Alle Rechtstipps
04.11.2022
(updated on
07.04.2026
)
0
Min. read
Section 15a paragraph 3 of the Insolvency Code does not apply to an English Limited but only to a GmbH governed by German law.The basis of the decision of the higher regional court of Berlin was an appeal by the public prosecutor against a judgment of the local court from 2019. In that judgment the defendant had been convicted by way of a penal order for delayed filing for insolvency and sentenced to a fine of 90 daily units of 50 euros each. After objection, an instalment plan was granted and the daily unit amount was reduced. On appeal, the regional court set aside the local court’s judgment and acquitted the defendant. The reason was that until 2015 the defendant had been director of V Ltd, which was registered in the commercial register of the local court C with its seat in Berlin. Since section 15a paragraph 3 of the Insolvency Code, which governs the duty to file for insolvency, does not apply to V Ltd as a company governed by English law, the defendant’s conduct could not be regarded as a criminal offence. The public prosecutor’s appeal against this decision was unsuccessful.The higher regional court thus confirmed the view that section 15a paragraph 3 of the Insolvency Code does not apply to an English Limited but only to a GmbH governed by German law. Extending the term GmbH in this provision to foreign companies that have a similar structure to a GmbH, in this case an English Limited, would stretch the wording of section 15a paragraph 3 of the Insolvency Code too far. This is also supported by the fact that section 15a paragraph 3 of the Insolvency Code lists only three types of company, unlike section 15 paragraph 1 sentence 2 of the Insolvency Code and section 15a paragraph 1 of the Insolvency Code. The other paragraphs of section 15a of the Insolvency Code and section 15 of the Insolvency Code refer only to legal persons. Since section 15a paragraph 3 of the Insolvency Code explicitly lists GmbHs, stock corporations and cooperatives instead of merely referring to legal persons, this indicates that the provision is intended as a final and exhaustive statutory rule.
Hans-Jörg Briest
Rechtsanwalt

Schwerpunkte:
Arbeitsrecht
Wirtschaftsrecht
Gesellschaftsrecht
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