Irish Centre for Commercial Law Studies Seminar 5 December 2002
The Role of the ODCE in Corporate Liquidations Paul Appleby Director of Corporate Enforcement
Outline of Presentation Responsibilities of Liquidators Role of the ODCE Approach being taken by the ODCE
Liquidator Responsibilities (1) Collecting Company Assets Disclaiming Onerous Contracts Applying for High Court Orders Instituting Proceedings for Fraudulent or Reckless Trading against Directors, etc. Seeking the Recovery of Company Property
Liquidator Responsibilities (2) Distributing the Proceeds Identifying the Creditors Making the Realised Distributions Interim Final In Order of Priority
Liquidator Responsibilities (3) Investigations Examining the Company’s Books Interviewing the Directors, etc. Seeking Reliefs from the Court
Liquidator Responsibilities (4) (1)Reporting Seeking approval of the Court or Committee of Inspection Summoning General or Creditors’ Meetings Filing with the Registrar of Companies Liaising with the Examiner’s Office
Liquidator Responsibilities (5) (2) Reporting to the ODCE Section 299 Report (suspected offences) Section 56 Report (prior to restriction)
ODCE Role and Powers (1) Relieving Liquidators from Making Restriction Applications Insolvent Companies Covered Prescribed Report Frequency of Reporting
ODCE Role and Powers (2) Examination of a Liquidator’s Books On request for stated reasons One or more liquidations Section 58 Report (by professional bodies)
ODCE Approach (1) ODCE/Liquidators Contacts Notification of Deadline for Reporting Clarification of Issues Decision Timeframes Public Notice Procedure Confidentiality Issues
ODCE Approach (2) Criteria for Relief Satisfaction with Liquidator’s Opinion No breach of Law or Duty Trading while insolvent Selective Discharge of Company Debts
ODCE Approach (3) Monitoring the Restriction Proceedings ODCE a Notice Party ODCE Participation in a Minority of Cases Notification to ODCE of Court Decisions
Conclusion Dealing with the “Apparent Injustice” Contributing to Improving Standards and Curbing Irresponsible Behaviour A New Regime Anxious to work with Practitioners, etc.