PART V - PROSPECTUS, ALLOTMENT, ISSUE AND TRANSFER OF SHARES AND DEBENTURES, DEPOSITS, ETC. PROSPECTUS
PART
V - PROSPECTUS, ALLOTMENT, ISSUE AND TRANSFER OF
SHARES
AND DEBENTURES, DEPOSITS, ETC.
PROSPECTUS
52.
Prospectus to be dated.- A prospectus issued by or on behalf of a
company shall be
dated, and that date shall, unless the contrary is proved, be taken as the
date of publication
of the prospectus.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
34
53.
Matters to be stated and reports to be set out in prospectus.-(1)
Every prospectus
issued—
(a) by or on behalf
of a company, or
(b) by or on behalf
of any person who has been engaged or interested in the
formation of a
company;
shall state the
matters specified in section 1 of Part I of the Second Schedule and set out
the reports specified
in section 2 of that Part and the said sections 1 and 2 shall have
effect subject to the
provisions contained in section 3 of that part.
1[(1A)
A sufficient number of copies of the prospectus issued under sub-section
(1) shall be made
available at the registered office of the company, with the stock
exchange at which the
company is listed or proposes to be listed and with the bankers to
the issue, and the
prospectus in its full text or in such abridged form as may be prescribed,
shall be published at
least in one Urdu and one English daily newspaper].
(2) No prospectus
shall be issued or an advertisement of a prospectus
published in a
newspaper less than seven days or more than thirty days before the
subscription list, as
specified in the prospectus, is due to open:
Provided that the
Commission may for special reasons allow a prospectus to be
issued or an
advertisement of a prospectus to be published more than thirty days before
the subscription list
is due to open.
(3) If a prospectus
is issued which does not comply with the provisions of
sub-section (1) or
sub-section (2), every person who is knowingly responsible for the issue
of such prospectus
shall be liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand rupees and in the
case of a containing
default to a further fine not exceeding two hundred rupees for every
day from the day of
the issue of the prospectus until a prospectus complying with the
requirements
aforesaid is issued and a copy thereof is filed with the registrar.
(4) A condition
requiring or binding an applicant for shares in or debentures
of a company to waive
compliance with any of the requirements of this section, or
purporting to effect
him with notice of any contract, document or matter not specifically
referred to in the
prospectus, shall be void.
1 Inserted
through Companies (Amendment) Act, 1999
Companies Ordinance,
1984
35
(5) No one shall
issue any form of application for shares in or debentures of
a company, unless the
form is accompanied by a prospectus which complies with the
requirements of this
section:
Provided that this
sub-section shall not apply if it is shown that the form of
application was
issued either--
(i) in connection
with a bona fide invitation to a person to enter into an
underwriting
agreement with respect to the shares or debentures; or
(ii) in relation to
shares or debentures which were not offered to the public.
(6) If any person
acts in contravention of the provisions of sub-section (5) he
shall be liable to a
fine not exceeding two thousand rupees.
(7) A director or
other person responsible for the prospectus shall not incur
liability by reason
of any non-compliance with, or contravention of, any of the
requirements of this
section, if--
(a) as regards any
matter not disclosed, he proves that he had no knowledge
thereof; or
(b) he proves that
the non-compliance or contravention arose from an honest
mistake of fact on
his part; or
(c) that
non-compliance or contravention was in respect of matters which, in
the opinion of the
registrar or officer dealing with the case, were
immaterial, or was
otherwise such as ought, in the opinion of that registrar
or officer, as the
case may be, having regard to all the circumstances of
the case, reasonably
to be excused:
Provided that no
director or other person shall incur any liability in
respect of the
failure to include in a prospectus a statement with respect
to the matters
specified in clause 18 of Part I of the Second Schedule,
unless it is proved that
he had knowledge of the matters not disclosed.
(8) This section
shall not apply--
Companies Ordinance,
1984
36
(a) to issue to the
existing members or debenture-holders of a company of a
prospectus or form of
application relating to shares in or debentures of
the company, whether
an applicant for shares or debentures will or will
not have the right to
renounce in favour of other persons; or
(b) to the issue of a
prospectus or form of application relating to shares or
debenture which are,
or are to be, in all respects uniform with shares or
debentures previously
issued and for the time being dealt in or quoted on
a stock exchange;
but, subject as
aforesaid, this section shall apply to a prospectus or a form
of application,
whether issued on or with reference to the formation of a
company or
subsequently.
(9) Nothing in this
section shall limit or diminish any liability which any person
may incur under the
general law or under any other provision of this Ordinance.
54.
