Freezing Injunction In the [High Court of Justice] Order to restrain assets Queens Bench Division

Freezing Injunction In the [High Court of Justice] Order to restrain assets Queens Bench Division Before the Honourable Mr. Justice ……

Registration No. 169/00

Dated 3 rd july 2000

Claimants T.M. E.M.

Defendant E.P.

Penal Notice If you the within named E.P. disobey this order you may be held to be in contempt of court and liable to imprisonment or fined or your assets seized

Important Notice to the defendant

You should read the terms of the Order and the Guidance Notes very carefully. You are advised to consult a Solicitor as soon as possible.

This Order prohibits you, the Defendant, from dealing with your assets up to the amount stated in the Order, but subject to any exceptions set out at the end of the Order. You have a right to ask the Court to vary or discharge this Order.

If you disobey this Order you may be found guilty of Contempt of Court and may be sent to prison or fined. In the case of a Corporate Defendant, it may be fined, its Directors may be sent to prison or fined or it assets may be seized.

The Order

An application was made today by Counsel for the Claimants to Mr Justice………………………who heard the application. The Judge read the affidavit and witness statements listed in Schedule A and accepted the undertakings set out in Schedule B at the end of this Order. As a result of the application IT IS ORDERED that until (further Order of the Court):

1. The Defendant must not: remove from England and Wales or in any way dispose of or deal with or diminish the value of any of his assets which are in England and Wales whether in his own name or not and whether solely or jointly owned up to the value of L 873,168,82 or US 1,414,895 or DM 2,829,791.

This Prohibition includes the following assets in particular:

any money or securities standing to the credit of the Respondent in his account or accounts with ………… & Company at (Adresse) or at their offices or branches elsewhere.

2. (1) If the total unencumbered value of the Defendant´s assets in England and Wales exceeds …………….or……………or……………., the Defendant may remove any of those assets from England and Wales or may dispose of or deal with them so long as the total unencumbered value of his assets still in England and Wales remains above ……………….or…………………or……………….. . (2) If the total unencumbered value of the Defendant´s assets in England and Wales does not exceed …………….or…………….or……………, the Defendant must nor remove any of those assets from England and Wales and must not dispose of or deal with any of them.

3 Exceptions to this Order: (1) This Order does not prohibit the Defendant from spending L 250.00 a week towards his ordinary living expenses and L 500.00 a week towards his ordinary and proper business expenses and also a reasonable sum on legal, advice and representation. But before spending any money the Defendant must tell the Claimant´s legal representatives where the money is to come from.

(2) This Order does not prohibit the Defendant from dealing with or disposing of any of his assets in the ordinary and proper course of business.

(3) The Defendant may agree with the Claimant´s legal representatives that the above spending limits should be increased or that this Order should be varied in any other respect, but any agreement must be in writing.

(4) The Defendant may cause this Order to cease to have effect if the Defendant provides security by paying the sum of L 873,168.82 into Court or makes provision for security in that sum by another method agreed with the Claimants legal representatives.

4 The Defendant must: (1) Inform the Claimants in writing at once of all his assets whether in or outside England and Wales and whether in hin own name or not and whether solely or jointly owned, giving the value, location and details of all such assets.

(The Defendant may be entitled to refuse to provide some or all of this information on the grounds that it may incrinimate him.)

(2) Confirm the information in an affidavit which must be served on the Claimants legal representatives within 14 days after this Order has been served on the Defendant.

Cuidance Notes Effect of this Order

(1) A Defendant who is an individual who is ordered not to do something must not do it himself or in amy other way. He must not do it through others acting on his behalf or on his instructions or with his encouragement.

(2) A Defendant which is a corporation and which is ordered not to do something must not do it itself or by ist directors, officers, employees or agents or in any other way.

Variation or discharge of this Order

The Defendant (or anyone notified of this Order) may apply to the Court at any time to vary or discharge this Order (or so much of it as affects that person), but anyone wisching to do so must first inform the Dlaimants legal representatives.

Parties other tha the Claimants and Defendant

(1) Effect of this Order: It is a Contempt of Court for any person notified of this Order knowingly to assist in or permit a breach of this Order. Any person doing so may be sent to prison, fined or have his assets seized.

(2) Effect of this Order outside England and Wales. The terms of this Order do not affect or concern anyone outside the jurisdiction of this Court until it is declared enforceable by or is enforced by a Court in the relevant country and then they are to affect him only to the extent they have been declared enforceable or have been enforced UNLESS the person is:

(i) a person to whom this Order is addressed or an officer or an agent appointed by power of attorney of that person or

(ii) a person who is subject to the jurisdiction of this Court and (a) has been given written notice of this Order at his residence or place of business within the jurisdiction of this Court and (b) is able to prevent acts or omissions outside the jurisdiction of this Court which constitute or assist in a breach of the terms of this Order.

(3) Set off by Banks:

This injunction does not prevent any bank from exercising any right of set off it may have in respect of any facility which it gave to the Defendant before it was notified of this Order.

(4) Withdrawals by the Defendant: No bank need aequire as to the application or proposed application of any money withdrawn by the Defendant if the withdrawal appears to be permitted by this Order.

Interpretation of this Order

(1) In this Order, where there is more than one Defendant (unless otherwise states) references to ”the Defendant” means both or all of them.

