Volume 5 Issue 21 (December 2020) PP. 130-137
DOI 10.35631/IJLGC.5210010
Copyright © GLOBAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (M) SDN BHD - All rights reserved
130
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW,
GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATION
(IJLGC)
www.ijlgc.com
DIRECTORS’ DUTY AND LIABILITY IN INSOLVENT
TRADING
Shereen Khan
1*
, Nasreen Khan
2
, Olivia Tan Swee Leng
3
1
Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Email: shereen.khan@mmu.edu.my
2
Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Email: nasreen.khan@mmu.edu.my
3
Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Email: oliviatan@mmu.edu.my
*
Corresponding Author
Article Info: Abstract:
Article history:
Received date: 25.10.2020
Revised date: 17.10.2020
Accepted date: 22.11.2020
Published date: 06.12.2020
To cite this document:
Khan, S., Khan, N,, & Tan, O. S.L.
(2020). Directors’ Duty and Liability
in Insolvent Trading. International
Journal of Law, Government and
Communication, 5 (21), 130-137.
DOI: 10.35631/IJLGC.5210010.
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0
The effect of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has resulted in
current and future liquidity, balance sheet, and cash flow problems. There is an
anticipated decline in the profitability of the businesses during this uncertain
period and attention has been turned to the directors’ ‘duties and liabilities’ to
creditors when the company is on the verge of insolvency. Directors have to
strike a balance among the shareholders, creditors, and workers in the corporate
restructuring process. In engaging with these stakeholders during the
transformation process, the directors play a key role. It is about quick choices
and decisions to be taken to save a business on the verge of insolvency, and it
is therefore vital that directors act at the first sign of financial distress. There is
a general duty for directors not to trade when insolvent or close to the point of
insolvency. Directors also have a contractual obligation to avoid insolvent
trading. This article discusses the duties of directors under the Companies Act
2016 (CA 2016) to avoid insolvent trading. It further discusses by analysing
based on the comparative study with other selected jurisdictions. This article
proposes that while it is important to protect creditors’ interest by making the
directors personally liable for insolvent trading, for the best interest of all
stakeholders, there should be a balance between the security of creditors and
the rescue of the company.
Keywords:
Directors’ Duties; Insolvent Trading; Restructuring