Expert to be unconnected with formation or management of
company.-
A prospectus inviting persons to subscribe for shares in or
debentures of a
company shall not
include a statement purporting to be made by an expert, unless the
expert is a person
who is not, and has not been, engaged or interested in the formation or
promotion, or in the
management, of the company.
55.
Expert's consent to issue of prospectus containing statement by
him.-
A prospectus inviting persons to subscribe for shares in or
debentures of a company
and including a
statement purporting to be made by an expert shall not be issued, unless--
(a) he has given his
written consent to the issue thereof with the statement
included in the form
and context in which it is included and has not
withdrawn such
consent before the delivery of a copy of the prospectus
for registration; and
(b) a statement that
he has given and has not withdrawn his consent as
aforesaid appears in
the prospectus.
56.
Penalty and interpretation.- (1) If any prospectus is
issued in
contravention of
section 54 or 55, the company, and every person who is knowingly a
Companies Ordinance,
1984
37
party to the issue
thereof, shall be punishable with fine not exceeding five thousand
rupees.
(2) In section 54 and
55, the expression "expert" includes an engineer, a
valuer, an accountant
and every other person whose profession gives authority to a
statement made by
him.
57.
Approval, issue and registration of prospectus.- (1)
No listed
company, and no
company which proposes to make an application to a stock exchange for
listing of its 211[securities,
and no other person] shall issue, circulate or publish any
prospectus or other
document offering for subscription or publicly offering for sale any
security unless
approval of the Commission to its issue, circulation or publication has been
obtained within the
period of sixty days preceding the date of its issue.
(2) 2[The
Commission may, while according approval under sub-section (1),
impose such condition
as it may deem necessary];
(3) No prospectus
shall be issued by or on behalf of a company unless on or
before the date of
its publication, there has been delivered to the registrar a copy thereof
signed by every
person who is named therein as a director or proposed director of the
company or by his
agent authorised in writing, and having endorsed thereon or attached
thereto—
(a) any consent to
the issue of the prospectus required by section 55 from
any person as an
expert; and
(b) in the case of a
prospectus issued generally, also
(i) a copy of every
contract required by clause 16 of Part I of the
Second Schedule to be
specified in the prospectus, or, in the case
of a contract not
reduced into writing, a memorandum giving full
particulars thereof;
and
(ii) where the
persons making any report required by Part II of that
Schedule have made
therein, or have without giving the reasons,
indicated therein,
any such adjustments as are mentioned in
clause 36 of Part I
of that Schedule, a written statement signed
1 Substituted
by Finance Act, 1995.
2 Substituted
by Finance Act, 1995.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
38
by those persons
setting out the adjustments and giving the
reasons therefor.
(4) Every prospectus
to which this section applies shall, on the face of it,—
(a) state that a copy
has been delivered to the registrar as required by subsection
(3);
(b) specify any
documents required by this section to be endorsed on or
attached to the copy
so delivered, or refer to statements included in the
prospectus which
specify those documents; and
(c) where application
has been made, or is proposed to be made, to a stock
exchange for the
listing of the security, state that such an application has
been made or is
proposed to be made.
(5) The registrar
shall not register a prospectus unless the requirements of
sections 52, 53, 54
and 55 and this section have been complied with and the prospectus is
accompanied by the
consent in writing of the person, if any, named therein as the auditor,
legal adviser,
attorney, solicitor, banker or broker, being a member of a stock exchange, of
the company, to act
in that capacity.
(6) If a prospectus
is issued, published or circulated without complying with,
or in contravention
of any provision of this section, the company, and every person who is
knowingly a party to
the issue, publication or circulation of the prospectus, shall be liable to
a fine not exceeding
ten thousand rupees and in the case of a continuing default to a
further fine not
exceeding two hundred rupees for every day from the date of issue,
publication or
circulation, as the case may be, of the prospectus, until a copy thereof
complying with all
the requirements of this section has been delivered to the registrar.
58.
Terms of contract mentioned in prospectus or statement in lieu of
prospectus
not to be varied.- A company shall not, at any time, vary the terms of
contract referred to
in the prospectus or a statement in lieu of prospectus except subject
to the approval of,
or except on authority given by, the company in general meeting.
59.
