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and is not limited to directors only. Further the action can be taken under the section if it ‘appears the business has been carried on with intent to defraud creditors or any person or for fraudulent purposes.’ Cases have indicated that the word appear connotes lower standard of proof namely a balance of probabilities and not the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt, despite the provision contains both criminal and civil liability. The imposition of liability under the section is broader because it is not confined when the company is in liquidation only unlike the UK fraudulent trading. Earlier detection of fraud and ability to invoke the section without prior winding up is an advantage to creditors because the likelihood of being defrauded and consequently incurring losses. In contrast, in the UK, the section can only be invoked when the company has been wound-up which is sometimes too late to prevent losses to creditors. Hence, the provision should be retained although for clarity purposes there should be a separation between civil and criminal liability. This is despite courts ability to distinguish the difference of standard of care applicable to civil and criminal cases. As for insolvent trading, section 303(3) of the Malaysian Companies Act 1965 imposes liability on ‘any officer of the company who was knowingly a party to the contracting of a debt had, at the time the debt was contracted, no reasonable or probable ground of expectation, …of the company being able to pay the debt’. This provision is based on the Australian Uniform Companies Act 1961-2. The insolvent trading provision can be used against any officer of the company which is wider than the UK, New Zealand and Australia provisions which are limited to directors. It is appropriate that liability should be extended to any officers of the company who has knowledge of the act and not only on directors because it will promote better governance of the company. The current law does not require the company to be insolvent before it can be used and therefore it can work as preventive measures to minimize further loss. In addition, directors are not required to take 404
positive action to minimize losses and company therefore can be traded with the view of returning the company’s fortune. This is particularly important if the company is merely facing a temporary liquidity problem. To require otherwise would have pressured directors to put the company into premature liquidation. As such, the main ingredients of the current framework should be retained. The provisions which apply to any officers instead of directors only and not limited to situation the company is in liquidation should be maintained. Likewise, the provision that directors are not required to take positive steps to prevent losses once the company is insolvent should not be amended. Nevertheless, the main drawback of the provision which requires immediate rectification is the condition that directors should first be convicted before any civil action could be taken. To date, this provision is not enforceable and is as good as not in existence. This is evident from the absence of any decided cases on insolvent trading. Secondly, the provision should not be limited to contractual debts but to all types of losses suffered by creditors. Instead of contracting debts, incurring liability which is wider should be used. Australia has the best model on insolvent trading and it is suggested the Malaysian statute should reform its law according to the Australian section 588G. The emulation of the Australian law does not involve many modifications since the current law is also based on the Australian Uniform Companies Act 1961-2. Apart from the prior conviction requirement and replacing contracting debts, it is proposed that the insolvency test to be used to determine liability as well as adopting the specific defences as in section 588H of the Corporations Act 2001. The availability of specific defences is important for directors to decide on the next cause of action and to plan for the company’s future. The requirement that directors should prove that the company was not insolvent or would not be become one as result of contracting debts would encourage them to be well-versed and vigilant of 405
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http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.n
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ABSTRACT This study examines the le
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACNOWL
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CHAPTER 5 THEORY OF THE CORPORATION
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7.3.3.3 Distribute its Capital to M
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10.2.5.1 Meaning of Insolvency 10.2
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10.6.2.2 Carrying on of any Busines
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CHAPTER 12 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEND
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CLC Australian Company Law Cases CL
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Stanford LR Stanford Law Review Ste
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Facia Footwear Ltd (in administrati
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Re Avon Chambers Ltd [1978] 2 NZLR
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Re Produce Marketing Consortium Ltd
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Ultraframe (UK) v Fielding & Ors [2
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Mountford v Tasman Pacific Airlines
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Australia 3M Australia Pty Ltd v Ke
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Linton v Telnet Pty Ltd (1999) 30 A
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Malaysia Abdul Aziz bin Atan v Lada
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Perman Sdn Bhd & Ors v European Com
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Other Jurisdictions Singapore Rahj
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Companies Act 2006 Section 60(3)(c)
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Section 993 Section 993(2) Section
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Insolvency Act 1985 37, 70 Insolven
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Section 251 255 Part II Schedule 6
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Section 52(1) Section 52(2) Section
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Section 272(2) Section 272(2)(a) Se
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Section 385(4)(b) Section 385(4)(b)
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AUSTRALIA Absent Debtors Act (NSW)
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Section 206D(1)(b)(b)(ii) 374 secti
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Section 588FE(2)(a) Section 588FE(2
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section 588H (5) 241 Section 588H(6
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Section 598(3)(b) Section 598(3)(c)
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Bankruptcy Act 1967 MALAYSIA Sectio
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Section 130A(6) 391 Section 131 221
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Companies Regulation 1966 Regulatio
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CHAPTER 1 THE STRUCTURE OF THE THES
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A discussion of directors’ duties
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The far-reaching implication of cor
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2.2.1 The United Kingdom The common
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2.2.3 Australia Australia has been
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CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE SURVEY - AN OV
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shareholders, had failed to mitigat
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was mainly responsible for the chal
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3.3 Interests in the Company-Shareh
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contributed by the shareholders and
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Statutes have attempted to address
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how the matter should be dealt with
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4.2 Development of Corporate and In
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colonies. 14 The emergence of compa
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originally incorporated in order to
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usiness fraud. 42 In 1825, the Bubb
