Lecture No. 9 Liquidation
Lecture No. 9 Liquidation
LECTURE NOTES NO 9
REVISED AUGUST 2019
PREPARED BY MUHAMUD SEWAYA
LIQUIDATION
INTRODUCTION
VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION
Sec 58 – 86 IA
The resolution has to be registered with the registrar and a copy sent to the
official receiver within seven days from the date of passing the resolution.
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Date of commencement
The date of the winding up fixes the status and liability of contributories, it is the
critical time for the purpose of determining the validity of preference or floating
charge given by the company prior to winding up, it deprives unsecured creditors
of their ordinary remedies against the company.
Section 66 Duty of liquidator to call a general meeting at the end of each year.
Failure to do so calls may be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 5 CP.
Section 67 Final meeting and dissolution
Prepare an account of liquidation
Call a general meeting and give any required explanation
Notice in the Gazette and in the new paper of wider circulation in
Uganda
14 days after meeting, the liquidator shall send a copy to registrar
Registrar required to register them
3 months after registration of returns the company shall be taken to be
dissolved unless court orders otherwise
Liability for any person who contravenes this provision.
Read Cases:
- Noble Builders (ltd ) v Jaspal S Sandhu (1997-2001) UCLR 110
Read:
Section 73(2) IA
On the appointment of a liquidator, all the powers of the directors shall cease,
except so far as the committee of inspection or where there is no committee, the
creditors, sanction the continuation.
Section 79
Provides that subject to the provision of this Act on preferential payment, the assets of a
company shall on its liquidation, be applied in satisfaction of its liabilities
simultaneously and equally, and, subject to that application shall unless the articles of
association otherwise provide, be satisfied among the members according to their rights
and interests in the company.
Read section 14 IA
Read:
Simba Airlines Ltd v Heritage Bank Ltd (2002) 1 EA 302
Re Metro Cash and Carry (U) Ltd Misc App 440 of 2007, HC U
* Re Windsor Steam (1929) 1 CH 151
The basic duty of the liquidator is to collect and realize the company assets. Title
to the company’s assets is not automatically vested in the liquidator unless
exceptionally, the court so orders. The directors’ appointment automatically
ceases and the liquidator takes into his custody and control the company’s
property.
A liquidator may be a watchdog for the unsecured creditors and the shareholders
against improper practice by a receiver. But in many cases he is a weapon to be
used with discretion. His appointment terminates the receiver’s agency and will
normally lead to a receiver ceasing to curry on business.
In order to fulfill their duties liquidators are given a wide range of powers, some of
which can be executed of their own volition entirely others of which need the
appropriate consent.
The powers given under section 87 IA are subject to control by the court and a
creditor or contributory may apply to court with regard to the exercise or
proposed exercise of those powers.
One of the most important decisions a liquidator will have to take is whether to
keep the company’s business going and if so, for how long. It should be noted
that liquidators may only do so in as far as it may be necessary for the beneficial
winding up of the business.
power. Any person aggrieved by an act or decision of the liquidators may apply
to the court.
Liability of Liquidator
The liquidator is both as an officer of the court and an agent of the company for
purpose of winding up the company. He thereby occupies a fiduciary position
towards the company’s creditors as a body but is not a trustee for individual
creditors or contributories in the true sense of the term.
The liquidator must exercise a high degree of care and diligence in his dealings,
if he is to escape, liability, thus in Re Home and Colonial Insurance Company
Ltd (1930) I Ch 102, a liquidator paid a claim which he subsequently discovered
to be invalid, it was held that he was negligent in not taking legal advice or
applying for directions of the court, consequently he was liable to compensate
the company.
Read:
- Re Builtbead Ltd (2003) 4 All ER 864
Costs of Liquidation
Section 85
All costs, charges and expenses properly incurred in the liquidation, including the
remuneration of the liquidator, shall be payable out of the assets of the company in
priority to all other claims.
The voluntary liquidation of a company shall not bar the right of any creditor or
contributory to have it liquidated by court but in the case of an application by a
contributory, the court shall be satisfied that the rights of the contributories will be
prejudiced by a voluntary liquidation
No transfer of the company’s assets is allowed unless with the consent of the
liquidator – 61IA
In Stead, Hazel and Company v Cooper (1933) 1 KB 840, it was held that
when carrying out their function, liquidator act as agents of the company and any
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contract a liquidator makes will be between the company and the outsider and
the liquidator will incur no personal liability.
In Re Corbenstoke Ltd (No.2) 1990) BCLC 60, it was held that liquidators are in
a fiduciary relationship with the company and must not place themselves in a
position of conflict of interest. Liquidators must not make any unauthorized profit
from their position and any purchase of the company is properly reliable to be set
aside.
Liquidation does not destroy the company’s corporate identity or powers, but it
does place the company and those who control its affairs under certain
disabilities. Liquidation terminates the powers of the company to carry on
business except for the limited purpose of winding up its affairs. It also puts an
end to the company’s capacity to dispose of its assets and restricts the rights of
creditors to take proceedings to enforce their remedies against the company or
its property. Dissolution is an event, which takes place only after affairs of the
companies have been fully wound up.