Civil liability for mis-statements in prospectus.- (1)
Subject to the
provisions of this
section, where a prospectus invites persons to subscribe for shares in or
debentures of a
company, the following persons shall be liable to pay compensation to
every person who
subscribes for or purchases any share or debentures on the faith of the
Companies Ordinance,
1984
39
prospectus for any
loss or damage he may have sustained by reason of any untrue
statement included
therein namely,—
(a) every person who
is a director of the company at the time of the issue of
the prospectus;
(b) every person who
has authorised himself to be named and is named in the
prospectus either as
a director, or as having agreed to become a director,
either immediately or
after an interval of time;
(c) every person who
is a promoter of the company; and
(d) every person who
has given consent to the issue of the prospectus under
section 55 or
sub-section (5) of section 57:
Provided that where,
under section 55, the consent of a person is
required to the issue
of a prospectus and he has given that consent, or
where, under
sub-section (5) of section 57, the consent of a person
named in a prospectus
is required and he has given that consent, he shall
not, by reason of
having given such consent, be liable under this subsection
as a person who has
authorised the issue of the prospectus except
in respect of an
untrue statement, if any, purporting to be made by him as
an expert.
(2) No person shall
be liable under sub-section (1), if he proves—
(a) that, having
consented to become a director of the company, he withdrew
his consent before
the issue of the prospectus, and that it was issued
without his authority
or consent;
(b) that the
prospectus was issued without his knowledge or consent, and that
on becoming aware of
its issue, he forthwith gave reasonable public
notice that it was
issued without his knowledge or consent;
(c) that, after the
issue of the prospectus and before allotment thereunder, he,
on becoming aware of
any untrue statement therein, withdrew his
consent to the
prospectus and gave reasonable public notice of the
withdrawal and of the
reason therefor; or
Companies Ordinance,
1984
40
(d) that—
(i) as regards every
untrue statement not purporting to be made on
the authority of an
expert or of a public official document or
statement, he had
reasonable ground to believe, and did up to the
time of the allotment
of the shares or debentures, as the case
may be, believe, that
the statement was true; and
(ii) as regards every
untrue statement purporting to be a statement
by an expert or
contained in what purports to be a copy of or an
extract from a report
or valuation of an expert, it was a correct
and fair
representation of the statement, or a correct copy of, or
a correct and fair
extract from, the report or valuation; and he
had reasonable ground
to believe, and did up to the time of the
issue of the
prospectus believe, that the person making the
statement was
competent to make it and that that person had
given the consent
required by section 55 to the issue of the
prospectus and had
not withdrawn that consent before delivery of
a copy of the
prospectus for registration or, to the defendant's
knowledge, before
allotment thereunder; and
(iii) as regard every
untrue statement purporting to be a statement
made by an official
person or contained in what purports to be a
copy of or extract
from a public official document, it was a
correct and fair
representation of the statement, or a correct
copy of, or a correct
and fair extract from, the document:
Provided that this
sub-section shall not apply in the case
of a person liable,
by reason of his having given consent required
of him by section 55,
as a person who has authorised the issue of
the prospectus in
respect of an untrue statement purporting to be
made by him as an
expert.
(3) A person who,
apart from this sub-section would, under sub-section (1),
be liable by reason
of his having given a consent required of him by section 55, as a
person who has
authorised the issue of the prospectus in respect of an untrue statement
purporting to be made
by him as an expert, shall not be so liable, if he proves—
Companies Ordinance,
1984
41
(a) that, having
given his consent under section 55 to the issue of the
prospectus, he
withdrew it in writing before delivery of a copy of the
prospectus for
registration;
(b) that, after
delivery of a copy of the prospectus for registration and before
allotment thereunder,
he, on becoming aware of the untrue statement
withdrew his consent
in writing and gave reasonable public notice of the
withdrawal and of the
reason therefor; or
(c) that he was
competent to make the statement and that he had reasonable
ground to believe,
and did up to the time of the allotment of shares or
debentures believe,
that the statement was true.
(4) Where—
(a) the prospectus
specifies the name of a person as a director of the
company, or as having
agreed to become a director thereof, and he has
not consented to
become a director, or has withdrawn his consent before
the issue of the
prospectus, and has not authorised or consented to the
issue thereof; or
(b) the consent of a
person is required under section 55 to the issue of the
prospectus and he
either has not given that consent or has withdrawn it
before the issue of
the prospectus:
the directors of the
company, excluding those without whose knowledge or consent the
prospectus was
issued, and every other person who authorised the issue thereof, shall be
liable to indemnify
the person referred to in clause (a) or cla use (b), as the case may be,
against all damages,
costs and expenses to which he may be made liable by reason of his
name having been
inserted in the prospectus or of the inclusion therein of a statement
purporting to be made
by him as an expert, as the case may be, or in defending himself
against any suit or
legal proceeding brought against him in respect thereof:
Provided that a
person shall not be deemed for the purposes of this sub-section to
have authorised the
issue of a prospectus by reason only of his having given the consent
required by section
55 to the inclusion therein of a statement purporting to be made by him
as an expert.
