, the new draft Corporate Rescue Mechanism Rules are close to being finalised as well.

In our Session 2, the speakers will be fleshing out the application of the corporate voluntary arrangement and judicial management through factual scenarios. That should assist in seeing the practical implementation of these new mechanisms.

The other topics covered at the National Insolvency Conference are:

  • The World Bank’s Perspective on Debtors’ and Creditors’ Rights.
  • New Guidelines in Striking Off of Companies and Asset Management of Dissolved Companies.
  • Impact of the Companies Act 2016 on Winding Up.
  • What It Takes to Become an Insolvency Practitioner.

The full brochure and registration form can be found here.