Read:
Disposition of property
The court has a discretionary power to declare that any disposition is not void. A
creditor, which obtains property from a company after a winding up application
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has been filed, loses that property unless the court validates the disposition.
Under Sec 15 – 19 IA. ( see lecture No 6)
Effect on Receivership
Section 194 IA
The assets which the appointed receiver took possession of were part of the
respondent’s assets for which a status quo had been maintained by the court.
The receivers therefore had no access to them without leave of court and the act
of taking possession of the respondent’s assets declared void. Leave of court
was need before the receiver could take possession of the assets.
It is generally accepted that most of the powers of the directors come to an end
with the appointment of a liquidator. Accordingly, the directors have no power to
conduct proceedings on behalf of the company, or to make valid calls on
shareholders and their acts have no binding effect as far as the company is
concerned. – Sec 73(2) IA.
Under Section 110 the director , secretary or employee shall disclose fully and
truthfully to the liquidator all the property of the company and details of the
disposal of any property by the company including property disposed of in the
ordinary course of business and shall deliver to the liquidator or in accordance
with the liquidator’s directions all property of the company in or under his or her
custody or control.
Effect on contracts
Where part of the property of a company consists of land burdened with onerous
covenants, shares, and property that are unreliable or not readily saleable or
unprofitable contract, the liquidator may disclaim the property. The disclaimer
operates to terminate from the date of the disclaimer, the right, interests and
liabilities of the company and the property of the company.
incapable of performing any of its obligations under the contract, the other party
may duly treat the contract as terminated by breach.
Effect on Shareholder
Any transfer of share made after the commencement of the winding up is void.
Accordingly, shareholder is prevented from evading this ability as a contributory
by transferring his share to some impecunious person after winding up has
commenced.
Read
- Section 79 IA
- Appolo Hotel Corp Ltd v Geoffrey Oryema & Others (2007) ULR 175 –
Held that ownership of a company is a question of law. In determining
ownership of a company regard must be had to the instrument conferring
ownership.
Judgment Creditors
Where a judgment creditor has levied execution and completed it by sale before
the winding up, he may keep the proceeds. If the execution is incomplete or sale
has not been carried out, the property must be given to the liquidator, but the
judgment creditor is entitled to receive the cost of the execution and prove for the
debt.
Rights of contributories
If the debts are insufficient to satisfy the creditors, then the contributories must
bring in the sums due from them in accordance with the principles. If however,
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when all the debts have been paid there are surplus assets then these are
available for the repayment of capital to the contributories and in certain cases
the residue may exceed the nominal capital of the company and there may be
even longer to distribute. The way in which the balance is distributed among the
contributories will depend upon the rights attaching to the particular shares. It
was held in Re Roberts and Cooper Ltd (1929) 2Ch 383 that if preference
shares are preferred as to capital on winding up, they will be paid in full before
the ordinary shares receive anything.
Section 14(b) IA
If they are not so preferred they will rank equally with the ordinary shares and, if
the assets are not sufficient to repay the whole of the capital, both classes will be
paid in equal proportion.
In order to avoid loss or inconveniences to parties who may have dealings with
the company after it has gone into liquidation, the law imposes the requirement
that every invoice, order for goods or business letter issued by or on behalf of the
company or the liquidator after the winding up order must contain a statement
that the company is in liquidation.
A criminal penalty in the form of a fine is imposed upon the company any of its
officers, or the liquidator who knowingly and willfully authorize or permit default in
respect of this requirement..
The fundamental principles governing the distribution of assets are:- First, only
the assets of the company at the time it goes into liquidation are available for its
creditors. Secondly, what constitutes an asset of the company is to be
determined primarily by the general principles of property and contract law
applicable to solvent parties.
The assets of a company in liquidation like those of a solvent company, are not
confined to physical things or to thing which are fully owned by the company. Any
beneficial interest held by the company, whether, in tangible or intangible
property and whether full or limited, indefeasible or defeasible held absolutely or
held by way of security constitutes an asset, thus the company’s assets may
include freehold, leasehold property goods owned by the company, possession
of goods under a lease or hire purchase agreement, negotiable instruments held
by the company, intellectual property rights, contract rights and security interests
in tangible or intangible property owned by another. But the company must hold
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the beneficial interest. Assets beneficially owned by others to which the company
has a bare legal title and not available to its creditors.
The assets coming under the control of the liquidator at the time of winding up
may be augmented subsequently in various ways. The question then arises
whether those represent an addition to the company’s general assets so as to
be susceptible to capture by a prior assignment or charge, including a fixed or
floating charge covering after acquired property, or whether they are to be
treated as held by the liquidator the benefit of the general body of creditors.
Onerous property is any unprofitable contract and any property of the company
which is un saleable or is not readily saleable or in such that it may give use to a
liability to pay money or to perform any other onerous act.
It should be done in mind that liquidation does not of itself bring a contract to an
end, nor is it necessary a ground for the solvent party to terminate the contract.