(5) Every person who
becomes liable to make any payment by virtue of this
section may recover
contribution, as in cases of contract, from any other person who, if
Companies Ordinance,
1984
42
sued separately,
would have been liable to make the same payment, unless the former
person was, and the
latter person was not, guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.
(6) For the purposes
of this section—
(a) the expression
"promoter" means a promoter who was a party to the
preparation of
prospectus or a portion thereof containing the untrue
statement, but does
not include any person by reason of his acting in a
professional capacity
for persons engaged in procuring the formation of
the company; and
(b) the expression
"expert" has the same meaning as in section 55.
60.
Criminal liability for mis-statements in prospectus.- (1)
Where a
prospectus includes
any untrue statement, every person who signed or authorised the
issue of the
prospectus shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to two years,
or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, or with both,
unless he proves
either that the statement was immaterial or that he had reasonable
ground to believe,
and did up to the time of the issue of the prospectus believe, that the
statement was true.
(2) A person shall
not be deemed for the purposes of this section to have
authorised the issue
of a prospectus by reason only of his having given--
(a) the consent
required by section 55 to the inclusion therein of a statement
purporting to be made
by him as an expert, or
(b) the consent
required by sub-section (5) of section 57.
61.
Document containing offer of shares or debentures for sale to be
deemed
prospectus.- (1) Where a company allots or agrees to allot any shares in or
debentures of the
company with a view to all or any of those shares or debentures being
offered for sale to
the public, any document by which the offer for sale to the public is
made shall, for all
purposes, be deemed to be a prospectus issued by the company; and all
enactments and rules
of law as to the contents, filing and registration of a prospectus and
as to liability in
respect of statements in and omissions from a prospectus, or otherwise
relating to
prospectus, shall apply with the modifications, specified in sub-section (3),
(4)
and (5), and have
effect accordingly, as if the shares or debentures had been offered to
the public for
subscription and as if persons accepting the offer in respect of any shares or
Companies Ordinance,
1984
43
debentures, were
subscribers for those shares or debentures, but without prejudice to the
liability, if any, of
the person by whom the offer is made in respect of mis-statement
contained in the
document or otherwise in respect thereof.
(2) For the purposes
of this Ordinance, it shall, unless the contrary is proved,
be evidence that an
allotment of, or an agreement to allot, shares or debentures was made
with a view to the
shares or debentures being offered for sale to the public if it is shown--
(a) that an offer of
the shares or debentures or of any of them for sale to the
public was made
within one year after the allotment or agreement to allot;
(b) that at the date
when the offer was made; the whole of the consideration
to be received by the
company in respect of the shares or debentures had
not been received by
it; or
(c) that an offer of
the shares or debentures or of any of them for sale to the
public was made in
pursuance of an understanding to which the company
was directly or
indirectly a party or a condition imposed by any authority
in relation to the
position, business or privileges of the company.
(3) For the purposes
of this section, section 53 shall have effect as if it
required a prospectus
to state, in addition to the matters required by that section to be
stated in a
prospectus,--
(a) the net amount of
the consideration received or to be received by the
company in respect of
the shares or debentures to which the offer
relates; and
(b) the place and
time at which the contract under which the said shares or
debentures have been
or are to be allotted may be inspected.
(4) For the purposes
of this section, section 57 shall have effect as if the
persons making the
offer were persons named in a prospectus as directors of a company.
(5) Where a person
making an offer to which this section relates is a
company or a firm, it
shall be sufficient if the document referred to in sub-section (1) is
signed on behalf of
the company or firm by two directors of the company or by not less
Companies Ordinance,
1984
44
than one-half of the
partners in the firm, as the case may be; and any such director or
partner may sign by
his agent authorised in writing.
62.
Offer of shares or debentures for sale by certain persons.- (1)
No
person who holds more
than ten per cent of the shares or debentures of a company shall
offer for sale to the
public any shares or debenture of the company held by him except
with the approval of
the Commission.
(2) Any document by
which an offer for sale to the public is made by any
such person as is
referred to in sub-section (1) shall, for all purposes, be deemed to be a
prospectus issued by
a company, and all enactments and rules of law as to the contents,
filing and
registration of a prospectus and as to the liability in respect of statements
in and
omissions from a
prospectus, or otherwise relating to a prospectus, shall apply with the
modifications
specified in sub-sections (3) and (4), and have effect accordingly, but
without prejudice to
the liability, if any, of the persons by whom the offer is made in
respect of
mis-statements contained in the document or otherwise in respect thereof.
