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Part 1 · Preliminary

2. General interpretation

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Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2019.

(1)

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“banking corporation” means a bank that holds a valid licence under section 7 or 79 of the Banking Act 1970;

“bankrupt” means —

(a)

an individual debtor who has been adjudged bankrupt by a bankruptcy order; or

(b)

where a bankruptcy order has been made against a firm, each of the partners in the firm;

“company” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Companies Act 1967;

“contributory” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Companies Act 1967;

“corporation” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Companies Act 1967;

“Court” means the General Division of the High Court;

“creditors’ committee”, in relation to a bankruptcy, means a committee appointed under section 331;

“foreign company” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Companies Act 1967;

“insolvency practitioner’s licence” means a licence granted under section 51;

“liability” means a liability to pay money or money’s worth, regardless whether such liability is present or future, certain or contingent or of an amount that is fixed or liquidated or that is capable of being ascertained by fixed rules or as a matter of opinion, and includes any such liability arising —

(a)

under any written law;

(b)

under contract, tort or bailment;

(c)

as a result of a breach of trust by the person liable; or

(d)

out of an obligation to make restitution;

“licensed insolvency practitioner” and “licensee” mean the holder of a licence granted under section 51;

“limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;

“liquidator” includes the Official Receiver when acting as the liquidator of a corporation;

“member”, in relation to a company, means a member of a company mentioned in section 19(6) or (6A) of the Companies Act 1967;

“Minister” means —

(a)

except as provided in paragraph (b), the Minister charged with the responsibility for administration of affairs of insolvent persons and insolvent companies; and

(b)

for the purposes of sections 124(1)(g) and (2)(c), 125(5), 127(3) and 198, the Minister charged with the responsibility for registration of companies;

“Official Assignee” means the Official Assignee appointed under section 16(1) and includes a Deputy Official Assignee, a Senior Assistant Official Assignee and an Assistant Official Assignee;

“Official Receiver” means the Official Receiver appointed under section 17(1) and includes a Deputy Official Receiver, a Senior Assistant Official Receiver and an Assistant Official Receiver;

“property” includes —

(a)

money, goods, things in action, land and every description of property, wherever situated; and

(b)

obligations and every description of interest, whether present or future or vested or contingent, arising out of or incidental to property;

“public accountant” means a person who is registered or deemed to be registered in accordance with the Accountants Act 2004 as a public accountant;

“Registrar” means the Registrar of the Supreme Court and includes a Deputy Registrar or an Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court;

“Registrar of Companies” means the Registrar of Companies appointed under section 8 of the Companies Act 1967 and includes any Deputy or Assistant Registrar of Companies;

“regulations” means regulations made under section 449;

“Rules” means the Rules of Court made under section 448;

“solicitor” means an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court;

“subsidiary” has the meaning given by section 5 of the Companies Act 1967;

“transaction” includes any gift, agreement or arrangement, and any reference to entering into a transaction is to be construed accordingly;

“trustee”, in relation to a bankruptcy and a bankrupt, means the trustee of the bankrupt’s estate and includes the Official Assignee when acting as trustee of the bankrupt’s estate;

“trustee in bankruptcy” means a person appointed under section 36 as trustee of a bankrupt’s estate.

(2)

For the purposes of Parts 4 to 12 and 23, a person who is not a member of a company, but to whom shares in the company have been transferred, or transmitted by operation of law, is to be regarded as a member of the company, and references to a member or members are to be read accordingly.

(3)

Unless the contrary intention appears, a reference in this Act to a Part or a Division of a Part is to be construed so as to include a reference to any subsidiary legislation made in relation to that Part or that Division.

Report

Part 2

Jurisdiction, Powers and Procedure of Court

Part 3

Official Assignee, Official Receiver and Insolvency Practitioners

Part 4

Corporate Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution — Preliminary

Part 5

Scheme of Arrangement

Part 5A

Simplified Restructuring of Debts

Part 6

Corporate Insolvency — Receivership

Part 7

Judicial Management

Part 8

Winding Up

Part 9

Provisions Applicable in Judicial Management and Winding Up

Part 10

Winding Up of Unregistered Companies and Liquidation or Dissolution of Foreign Companies

Part 10A

Simplified Winding Up

Part 11

Cross-Border Insolvency

Part 12

General Provisions Applicable to Parts 4 to 11

Part 13

Bankruptcy — Preliminary

Part 14

Voluntary Arrangements

Part 15

Debt Repayment Scheme

Part 16

Proceedings in Bankruptcy

Part 17

Administration in Bankruptcy

Part 18

Annulment and Discharge

Part 19

Duties, Disqualification and Disabilities of Bankrupt

Part 20

Bankruptcy Offences

Part 21

Bankruptcy Miscellaneous Provisions

Part 22

Provisions Against Debt Avoidance and Limitation on Certain Contractual Rights

Part 23

Miscellaneous and General Provisions

Part 24

Consequential and Related Amendments to Other Acts

Part 25

Saving and Transitional Provisions

Schedules