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Companies Act also reveals providin
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Companies Ordinance 1953 of Sabah a
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In 1977, the Cork Committee was app
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the Committee foresaw difficulty du
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operation and termination of a comp
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enforceability of security interest
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procedure, and dispensed with the o
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The creditors‟ protection princip
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shareholders and on personal bankru
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directors as trustees. 162 Members
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4.3.3 Development of Insolvency Leg
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In Australia, the government respon
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appointment of an administrative re
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the current statutes were not effic
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insist on protection to directors i
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and judgment to run the company. 21
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due to the difficulty in obtaining
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The Australian Law Commission in 19
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instead, enacted section 135 253 in
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4.5 Conclusion Malaysia, New Zealan
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CHAPTER 5: THE THEORY OF THE CORPOR
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needs someone to run it on its beha
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The implication of the decision is
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English decisions as guidance and t
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Shareholders who have to incur high
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interests of shareholders by maximi
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situation, directors have a duty to
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concluded purchasing goods from thi
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stipulates directors “may conside
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subsidiary and may continue to pros
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A holding company may use a subsidi
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section 187 of the Australian Corpo
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its holding company), act in a mann
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is just and equitable, to make an o
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Syndicates (NZ) Limited (in liq) 13
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a) Extent to which the Related Comp
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That the management did not differe
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equirement of insolvency and it doe
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The House of Lords in Woolfson v St
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subsidiary. Abdul Malik J held that
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defendant company. During a meeting
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Uniphoenix Corporation Bhd v Raymon
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justice alone is not sufficient; th
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lenders, employees, suppliers and c
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company and as the residual claiman
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The claim that shareholders‟ righ
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particularly lack of effective mana
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management of the companies. Credit
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players‟ interests intertwine wit
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important for directors to build lo
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Despite having included favourable
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at the intersection of a number of
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Directors must weigh any particular
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Directors will also enlist the serv
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Contractarians regard employees in
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terms to their liking, they either
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to boycott the company. 134 The com
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On the other hand, the duty owed to
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and experiences in order to dischar
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CHAPTER 7: A CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF
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Economists divided real capital whi
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the transformation of shares as rea
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the company‟s ability to pay its
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purchase or will not become insolve
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available where special resolution
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The idea that maintaining share cap
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must be satisfied by the company in
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7.4 Conclusion The doctrine of capi
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and once a resolution is passed, to
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The term 'insolvency' has also long
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equivalent to medical negligence ca
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meaning of inability to pay debts.
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It is important to distinguish as t
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long as the accounts give true and
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current assets must be taken stock
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cases the presumption of insolvency
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It is interesting to note in reachi
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CHAPTER 9 THE COMMON LAW DUTIES OF
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Voluntary creditors can be divided
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are not personally liable for any l
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confidence, a trustee who has been
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interests of various parties in the
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overriding duty is to the sharehold
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to look at the directors‟ purpose
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9.3.3 Duty not to Fetter Discretion
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The decisions of the Federal Court
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case, directors should disclose the
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misconception that the case law and
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other reference as to the developme
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Australia and Malaysia have express
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out “ ...the judgment is in the b
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the prospect of success as well as
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judge adopted the principle of iden
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individual trading through a compan
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liability can be imposed on them wh
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liquidators when it is insolvent. C
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CHAPTER 10 DIRECTORS’ DUTY TO PRE
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Malaysia did not make any changes o
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interpretation of these provisions.
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sum of money that is owed or due.
