Section 21 – Unlawful acts after attachment
51.This section prohibits the removal, sale, gifting or other disposal of attached articles and their wilful destruction or damage. To do so will be in breach of the attachment and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.
52.Section 21(7) requires the debtor to give notification to the creditor and officer if an attached article is stolen and of any insurance claim which the debtor intends to make. Section 21(10) provides that, where attached articles have been damaged, destroyed or stolen, the sheriff may order that others be attached. Damaged articles may, on the authority of the sheriff, be revalued.
53.Section 21(11) to (15) makes provision for a sum of money to be consigned in court in circumstances where an article is made unavailable by the debtor or any third party who knows the article is attached. These include where the debtor or third party moves an attached article and it is subsequently damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen or is acquired by another person who is unaware of the attachment, and where the debtor or third party wilfully damages or destroys the article. The sum to be consigned will be equal to the difference between the value of the article when attached and the value of the damaged article or, in any other case, a sum equal to the attached value. Where the attachment of a damaged article ceases to have effect before its auction, any sum which has been consigned in court will be paid to the creditor to the extent necessary to meet the debt with any surplus left over being paid to the debtor.