(3) For the purposes
of this section, section 57 shall have effect as if the
person making the
offer were a person named in a prospectus as director of a company.
(4) Where a person
making an offer to which this section relates is a
company or a firm, it
shall be sufficient if the document referred to in sub-section (2) is
signed on behalf of
the company or firm by two directors of the company or not less than
one-half of the
partners in the firm, as the case may be and any such director or partner
may sign by his agent
authorsied in writing.
1[(5)
A notice, circular, advertisement or other document soliciting bids,
offers, proposals or
tenders for sale of shares or other securities acquired in the course of
normal business or
for negotiating sale thereof or expressing an intention to disinvest such
shares or other
securities issued by a scheduled bank or a financial institution shall not be
deemed to be a prospectus
or an offer for sale to the public for the purposes of sections
61 and 62.]
1 [62A.
Issue of securities outside Pakistan.-- No company shall, except with
the prior approval of
the Commission, issue any security outside Pakistan].
1 Sub-sec
(5) added by the Banking and Financial Services (Amendment of Laws) Ordinance,
LVII of 1984.
1 Sec.
62-A added by the Finance Act, 1 of 1995.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
45
63.
Interpretation of provisions relating to prospectus.- (1)
For the
purposes of the
foregoing provisions relating to a prospectus, --
(a) a statement
included in a prospectus shall be deemed to be untrue, if the
statement is
misleading in the form and context in which it is included;
and
(b) where the
omission from a prospectus of any matter is calculated to
mislead, the
prospectus shall be deemed, in respect of such omission, to
be a prospectus in
which an untrue statement is included.
(2) For the purposes
of sections 59 and 60 and clause (a) of sub-section (1)
of this section, the
expression "included", when used in reference to a prospectus, means
included in the
prospectus itself or contained in any report or memorandum appearing on
the face thereof or
by reference incorporated therein or issued herewith.
64.
Newspaper advertisement of prospectus.- Where any prospectus is
published as a
newspaper advertisement, it shall not be necessary in the advertisement to
comply with the
requirements of sub-clause (1) of clause 1 of section 1 of Part I of the
Second Schedule in so
far as the said provisions require the contents of the memorandum
or the signatories
thereto, or the number of shares subscribed for by them, to be specified.
65.
Construction of references to offering shares or debentures to the
public,
etc..- (1) Any reference in this Ordinance or in the articles of a
company to
offering of shares or
debentures to the public, or to invitation to the public to subscribe for
shares or debentures,
shall, unless otherwise expressly provided in this Ordinance, include
a reference to
offering of shares or debentures to any section of the public or to invitation
to any section of
public to subscribe for shares or debentures, as the case may be.
Explanation:
The term "section of the public" includes existing
members or
debenture-holders of
the company or clients of the persons issuing the prospectus.
(2) No offer or
invitation shall be treated as made to the public by virtue of
sub-section (1) if
the offer or invitation can properly be regarded, in all the circumstances-
-
Companies Ordinance,
1984
46
(a) as not being
calculated to result, directly or indirectly, in the shares or
debentures becoming
available for subscription or purchase by persons
other than those
receiving the offer or invitation; or
(b) otherwise as
being a domestic concern of the persons making and
receiving the offer
or invitation.
(3) Without prejudice
to the generality of sub-section (2), a provision in a
company's articles
prohibiting invitations to the public to subscribe for shares or
debentures shall not
be taken as prohibiting the making to members or debenture-holders
of an invitation
which can properly be regarded in the manner set forth in that sub-section.
(4) The provisions of
this Ordinance relating to private companies shall be
construed in
accordance with the provisions contained in sub-sections (1) to (3).
66.
Penalty for fraudulently inducing persons to invest money.- Any
person who, either by
knowingly or recklessly making any statement, promise or forecast
which is false,
deceptive or misleading, or by any dishonest concealment of material facts,
induces or attempts
to induce another person to enter into, or to offer to enter into,--
(a) any agreement
for, or with a view to, acquiring, disposing of, subscribing
for, or underwriting
shares or debentures; or
(b) any agreement the
purpose or pretended purpose of which is to secure a
profit to any of the
parties from the yield of shares or debentures, or by
reference to
fluctuations in the value of shares or debentures;
shall be punishable
with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend
to three years, or
with fine which may extend to twenty thousand rupees, or with both.
ALLOTMENT
67.
