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Insolvency Act, 1936 (Act No. 24 of 1936)

142. Removing or concealing property to defeat an attachment or failure to disclose property

 

(1) Any person shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years if, either before or after the sequestration of an estate, he removes, conceals, disposes of, deals with or receives any asset belonging to that estate with intent to defeat an attachment by virtue of a sequestration order, or with intent to prejudice the creditors in that estate: Provided that in any proceedings for an offence under this sub-section, any such removal, concealment, disposal of, dealing with or receipt of assets which had the effect of defeating or was calculated to defeat such attachment or which prejudiced or was calculated to prejudice the creditors of that estate, shall, unless the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been committed with intent to defeat the attachment or (as the case may be) to prejudice those creditors.

 

(2) Any person who has in his possession or custody or under his control any property belonging to an insolvent estate and who knows of the sequestration of the estate and that the property belongs to it, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding R 1 000 or to imprisonment without the option of a fine for a period not exceeding one year if he fails to inform the trustee of the estate as soon as possible of the existence and whereabouts of the property and (subject to the provisions of section 83) to deliver it to, or place it at the disposal of, the trustee.

 

(3) The provisions of sub-sections (1) and (2) shall not apply to an insolvent in respect of any property belonging to his own insolvent estate.

 

(4) A secured creditor of an insolvent estate who has realised his security in terms of section eighty-three and who has failed after written demand to pay over the proceeds of the realization in accordance with the provisions of subsection (10) of that section, shall, apart from any other offence which he may have committed in connection with those proceeds, be guilty of an offence and liable to the penalties mentioned in subsection (2).