Section 195 – Recovery from debtor of expenses of money attachment
641.Section 195(1) provides that expenses of money attachment for which the debtor is liable, can be recovered only by the money attachment in which those expenses are incurred. There is no other permissible method for recovering those expenses.
642.Subsection (2) provides that the expenses have to be recovered before the money attachment ceases to have effect or before the money attached is paid over to the creditor. Note that the amount of money attached is to include an amount to cover expenses (section 177(2)) so that when the money is paid over to the creditor there is an amount covering expenses (and under section 184(1) a judicial officer is entitled to retain an amount to cover the officer’s fees and outlays before paying the money attached over to the creditor).
643.Where the debtor opposes a payment order or other application on frivolous grounds or makes an application under the provisions of this Part on frivolous grounds, the sheriff may award expenses relating to any such application, opposition or hearing against the debtor and in favour of the creditor (see paragraph 4 of schedule 3). Subsection (3) provides that in those circumstances decree for payment of those expenses is granted against the debtor and in favour of the creditor so that the creditor can recover those expenses (in other words recovery of those expenses does not have to be done by means of the original money attachment).
644.Subsection (4) lists circumstances (all of which are a type of insolvency process apart from subsection (4)(c) which concerns the realisation of a floating charge) which may prevent a money attachment from proceeding. In those circumstances the expenses of the money attachment are still chargeable against the debtor and if they are not dealt with in the insolvency process they can be recovered by a further money attachment.