Application for, and allotment of, shares and debentures.- (1)
No
application for
allotment of shares in and debentures of a company in pursuance of a
prospectus shall be
made for shares or debentures of less than such nominal amount as
the Commission may,
form time to time, specify, either generally or in a particular case.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
47
(2) The Commission
may specify the form of an application for subscription
to shares in or
debentures of a company which may, among other matters, contain such
declarations or
verifications as it may, in the public interest, deem necessary; and such
form then shall form
part of the prospectus.
(3) All certificates,
statements and declarations made by the applicant shall
be binding on him.
(4) An application
for shares in or debentures of a company which is made in
pursuance of a
prospectus shall be irrevocable.
(5) Whoever contravenes
the provisions of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2),
or makes an incorrect
statement, declaration or verification in the application for allotment
of shares, shall be
liable to a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
68.
Restriction as to allotment.- (1) No allotment shall be
made of any
share capital of a
company offered to the public for subscription unless the amount stated
in the prospectus as
the minimum amount which in the opinion of the directors must be
raised by the issue
of share capital in order to provide for the matters specified in clause 5
of section 1 of Part
I of the Second Schedule has been subscribed, and the full amount
thereof has been paid
to and received in cash by the company.
(2) The amount
referred to in sub-section (1) as the amount stated in the
prospectus shall be
reckoned exclusively of any amount payable otherwise than in cash
and is in this
Ordinance referred to as the minimum subscription.
(3) All moneys
received from applicants for shares shall be deposited and
kept in a separate
bank account in a schedule bank until returned in accordance with the
provisions of
sub-section (5) or until the certificate to commence business is obtained
under section 146.
(4) The amount
payable on application on each share shall be the full nominal
amount of the share.
(5) If the conditions
aforesaid have not been complied with on the expiration
of forty days after
the first issue of the prospectus, all money received from applicants for
share shall be
forthwith repaid to them without surcharge, and, if any such money is not so
Companies Ordinance,
1984
48
repaid within fifty
days after the issue of the prospectus, the directors of the company
shall be jointly and
severally liable to repay that money with surcharge at the rate of one
and-a-half per cent
for every month or part thereof from the expiration of the fiftieth day:
Provided that a
director shall not be liable if he proves that the default in
repayment of the
money was not due to any misconduct or negligence on his part.
(6) Any condition
purporting to require or bind any applicant for shares to
waive compliance with
any requirement of this section shall be void.
(7) This section,
except sub-section (4) thereof, shall not apply to any
allotment of shares
subsequent to the first allotment of shares offered to the public for
subscription.
(8) In the case of
the first allotment of shares capital payable in cash of a
company which does
not issue any invitation to the public to subscribe for its shares, no
allotment shall be
made unless the minimum subscription, that is to say,--
(a) the amount, if
any, fixed by the memorandum or articles and specified in
the statement in lieu
of prospectus as the minimum subscription referred
to in sub-section (1)
upon which the directors may proceed to allotment;
or
(b) if no amount is
so fixed and specified, the whole amount of the share
capital other than
that issued or agreed to be issued as paid up otherwise
than in cash;
has been subscribed
and the full nominal amount of each share payable in cash has been
paid to and received
by the company.
(9) Sub-section (8)
shall not apply to a private company.
(10) In the event of
any contravention of any provisions of this section, every
promoter, director or
other person knowingly responsible for such contravention shall be
liable to a fine not
exceeding ten thousand rupees and in the case of a continuing
contravention to a
further fine not exceeding two hundred rupees for every day after the
first during which
the contravention continues.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
49
(11) For the purpose
of this section, the expression "promoter" has the same
meaning as in section
59.
69.
Statement in lieu of prospectus.-- (1) A company having a share
capital, which does
not issue a prospectus on or with reference to its formation, or which
has issued such a
prospectus but has not proceeded to allot any of the shares offered to
the public for
subscription, shall not allot any of its shares or debentures unless, at least
three days before the
first allotment of either share or debenture, there has been delivered
to the registrar for
registration a statement in lieu of prospectus signed by every person
who is named therein
as a director or proposed director of the company or by his agent
authorised in
writing, in the form and containing the particulars set out in section 1 of
Part
II of the Second
Schedule and, in the cases mentioned in section 2 of that Part, setting out
the reports specified
therein, and the said section 1 and 2 shall have effect subject to the
provisions contained
in section 3 of that Part.
(2) Every statement
in lieu of prospectus delivered under sub-section (1),
where the person
making any such report as aforesaid have made therein, or have without
giving the reason
indicated therein, made any such adjustments as are mentioned in clause
5 of Part II of the
Second Schedule, shall have endorsed thereon or attached thereto a
written statement
signed by those persons, setting out the adjustments and giving the
reasons thereof.
