The Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989

Misconduct in course of winding up

172.—(1) When a company is being wound up, whether by the High Court or voluntarily, any person who, being a past or present officer of the company,—

(a) does not to the best of his knowledge and belief fully and truly discover to the liquidator all the company’s property, and how and to whom and for what consideration and when the company disposed of any part of that property (except such part as has been disposed of in the ordinary way of the company’s business), or

(b) does not deliver up to the liquidator (or as he directs) all such part of the company’s property as is in his custody or under his control, and which he is required by law to deliver up, or

(c) does not deliver up to the liquidator (or as he directs) all books and papers in his custody or under his control belonging to the company and which he is required by law to deliver up, or

(d) knowing or believing that a false debt has been proved by any person in the winding up, fails to inform the liquidator as soon as practicable, or

(e) after the commencement of the winding up, prevents the production of any book or paper affecting or relating to the company’s property or affairs,

shall be guilty of an offence.

(2) Any person mentioned in paragraph (1) who, after the commencement of the winding up, attempts to account for any part of the company’s property by fictitious losses or expenses shall be guilty of an offence; and if he so attempts at any meeting of the company’s creditors within the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of the winding up he shall be guilty of an offence.

(3) For the purposes of this Article, “officer” includes a shadow director.

(4) It is a defence—

(a) for a person charged under sub-paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of paragraph (1) to prove that he had no intent to defraud, and

(b) for a person charged under sub-paragraph (e) of that paragraph to prove that he had no intent to conceal the state of affairs of the company or to defeat the law.