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Hence, action can be brought agains
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Directors in Australia can be held
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to the director to prove that he or
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expect that the company was solvent
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In the case of Secretary of State f
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trading at a deficit. 64 In other w
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maintained in section 213 of the In
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not „a party‟ if he knew that m
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econcile the two judgments with one
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carrying it on (whether because of
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10.3.1.3 For any other Fraudulent P
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company. In this aspect, section 21
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to Australia and New Zealand which
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even though it was evident from the
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the steps taken were with the aim o
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decisions. 150 Therefore, directors
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The Law Commission proposed that th
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to reform the law, namely to reduce
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A similar issue was raised in the E
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The decision was later upheld by th
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10.4.3 Duty in relation Obligation
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fraudulent purpose.” 201 Although
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from the carrying on of the busines
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The first civil version of the inso
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amounts. 223 In Hussein v Good, 224
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of law of contract. The court must
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defendant. 244 Therefore, a directo
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additional capital, as well as a re
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trading without any other action ta
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Another defect of the section is in
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argue that there are reasonable gro
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10.6.2 Responsibility for Fraudulen
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Siow Yoon Keong v H Rosen Engineeri
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The courts have acknowledged that t
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The defendant in the case relying o
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To date, there have been few cases
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ability of the company to pay off i
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can be disqualified from taking par
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power to do so is an archaic equita
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is for a short period of time. This
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ights against the company are froze
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involves a situation where the comp
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11.2.3 Winding-up Liquidation is a
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11.2.3.1 Effects of Successful Avoi
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transactions, 59 the provisions cle
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11.2.3.1.2 Recovery from Third Part
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ecover the proceeds of sale or to p
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order. 83 If the value of the asset
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Without this class action, the unse
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the power to apply for a compensati
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defraud, which implies their culpab
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also be enforced by the company. 11
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The court has the power if it think
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contravention or pecuniary penalty
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discretion to order the director‘
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Marketing Consortium (No 2) 147 cle
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discovered that the director had en
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compensatory. 163 Damages are asses
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of causation similar to torts in as
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ecause the court considered that it
Page 423 and 424: It should be noted that Re Cyona Di
Page 425 and 426: 11.3.7.2.3 Duration The court also
Page 427 and 428: contribution order is made to the
Page 429 and 430: This is similar to the case of frau
Page 431 and 432: company is using funds belonging to
Page 433 and 434: Since section 304(1) originates fro
Page 435 and 436: 11.3.8.2 Problems of Enforcement/Pr
Page 437 and 438: However, extracting promise of inde
Page 439 and 440: In relation to an action against a
Page 441 and 442: Investments Commission is entitled
Page 443 and 444: The position in Australia has clear
Page 445 and 446: Disqualification on the grounds of
Page 447 and 448: As a result of the recommendations
Page 449 and 450: exercised by the Registrar or the O
Page 451 and 452: actions which are committed with a
Page 453 and 454: The court has to deduce evidence of
Page 455 and 456: 11.4.2.1 Standard of Proof Disquali
Page 457 and 458: 11.4.2.2 Court’s Order Section 6
Page 459 and 460: of disqualification. 322 However, t
Page 461 and 462: mitigating factors considered by th
Page 463 and 464: 11.5 Other Remedies 11.5.1 Mareva I
Page 465 and 466: for under the Act. 348 The action p
Page 467 and 468: of trust or breach of duty in relat
Page 469 and 470: CHAPTER 12 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEND
Page 471 and 472: The separate legal personality conc
Page 473: deemed to be an alien concept to Br
Page 477 and 478: insolvent. In Malaysia, there is no
Page 479 and 480: BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS and ARTICLES AHM
Page 481 and 482: BENNETT, Howard, 'Late Floating Cha
Page 483 and 484: COBURN, Niall F, 'Insolvent Trading
Page 485 and 486: http://ssrn.com/abstract=988944 at
Page 487 and 488: FISHER, Gregory, LEE , Janet and JO
Page 489 and 490: GUNASEKARA, Gehan and TOY, Alan, 'L
Page 491 and 492: HOPT, Klaus J., 'Comparative Compan
Page 493 and 494: KEAY, Andrew and Murray, Michael, '
Page 495 and 496: McCHESNEY, Fred S., 'Economics, Law
Page 497 and 498: OTTOLENGHI, S, 'From Peeping Behind
Page 499 and 500: ROSS, Mike, Corporate Reconstructio
Page 501 and 502: SCHWARTZ, Alan, ‗A Normative Theo
Page 503 and 504: WALTERS, Adrian, 'Void Dispositions
Page 505 and 506: WORTHINGTON, Sarah, 'Subrogation Cl
Page 507 and 508: REPLIES TO EXAMINERS APPENDIX 1 Pag
Page 509 and 510: Page 220-it is asserted that direct
Page 511 and 512: What are the criteria for determini
Page 513 and 514: addition it provides incentive for
Page 515 and 516: See also Secretary of State for Tra
Page 517 and 518: Most jurisdictions in Australia hav
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