Times Law Panel debate: OFT plans to bring more criminal prosecutions – The Times

Posted April 16th, 2008 in company directors, competition, prosecutions, special report by sally

“The Office of Fair Trading is set to target more company directors for criminal prosecution in a bid to stamp out anti-competitive behaviour, a senior figure at the competition watchdog said last night.”

Full story

The Times, 15th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

‘Internet sperm’ founder jailed – BBC News

Posted April 9th, 2008 in company directors, fraud, news, sentencing by sally

“The founder of a website offering sperm to lesbians wanting children has been jailed for 16 months for fraud at Wood Green Crown Court in north London.”

Full story

BBC News, 8th April 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Gemma Ltd (in liquidation) v Davies and Another – Times Law Reports

Posted April 4th, 2008 in company directors, law reports, misfeasance by sally

Gemma Ltd (in liquidation) v Davies and Another

Chancery Division

“In order to establish that a person was a de facto director of a company when deciding whether she was guilty of any misfeasance in relation to the company, it was not enough that she held herself out as a director since what mattered was not what she called herself but what she did.”

The Times, 4th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Gemma Ltd (in liquidation) v Davies and another; In re Gemma Ltd (in liquidation) – WLR Daily

Posted March 19th, 2008 in company directors, insolvency, law reports, married persons by sally

Gemma Ltd (in liquidation) v Davies and another; In re Gemma Ltd (in liquidation); [2008] EWHC 546 (Ch); [2008] WLR (D) 89

“In order to establish that a person was a de facto director of a company it was necessary, inter alia, to plead and prove that he undertook functions in relation to the company which could properly be discharged only by a director.”

WLR Daily, 18th March 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

4,000 company directors listed as global terror suspects and fraudsters – The Times

Posted February 21st, 2008 in company directors, news by sally

“The names of almost 4,000 directors of British companies appear on international watchlists of alleged fraudsters, money launderers, terror financiers and corrupt officials, The Times has learnt.”

Full story

The Times, 21st February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Contex Drouzhba Ltd v Wiseman and Another – Times Law Reports

Posted January 8th, 2008 in company directors, fraud, law reports by sally

Contex Drouzhba Ltd v Wiseman and Another

Court of Appeal

“A director’s signature on a document containing a fraudulent representation made by him was sufficient evidence in writing for an action in deceit.”

The Times, 8th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v Vohora and Another – Times Law Reports

Posted December 10th, 2007 in company directors, disqualification, law reports, time limits by sally

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v Vohora and Another

Chancery

“A claim by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to disqualify a director of a company under section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 had to be brought, rather than commenced within two years.”

The Times, 10th December 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only avaialble free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication. 

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v Vohora and another – WLR Daily

Posted November 19th, 2007 in company directors, disqualification, law reports, time limits by sally

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v Vohora and another [2007] EWHC 2656 (Ch)

“A claim by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to disqualify a director of a company, on the ground that it was expedient in the public interest, had to be brought, rather that started, within two years. Therefore the two-year period was a limitation provision and, in accordance with CPR Pt 7, para 5, where the Secretary of State’s claim form was received in the court office on a date earlier than the date on which it was issued, the claim was “brought” for the purposes of the two-year period on that earlier date.”

WLR Daily, 16th November 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Hawkes v Cuddy and Others – Times Law Reports

Posted November 13th, 2007 in company directors, declaratory judgment, insolvency, law reports by sally

Judge’s order inappropriate

Hawkes v Cuddy and Others

Court of Appeal

“It was inappropriate to make a declaratory judgment on an interlocutory application based on an allegation of contravention of the Companies Act 1985 when that would serve no useful purpose.”

The Times, 13th November 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Fear of litigation holding directors back – The Times

Posted November 6th, 2007 in company directors, news by sally

“Half of the non-executive directors of UK businesses have deliberately limited their involvement in a major transaction because they fear being sued, a study has shown.”

