Companies (Consolidation) Act 1908

151 Powers of liquidator.

(1) The liquidator in a winding up by the court shall have power, in the case of a winding up in England with the sanction either of the court or of the committee of inspection, and in the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland with the sanction of the court—

(a) to bring or defend any action or other legal proceeding in the name and on behalf of the company:

(b) to carry on the business of the company, so far as may be necessary for the beneficial winding-up thereof :

(c) in the case of a winding up in England, to employ a solicitor or other agent to take any proceedings or do any business which the liquidator is unable to take or do himself ; but the sanction in this case must be obtained before the employment, except in cases of urgency, and in those cases it must be shown that no undue delay took place in obtaining the sanction :

(d) in the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland, to appoint a solicitor or law agent to assist him in the performance of his duties.

(2) The liquidator in a winding up by the court shall have power, but (subject to the provisions of this section) in the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland only with the sanction of the court,—

(a) To sell the real and personal property, and things in action of the company by public auction or private contract, with power to transfer the whole thereof to any person or company, or to sell the same in parcels :

(b) To do all acts and to execute, in the name and on behalf of the company, all deeds, receipts, and other documents, and for that purpose to use, when necessary, the company's seal:

(c) To prove, rank, and claim in the bankruptcy, insolvency, or sequestration of any contributory, for any balance against his estate, and to receive dividends in the bankruptcy, insolvency, or sequestration in respect of that balance, as a separate debt due from the bankrupt or insolvent, and rateably with the other separate creditors: .

(d) To draw, accept, make, and indorse any bill of exchange or promissory note in the name and on behalf of the company, with the same effect with respect to the liability of the company as if the bill or note had been drawn, accepted, made, or indorsed by or on behalf of the company in the course of its business :

(e) To raise on the security of the assets of the company any money requisite:

(f) To take out in his official name, letters of administration to any deceased contributory, and to do in his official name any other act necessary for obtaining payment of any money due from a contributory or his estate which cannot be conveniently done in the name of the company; and in all such cases the money due shall, for the purpose of enabling the liquidator to take out the letters of administration or recover the money, be deemed to be clue to the liquidator himself :

(g) To do all such other things as may be necessary for winding up the affairs of the company and distributing its assets.

(3) The exercise by the liquidator in a winding up by the court in England of the powers conferred by this section shall be subject to the control of the court, and any creditor or contributory may apply to the court with respect to any exercise or proposed exercise of any of those powers.

(4) In the case of a winding up in Scotland or Ireland the court may provide by any order that the liquidator may exercise any of the above powers, except the power to appoint a solicitor or law agent, without the sanction or intervention of the court.

(5) Where a liquidator is provisionally appointed by the court, the court may limit and restrict his powers by the order appointing him.

(6) In a winding up by the court in Scotland the liquidator shall, subject to rules made under this Act, have the same powers as a trustee on a bankrupt estate.