Companies Act 2014

527

No lien over company’s books, records, etc.

527. (1) Without prejudice to subsections (2) and (3), where the court has appointed an examiner to a company or a company is under the protection of the court, no person shall be entitled as against the examiner to—

(a) withhold possession of—

(i) any deed, instrument, or other document belonging to the company, or

(ii) any accounting records, receipts, bills, invoices, or other papers of a like nature relating to the accounts or trade, dealings or business of the company,

or

(b) claim any lien on any document or paper referred to in paragraph (a).

(2) Where a mortgage, charge or pledge has been created by the deposit of any such document or paper with a person, the production of the document or paper to the examiner by the person shall not operate to prejudice the person’s rights under the mortgage, charge or pledge (other than any right to possession of the document or paper).

(3) Where by virtue of this section an examiner has possession of—

(a) any document or papers of a receiver, or

(b) any documents or papers that a receiver is entitled to examine,

the examiner shall, unless the court otherwise orders, make the document or papers available for inspection by the receiver at all reasonable times.