[2020] KEHC 9948 (KLR)
The court found that Chase Bank Limited, the respondent, no longer exists as a legal entity due to its collapse and receivership. There was no evidence before the court that SBM Bank, which took over certain assets and liabilities of Chase Bank, had assumed the specific liability in question. As such, the...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [2020] KEHC 9948 (KLR)
- Parties
- Applicant: Semhar Investments Limited; Respondent: Chase Bank Limited
- Court
- High Court
- Court Station
- High Court at Nairobi (Milimani Commercial Courts)
- Jurisdiction
- Kenya
- Case Number
- Miscellaneous Application 28 of 2016
- Procedural Posture
- Miscellaneous Application / Ruling on Notice of Motion for Transfer of Shares
- Outcome
- application dismissed
- Judges
- MM Kasango
- Legal Topics
- Share Transfer, Company Records, Receivership, Corporate Liability
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Semhar Investments Limited
Applicant
Chase Bank Limited
Respondent
Procedural Posture
Miscellaneous Application / Ruling on Notice of Motion for Transfer of Shares
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the court can order the transfer of shares from a bank that is under receivership and no longer exists as a legal entity.
- 2 Whether SBM Bank, as the entity that took over certain assets and liabilities of Chase Bank, is liable for the obligations in this cause without evidence of such assumption.
Ratio Decidendi
The court found that Chase Bank Limited, the respondent, no longer exists as a legal entity due to its collapse and receivership. There was no evidence before the court that SBM Bank, which took over certain assets and liabilities of Chase Bank, had assumed the specific liability in question. As such, the application was incompetent and could not be granted. The absence of evidence regarding the transfer of liability meant that the court could not order the requested transfer of shares or amendment of company records. The application was therefore dismissed.
Court Disposition
application dismissed
Orders
- The Notice of Motion dated 10th December 2018 is dismissed.
- There shall be no orders as to costs.
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
26 paragraphs
REPUBLIC OF KENYA
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AT NAIROBI
COMMERCIAL AND TAX DIVISION
MISC APPLICATION NO. 28 OF 2016
SEMHAR INVESTMENTS LIMITED............................APPLICANT
- VERSUS -
CHASE BANK LIMITED..............................................RESPONDENT
RULING
1. SEMHAR INVESTMENTS LIMITED (hereafter Semhar) succeeded on 20th March 2017, in obtaining from this court an order that the members Register of the company records of Chase Bank Limited be amended to reflect Semhar as a shareholder of 13,429 shares and Chase Bank was further ordered to issue Semhar with share certificate of those shares.
2. Semhar has approached this court by Notice of Motion dated 10th December 2018 for the following orders:
i. This Honourable Court do order the Deputy Registrar to sign transfer of shares and all other relevant documents to effect transfer of an additional Thirteen Thousand Four and Twenty Nine (Ksh 13,429) shares from Chase Bank Limited to Semhar Investments Limited.
ii. This Honourable Court do order the Registrar of Companies to amend the Members Register, and all other company Records of Chase Bank Limited to reflect Semhar Investments Limited as being the holder of an additional Thirteen Thousand Four and Twenty-Nine(Ksh 13,429) shares.
3. I take judicial notice of the fact that Chase Bank, which was incorporated in 1995 was placed under receivership in April 2016. Following that it is in the public domain that the Central Bank of Kenya approved in June 2018 the takeover of certain assets and liabilities of Chase Bank by SBM bank of Mauritius.
4. When Semhar’s application came before me I posed the question to the learned counsel for Semhar in regard to who the application was addressed to, in view of the collapse of Chase Bank. The learned counsel’s only response was that the application was served on SBM Bank because it is that bank that took over the assets of Chase Bank. No evidence was adduced on what SBM Bank took over in respect to chase bank’s assets and liabilities and it follows that the present application in the light of the above discussion fail and is incompetent. Chase Bank does not exist, having collapsed, and there is no evidence before court that the liability in this cause was taken over by SBM bank.
5. It is for the above reason that the Notice dated 10th December 2018 fails. It is dismissed with no orders as to costs.
DATED, SIGNED and DELIVERED at NAIROBI this 29th day of JULY 2020.
MARY KASANGO
JUDGE
Before Justice Mary Kasango
C/A Sophie
For the Applicant:
For the Respondent:
ORDER
This decision is hereby virtually delivered this 29th day of July, 2020.
MARY KASANGO
JUDGE