(3) This section
shall not apply to a private company.
(4) If a company acts
in contravention of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2),
the company, and
every officer of the company who willfully authorises or permits the
contravention, shall
be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand rupees and in the case
of a continuing
contravention with a further fine not exceeding one hundred rupees for
every day after the
first during which the contravention continues.
(5) Where a statement
in lieu of prospectus delivered to the registrar under
sub-section (1)
includes any untrue statement, any person who signed or authorised the
delivery of the
statement in lieu of prospectus for registration shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a
term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend
to ten thousand
rupees, or with both, unless he proves either that the statement was
immaterial or that he
had reasonable ground to believe, and did up to the time of delivery
for registration of
the statement in lieu of prospectus believe, that the statement was true.
(6) For the purposes
of this section,--
Companies Ordinance,
1984
50
(a) a statement
included in a statement in lieu of prospectus shall be deemed
to be untrue if it is
misleading in the form and context in which it is
included; and
(b) where the
omission from a statement in lieu of prospectus of any matter
is calculated to
mislead, the statement in lieu of prospectus shall be
deemed, in respect of
such omission, to be a statement in lieu of
prospectus in which
an untrue statement is included.
(7) For the purposes
of sub-section (5) and clause (a) of sub-section (6), the
expression
"included", when used with reference to a statement in lieu of
prospectus,
means included in the
statement in lieu of prospectus itself or contained in any report or
memorandum appearing
on the face thereof, or by reference incorporated therein, or
issued therewith.
70.
Effect of irregular allotment.- (1) An allotment made by a
company to
an applicant in
contravention of the provisions of section 68 or 69 shall be voidable at the
instance of the
applicant within thirty days after the holding of the statutory meeting of the
company and not
later, or in any case where the company is not required to hold a
statutory meeting or
where the allotment is made after the holding of the statutory meeting
within thirty days
after the date of the allotment, and not later, and shall be so voidable
notwithstanding that
the company is in course of being wound up.
(2) If any officer of
a company knowingly contravenes or permits or
authorises the
contravention of any of the provisions of section 68 or 69 with respect to
allotment, he shall,
without prejudice to any other liability, be liable to compensate the
company and the
allottee respectively for any loss, damages or costs which the company
or the allottee may
have sustained or incurred thereby:
Provided that
proceedings to recover any such loss, damages or costs shall not be
commenced after the
expiration of two years from the date of the allotment.
71.
Repayment of money received for shares not allotted.-- (1)
Where
a company issues any
invitation to the public to subscribe for its shares or other securities,
the company shall
take a decision within ten days of the closure of the subscription lists as
to what applications
have been accepted or are successful and refund the money in the
case of the
unaccepted or unsuccessful applications within ten days of the date of such
decision.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
51
(2) If the refund
required by sub-section (1) is not made within the time
specified therein,
the directors of the company shall be jointly and severally liable to repay
that money with
surcharge at the rate of one and-a-half per cent. for every month or part
thereof from the
expiration of the fifteenth day and, in addition, to a fine not exceeding
five thousand rupees
and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine not
exceeding one hundred
rupees for every day after the said fifteenth day on which the
default continues:
Provided that a
director shall not be liable if he proves that the default in the
repayment of money
was not due to any misconduct or negligence on his part.
(3) Any condition
purporting to require or bind any applicant for shares or
other securities to
waive any requirement of this section shall be void.
72.
Allotment of shares and debentures to be dealt in on stock
exchange.--
(1) Where a prospectus, whether issued generally or not, states
that
application has been
or will be made for permission for the shares or debentures offered
thereby to be dealt
in on any stock exchange, any allotment made on an application in
pursuance of the
prospectus shall, whenever made, be void if the permission has not been
applied for before
the seventh day after the first issue of the prospectus or if the
permission has not
been granted before the expiration of twenty-one days from the date
of the closing of the
subscription lists or such longer period not exceeding forty-two days
as may, within the
said twenty-one days, be notified to the applicant for permission by or
on behalf of the
stock exchange.
(2) Where the
permission has not been applied for as aforesaid, or has not
been granted as
aforesaid the company shall forthwith repay without surcharge all money
received from
applicants in pursuance of the prospectus, and, if any such money is not
repaid within eight
days after the company becomes liable to repay it, the directors of the
company shall be
jointly and severally liable to repay that money from the expiration of the
eight day together
with surcharge at the rate of one and-a-half per cent. for every month
or part thereof from
the expiration of the eighth day and in addition, to a fine not
exceeding five
thousand rupees and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine of
one hundred rupees
for every day after the said eight day on which the default continues:
Provided that a
director shall not be liable if he proves that the default in the
repayment of the
money was not due to any misconduct or negligence on his part.
