SUPERVISORY DIRECTORS ARE A TYPE OF BAYWATCHERS
When you dress a lizard in a suit you will have trouble with his tail!
A seminar on Financial Institutions and their Supervisor was held in Aruba on Wednesday April 20, 2016. The seminar was organized by the Aruba Bankers’ Association & Insurance Association of Aruba. I was one of the keynote speakers and delivered my presentation in the English language (click here for the presentation).
I have addressed several issues. Here follow a few quotes:
What makes financial institutions like banks and insurance companies special is that the scope of duties of managing and supervisory directors …
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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES
Speech Karel Frielink – Conference of the Caribbean Ombudsman Association
Ladies and Gentlemen!
I have only half an hour, so I won’t travel back in time to the early days of mankind. I just start with Plato (427 – 347 B.C.E.). You may have heard of this philosopher. And of ‘Platonic love ’ of course. Plato himself mistrusted and generally advised against physical expressions of love.
Ladies and gentleman, we are real people. Human beings of flesh and blood. We are no zombies! So I imagine that Plato would have advised people like you and me: “govern yourself, put restrictions …
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DE ZORGPLICHT VAN PROFESSIONELE PARTIJEN
Naleving van de zorgplicht is een vorm van risicobeheersing
Google het woord ‘zorgplicht’ en constateer dat je dit begrip in relatie tot uiteenlopende onderwerpen tegenkomt: sport, kinderopvang, leerlingen, cliënten, werknemers, gevangenen, afvalwaterzorg, krijgsgevangenen, hemelwaterzorg, huurauto’s, grondwaterzorg, bancaire en financiële dienstverlening, enz. enz. enz.
Ons recht is met de zorgplicht doordrenkt. Dat is niet iets van de afgelopen jaren. Een begrip als de ‘zorg van een goed huisvader’ treffen we al eeuwen aan. En die zorgplicht betreft, zoals we al zagen, allerlei uiteenlopende situaties. Ik noem er nog een paar: de zorg van een goed vruchtgebruiker, de zorg van de arts …
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DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY REVISITED
People keep asking questions about this topic
Generally, in Curaçao (as well as in Aruba, St. Maarten and the BES islands) liability may arise in the event a managing director is found to be seriously negligent (‘hem een ernstig verwijt kan worden gemaakt’) in fulfilling his tasks as member of the management board of a legal entity (NV, BV, foundation or association).
Section 2:8 subsection 3 of the Curaçao Civil Code (‘CCC‘) provides that in performing its duties the management board is focused on the interest of the legal entity and its associated business operations, insofar as they exist. This …
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GOVERNMENT-OWNED COMPANIES
Opposing views on political influence
Few people would argue that the rules issued by the state (government) must also be correctly and strictly observed by that same state. It cannot be well conceived that, for example, the police and Public Prosecutor’s Office (as instruments of the state) should be allowed to violate the law with impunity.
Though there may be very different opinions about the nature and the role of the state (particularly from a philosophical and jurisprudential viewpoint), here we address the question of how we should consider government-owned companies, and in particular, what level of influence the government …
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THE INCORPORATION OF A CURACAO LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Incorporating an NV or BV is not a hassle
The act on corporate law (Book 2 Curaçao Civil Code) governs the NV (‘public limited liability company’) and BV (‘private limited liability company’). These companies can be used for group finance or holding activities, (international) joint-ventures, funds, structured finance, as a Curaçao Trust and for “plain-vanilla” (local) activities.
A notarial deed is required for the formation of an NV or BV and for any amendment to articles of association (a.k.a. articles of incorporation). Formation can however, be very quick (within one or two days if necessary) and does not require many …
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IMPACT OF THE LIABILITY TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIRECTOR (I)
Liability of the 2nd degree director
Under Section 2:17 subsection 1 of the Curaçao Civil Code, the liability of a legal entity as a director of another legal entity (the direct or 1st degree director) also rests jointly and severally on each person who at the time this liability arose for the legal entity was its director (the indirect or 2nd degree director). It applies to this indirect director as it applies to the direct director that he will not be liable if he can prove that he cannot be blamed for the improper performance of duties, also considering his …
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ORDER OF THE COMMON APPEAL COURT OF CURACAO CONCERNING THE RIGHT TO INSTITUTE AN INQUIRY
The Appeal Court has taken several fundamental decisions
On 5 March 2013 the Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (case: Ghis 55769 – HAR 28/12) issued an order in connection with inquiry proceedings. This order contains three major considerations.
The right of legal entities (including public limited companies [NV] and private companies with limited liability [BV]) to institute an inquiry was introduced in Curacao on 1 January 2012. Almost immediately after this introduction an application for instituting inquiry proceedings was submitted to the Appeal Court. The facts …
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BESCHIKKING INZAKE ENQUETERECHT GEMEENSCHAPPELIJK HOF CURACAO
Het Hof neemt enkele principiële beslissingen
Op 5 maart 2013 heeft het Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie van Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten en van Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba (zaak: Ghis 55769 – HAR 28/12) een beschikking in het kader van een enquêteprocedure gegeven. Drie belangrijke overwegingen worden hier genoemd.
Het enquêterecht voor rechtspersonen (waaronder naamloze en besloten vennootschappen) is in Curaçao op 1 januari 2012 ingevoerd. Vrijwel direct na de invoering is een enquêteverzoek bij het Hof ingediend. De feiten die aan dat verzoek ten grondslag zijn gelegd hebben betrekking op de jaren voorafgaande aan de invoering van het enquêterecht. …
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LECTURE ON GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Looking back on the future: the further development of corporate governance in Curaçao
A seminar on Checks and Balances in Corporate Governance on Curacao, was held on Thursday February 21st, 2013. More than 125 interested managing directors, supervisory directors, lawyers, accountants and other participants were in attendance.
The seminar was organized by the Board of financial supervision (College financieel toezicht – Cft), the Foundation Bureau for Supervision and Standardization Government Entities (Stichting Bureau Toezicht en Normering Overheidsentiteiten – SBTNO) and the Dutch Caribbean Accountants Association (DCAA). I had the honor to speak on the present and future of the Corporate …
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GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (V)
Government drafted model articles of association
The first model articles of association date from March 15, 2011.
For criticism see: K. Frielink, Visie Land op overheids-NV’s verkeerd [Vision Country on government-owned NVs incorrect], Antilliaans Dagblad 15 April 2011, p. 16 and M.L. Alexander, F.B.M. Kunneman, L.G. Santine and R.J. in ’t Veld, Modelstatuten ten sterkste afgeraden [Model articles of association strongly discouraged], Antilliaans Dagblad 20 September 2011, p. 14-15. See also K. Frielink, Stop politieke benoemings- en ontslagcarrousel [Stop politicial appointment and dismissal merry-go-round], Antilliaans Dagblad 14 September 2010, p. 14-15.
In the meantime, the models for …
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GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (IV)
Code Corporate Governance Curacao
On January 1, 2010, the National Ordinance regarding corporate governance came into effect. Based on this the Code Corporate Governance Curacao came into being, that also came into effect on January 1, 2010. In it, reference is still made to the Executive Council and the island territory of Curacao, but as from October 10, 2010 these are understood to mean the government of Curacao and the Country Curacao.
The National Ordinance does not only undertake to establish a corporate governance code, but also to implement the Code in the government-owned companies. In 2011, this implementation obligation …
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