(2) A requirement to serve on ”the Defendant” means on eaxh of them. However, the Order is effective against any Defendant on whom it is served.

(3) An Order requiring ”the Defendant” to do or not to do anything applies to all Defendants.

Communications with the Court

All communications to the Court about this Order should be sent, where the Order is made in the Chancery Division, to(Room…), Royal Courts of Jusice, Strand, London………. quoting the case number. The telephone number is…………….; and where the order is made in the Queen`s Bench Division, to Room . The offices are open between 10 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Schedule A Affidavits and witness statements The Claimants relied on the following affidavits:

affidavit: (1) (name) (number of affidavit) (date sworn) filed on behalf of the Claimants

Witeness Statements:

(1) date signed: 14.06.00

(2) date signed: 14.06.00

(3) date signed: 15.06.00

(4) date signed: 16.06.00

Schedule B Undertakings given to the court by the Claimant

(1) If the Court later finds that this Order has caused loss to the Defendant and decides that the Defendant should be compensated for that loss, the Claimants will comply with any Order the Court may make.

(2) as soon as practicable the Claimants will (issue and serve on the Defendant a notification of the Achnowledgment of Debt in favour of the Claimants dated 21.2.00 in the form required by German law, together with this Order. The Claimants will then lodge with the Court evidence that this notification has been served on the Defendant. The Claimants will then lodge with the Court evidence that this notification has been sered on the Defendant. The Claimants will thereupon apply to this Court for an order of registration pursuant to the Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982.

(3)The Claimants will cause hard copies of the witness statements listed in Schedule A to be loged with the Court as soon as practicable after the Claimants solicitors receive them from Germany.

(4) Where a return date has been given. As soon as practicable the Claimants will werve on the Defendant an application for the return date together with a copy of the affidavits, witness statements and exhibits containing the evidence relied on by the Claimants.

(5) Anyone notified of this Order will bi given a copy of it by the Claimants legal representatives.

(6) The Claimants will pay the reasonable costs of anyone other than the Respondent which have been incurred as a result of this Order including the costs of ascertaining whether that person holds any of the Defendats assets and if the Court later finds that this Order has caused such person loss, and decides that such person should be compensated for that loss, the Claimants will comply with any Order the Court may make.

(7) If for any reason this Order ceases to have effect (including in particular where the Defendant provides security as provided for above), The Claimants will forthwith take all reasonable steps to inform, in writing, any person or company to whom they have given notice of this Order, or who they have reasonable grounds for supposing may act upon this Order, that it has ceased to have effect.

(8)The Claimants will not without the leave of the Court begin proceedings against the Defendant in any other jurisdiction or use information obtained as a result of an Order of the Court in this jurisdiction for the purpose of civil or criminal proceedings in any other jurisdiction.

(10) The Claimants will not wihout the leave of the Court seek to enforce this Order in any country outside England and Wales (or seek an Order of a similar nature including Orders conferring a charge or other security against the Defendant or the Defendants assets.

Name and address of claimants legal representatives ……………….. ………………..

Anmerkung:

Die internationale Forderungsbeitreibung leidet oftmals unter der Berechenbarkeit des Verfahrens. Der Schuldner erhält Kenntnis von der Zustellung des Titels und ahnt bereits das weitere Vorgehen. In bezug auf im Ausland belegenes Vermögen liegt es nahe, Transaktionen vorzunehmen, die im Zeitalter von Telefon, Fax und Internet binnen weniger Augenblicke vollzogen sein können. Deshalb können gelegentlich Arrestmaßnahmen nützlich sein, von denen der Schuldner vorab keine Kenntnis erhält. Einen solchen vorläufigen Titel kann man auch in England erwirken, und zwar wegen Art. 24 EuGVÜ (Europäisches Gerichtsstands- und Vollstreckungsübereinkommen) selbst dann, wenn der Gerichtsstand für die Hauptsache in Deutschland liegt.

Das englische Verfahren ist allerdings aufwendig. Der Sachvortrag, der detailliert den Vollstreckungsanspruch und die Gründe für den Arrest (z.B. Vollstreckungsvereitelung) enthalten muß, muß glaubhaft gemacht werden. Oftmals sind Erläuterungen zum zugrundeliegenden Recht erforderlich, die der englische “solicitor” nicht immer und ggf. nicht in der gebotenen Eile beibringen kann. Die Koordinierung des Verfahrens sollte daher ein deutscher Anwalt betreiben. Bei größeren Beträgen muß der “High Court” in London angerufen werden. Dort ist ein “barrister” zu beauftragen. Angesichts der in einem solchen Verfahren anfallenden (erheblichen) Kosten können allerdings nur größere Beträge sinnvoll arrestiert werden.

Ergeht die Arrestentscheidung (in der Regel ohne mündliche Verhandlung), kann das Schuldnervermögen in England blockiert werden. Die Entscheidung ist zuzustellen, um dem Schuldner Gelegenheit zur Verteidigung zu geben. Hierzu erhält er in einer kurzfristig anberaumten zweiten Sitzung Gelegenheit. Auch er muß sich durch einen “barrister” vertreten lassen. Hernach kann in aller Sorgfalt das Hauptsacheverfahren durchgeführt werden. Sollte das Hauptsacheverfahren längere Zeit dauern, muß ggf. nochmals die Verlängerung der Arrestanordnung begehrt werden.