Full story

The Times, 6th November 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

New laws give shareholders more power to sue directors for negligence – The Times

Posted September 24th, 2007 in company directors, negligence, news by sally

“Disgruntled shareholders in Northern Rock and other troubled British companies looking to pin blame on senior management will receive a boost next month with the introduction of new laws making it easier to sue individual company directors. ”

Full story

The Times, 24th September 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Brown lifts ban that prevented ministers from taking seat on company boards – The Times

Posted September 24th, 2007 in company directors, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

“Gordon Brown was under pressure last night to explain why he has lifted a ban on ministers holding directorships as it emerged that his trade minister was listed on the board of a cleaning company, The Times can disclose.”

Full story

The Times, 22nd September 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Hawkes v. Cuddy and Others – Times Law Reports

Declaration of criminality made in civil proceedings

Hawkes v. Cuddy and Others

Chancery Division 

“The court had power, in appropriate circumstances, to grant a declaration of criminality in civil proceedings brought by a private individual litigant.”

The Times, 14th August 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Hawkes v. Cuddy and others – WLR Daily

Hawkes v. Cuddy and others [2007] EWHC 1935 (Ch)

“The court had jurisdiction to grant a declaration on a petition brought under s 459 of the Companies Act 1985 where the unfair prejudice relied on was caused by the alleged contravention of s 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 by a director of a company in liquidation who had become the director of another company that was known by a prohibited name.”

WLR Daily, 31st July 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v. Aaron and others – WLR Daily

Posted June 12th, 2007 in company directors, disqualification, expert witnesses, law reports by sally

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v. Aaron and others

“In directors disqualification proceedings, the court might at times need expert assistance on issues of fact, but, generally speaking, it was hard to see why a court should need expert evidence that was simply expert opinion when considering the key question of whether a director was unfit to be concerned in the management of a limited company.”

WLR Daily, 7th June 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Shierson and another v. Rastogi – WLR Daily

Posted June 5th, 2007 in bankruptcy, company directors, evidence, law reports by sally

Shierson and another v. Rastogi [2007] EWHC 1266 (Ch.)

The principle that judicial findings made in a previous case were not admissible in later proceedings as evidence of facts found only applied where a party in the second proceedings had not had opportunity, by himself or his privy, to challenge evidence adduced in the first hearing.

WLR Daily, 25th May 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v. Eastaway (No. 2) – WLR Daily

Posted May 14th, 2007 in company directors, disqualification, law reports by sally

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry v. Eastaway (No. 2)

“A company director against whom disqualification proceedings were pending was not entitled to have an undertaking made under the Carecraft procedure (see In re Carecraft Construction Co Ltd [1994] 1 WLR 172) set aside and the disqualification proceedings dismissed on the ground that the Strasbourg court had concluded that his civil rights and obligations had not been determined within a reasonable time pursuant to art 6 of the Convention.”

WLR Daily, 10th May 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case is fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed. 

Chiniah v. Director General of the Mauritius Revenue Authority – WLR Daily

Posted April 20th, 2007 in company directors, income tax, law reports by sally

Chiniah v. Director General of the Mauritius Revenue Authority 

“A court could take into account a director’s dominant shareholding of a company in determining whether, under the law of Mauritius, he was a ‘principal officer’ of that company so as to be personally liable for income tax owed by the company.The Privy Council so held in dismissing an appeal by Jayram Chiniah from the order of the Court of Civil Appeal of Mauritius (YKJ Yeung Sik Yuen ACJ and P Lam Shang Leen J) affirming the decision of the Supreme Court of Mauritius to dismiss his notice of motion for erasure of an inscription of privilege in the sum of Rs 6.9m over his property, taken under the authority of the Income Tax Act 1995, in respect of income tax for the years 1991–92 to 1994–95 due by a company, Chiniah & Sons Ltd of which he was, until 17 April 1996, a director.”

WLR Daily, 17th April 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.