The liquidator is not obliged to procure the company to continue performance if
he considers this would not benefit the company but neither can he compel the
other party to treat the contract as at end.
The effect of a disclaimer is to determine, as from the date of the disclaimer, the
rights, interest and liabilities of the company in or in respect of the property
disclaimed.
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Refer to section 6 – 14 IA
Insolvency rules provide that whenever the liquidator has sufficient funds must
declare and distribute dividends among the creditors in respect of the debts
which they have respectively proved, but that he must do so subject to the
retention of sums as may be necessary for the expenses of the winding up.
Creditors must be notified of the declaration of a dividend, and information to
enable them to comprehend and must be given sufficient information to enable
them to comprehend the calculation of the amount of the dividend and the
manner of it’s distribution.
Read:
- Re HIH casualty & General (2008) 3 All ER 869
EFFECT OF DISSOLUTION
The date when dissolution becomes effective marks the termination of the
company’s legal personality, and hence of its existence. It is this consequence of
the winding up process – regardless of whether it is the voluntary or the
compulsory mode which is employed which constitutes the fundamental point of
distinction between the insolvency of a corporation and that of an individual.
Every creditor, and every person with a claim of any kind against the company, should
therefore bear in mind that at the conclusion of the liquidation all liabilities will be
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extinguished forever, since there will be no subsisting legal person by whom any liability
is owed nor any prospect that unsatisfied liabilities may be settled out of a sense of moral
obligations by a person against whom no legal enforcement is capable of taking place.
LIQUIDATION BY COURT
The court may appoint a liquidator on the application of the company , a director,
shareholder, creditor, contributory and the official receiver. – sec 92 IA and the court
may make an order if it is satisfied that the company is unable to pay its debts within the
meaning of section 3.
Section 92(3) IA provides that on hearing a petition the court may dismiss it or adjourn
the hearing conditionally or unconditional or make any interim order that it thinks fit but
th3 court shall not refuse to make a winding up order on the ground that the assets of the
company have been mortgaged to an amount equal to in excess of those assets or that the
company has no assets.
A provisional liquidator can be appointed under section 94 and shall within 14 days of
appointment give public notice of the date of commencement of the liquidation and call
share holder’s meeting – sec 95.
The liquidator shall within 5 working days after the appointment give notice in the
Gazette and a newspaper of wide circulation and notice to give particular information.
Section 96(2) IA A liquidator shall give notice of the liquidation on every invoice , order
for goods or business letter issued by or on behalf of the company on which the
company’s name appears stating after the company’s name the words “in liquidation”
Failure to comply with subsection (2) does not affect the validity of a document issued
by or on behalf of the company.. A liquidator commits an offence and is liable on
conviction t a fine not exceeding 100 CP
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Liquidator’s Reports
Section 103 – 104 IA
A liquidator shall within 20 working days aft the end of every six months during
liquidation make an interim report and give public notice of the conduct of the
liquidation. The Report shall be inspected by every creditor, shareholder or contributory.
The notice shall be published in the official language.
Before completion the liquidator public notice of the final report, final accounts and the
grounds on which a creditor or share holder may object to the removal of the company
from the register under the companies Act.
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The liquidator has powers to obtain documents under section 105. A person shall not
withhold a document of the company from liquidator on the ground that possession of the
document creates charge over property.
The liquidator also has power to examine and obtain information from director, secretary,
shareholder, employee, receiver or administrator. The person may be required to appear
before the liquidator at a reasonable time. A person who appears before the liquidator is
entitled to a resaeranable remuneration.
Section 106(8) a person shall not be excused from answering any question on the ground
that the answer may incriminate or tend to incriminate him or her.
Section 106(9) provides that the testimony of any person examined under subsection (2)
or (7) is not admissible as evidence in any criminal proceedings against that person
except on a chrage of perjury in respect of the testimony.
Read:
- Re Mid East Trading Ltd (198) 1 All ER 577
- Re Pantmaenog Timber Co Ltd ( In Liquidation)(2001) 4 All ER
588
- Re Galileo Group Ltd (1998) 1 All ER 544
Where a company is liquidation or where a petition for liquidation has been made to
court, a person shall not leave or attempt to leave Uganda with the intention of avoiding
to make payment of money due to the company; avoiding examination of the affairs of
the company ; or avoiding compliance with an order of the court or some other
obligation under the Act with respect to affairs of the company. Or conceal or remove
property of the company with the intention of preventing or delaying the assumption of
custody or control of the property by the liquidator, destroy , conceal or remove records
or documents of the company. Section 113(2) a person who contravenes sub section(1)
commits an offence and is liable on conviction of not more than seven years.
Completion of Liquidation
Section 114
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The liquidation shall; be complete when the liquidator delivers to the official receiver a
final report and final accounts of the liquidation and a statement indicating that all
known assets an have been disclaimed , realized or distributed; all proceeds of realization
have been distributed and in the opinion of the liquidator the company should be
removed from the register. On delivering to the official receiver the documents , the
liquidator shall cease to hold office but this does not limit the application of section 117
and 118.
SM
August 2019
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