EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE ON INSIDER DEALING

Market Abuse Directive defines insider dealing objectively
The European Court of Justice, in its decision dated 23 December 2009 (Case C‑45/08; Spector Photo Group NV and Chris Van Raemdonck versus Commissie voor het Bank-, Financie- en Assurantiewezen (CBFA)), has clarified the elements of insider dealing following a request from the Court of Appeal of Brussels.
The European [...]

PLC CROSS BORDER LAW FIRM RECOMMENDATIONS 2010

Netherlands Antilles
According to PLC Cross Border (Which lawyer?), Spigthoff Attorneys & Tax Advisers is one of two firms dominating the Netherlands Antilles market for international work, both on- and offshore.
Spigthoff ranks high in corporate / M&A and dispute resolution.
Martijn Welten, who specializes in corporate law, mergers & acquisitions and corporate litigation, is (highly) recommended in [...]

FOREIGN CLAIMS SECURED BY ARUBAN SECURITY RIGHTS

The foreign law governed claim must be sufficiently identifiable
Many financing arrangements are of a cross-border nature. For instance, a loan agreement governed by English law with the loan secured by a right of pledge governed by the laws of Aruba. This raises all kinds of questions.
Any foreign right, for instance a claim, in which an [...]

DRAG-ALONG RIGHTS UNDER THE LAWS OF ARUBA

Drag-along rights may be validly created
On January 1, 2009 the new Aruba Ordinance on companies with limited liability (vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid; VBA) became effective.
A drag-along right is a right that enables a majority shareholder to force a minority shareholder to join in the sale of his shares in a company (VBA). Generally, the majority [...]

SEPARATION BETWEEN LEGAL AND BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SHARES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

The beneficial owner of shares is not a shareholder
On March 1, 2004 the act on corporate law (Book 2 Netherlands Antilles Civil Code) became effective. The Act governs NVs (‘public limited liability company’) and BVs (‘private limited liability company’). The main object of the legislator was to provide flexibility and maximum freedom for organization and presentation. [...]

THE SELLING OF SHARES BY A DUTCH CARIBBEAN COMPANY

Answers to foreign counsel queries
A Netherlands Antilles company (NV or BV) may have assets, both local and foreign. Not seldom such a company wants to sell all or a portion of its assets. If foreign assets or a foreign buyer is involved, foreign counsel always asks questions about the laws of the Netherlands Antilles. Several [...]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU

The year 2010 has begun
I wish you good health and heartfelt happiness. Let’s hope 2010 will be a better year, especially for the poor, the oppressed and the sick among us. May we all defend and honor human rights.
And now for something completely different. In a couple of months we will be celebrating the 5th [...]