(3) All moneys
received as aforesaid shall be deposited and kept in a
separate bank account
in a scheduled bank so long as the company may become liable to
Companies Ordinance,
1984
52
repay it under
sub-section (2); and, if default is made in complying with this sub-section,
the company and every
officer of the company who knowingly and willfully authorises or
permits the default
shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand rupees.
(4) Any condition
purporting to require or bind any applicant for shares or
debentures to waive
compliance with any requirement of this section shall be void.
(5) For the purposes
of this section, permission shall not be deemed to be
refused if it is
intimated that the application for it, though not at present granted, will be
given further
consideration.
(6) This section
shall have effect--
(a) in relation to
any shares or debentures agreed to be taken by a person
underwriting an offer
thereof by a prospectus as if he had applied
therefor in pursuance
of the prospectus; and
(b) in relation to a
prospectus offering shares for sale with the following
modifications, that
is to say,--
(i) reference to sale
shall be substituted for reference to allotment;
(ii) the person by
whom the offer is made and not the company, shall be
liable under
sub-section (2) to repay the money received from applicant,
and reference to the
company's liability under that sub-section shall be
construed
accordingly; and
(iii) for the
reference in sub-section (3) to the company and every officer of
the company there
shall be substituted a reference to any person by or
through whom the
offer is made and who knowingly and willfully
authorises or permits
the default.
73.
Return as to allotments.-- (1) Whenever a company having a share
capital makes any
allotment of its shares, the company shall, within thirty days thereafter,-
-
Companies Ordinance,
1984
53
(a) file with the
registrar a return of the allotment, stating the number and
nominal amount of the
shares comprised in the allotment 1[and
such
particulars as may be
prescribed] of each allottee, and the amount paid on
each share; and
(b) in the case of
shares allotted as paid up otherwise than in cash, produce
for the inspection
and examination of the registrar a contract in writing
constituting the
title of the allottee to the allotment together with any
contract of sale, or
for services or other consideration in respect of which
that allotment was
made, such contracts being duly stamped, and file with
the registrar copies
verified in the prescribed manner of all such contracts
and a return stating
the number and nominal amount of shares so allotted,
the amount to be
treated as paid-up, and the consideration for which they
have been allotted;
and
(c) file with the
registrar--
(i) in the case of
bonus shares, a return stating the number and
nominal amount of
such shares comprised in the allotment and
2[such
particulars which may be prescribed] of each allottee
together with a copy
of the resolution authorising the issue of
such shares;
(ii) in the case of
issue of shares at a discount, a copy of the
resolution passed by
the company authorising such issue together
with a copy of the
order of the Commission sanctioning the issue,
and where the maximum
rate of discount exceeds ten per cent, a
copy of the order of
the Commission permitting the issue at the
higher percentage.
Explanation:--
Shares shall not be deemed to have been paid for in cash except
to the extent that
the company shall actually have received cash therefor at the time of, or
subsequent to, the
agreement to issue the shares, and where shares are issued to a person
who has sold or
agreed to sell property or rendered or agreed to render services to the
company, or to
persons nominated by him, the amount of any payment made for the
property or services
shall be deducted from the amount of any cash payment made for the
shares and only the
balance, if any, shall be treated as having been paid in cash for such
shares,
notwithstanding any bill of exchange or cheques or other securities for money.
1 Substituted
" the name, father's name or in the case of a married woman, her husband's
or deceased husband's
name, address and
occupation" by Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2002.
2 Substituted
" the name, father's name and in the case of a married woman, her
husband's or deceased husband’s
name, address and
occupation" by Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2002.
Companies Ordinance,
1984
54
(2) Where such a
contract as is mentioned in clause (b) of sub-section (1) is
not reduced to
writing, the company shall, within thirty days after the allotment, file with
the registrar the
prescribed particula rs of the contract stamped with the same stamp duly
as would have been
payable if the contract had been reduced to writing, and these
particulars shall be
deemed to be an instrument within the meaning of the Stamp Act,
1899 (II of 1899),
and the registrar may, as a condition of filing the particulars, require that
the duty payable
thereon be adjudicated under section 31 of that Act.
(3) If the registrar
is satisfied that in the circumstances of any particular case
the period of thirty
days specified in sub-sections (1) and (2) for compliance with the
requirements of this
section is inadequate, he may extend that period as he thinks fit, and,
if he does so, the
provisions of sub-sections (1) and (2) shall have effect in that particular
case as if for the
said period of thirty days the extended period allowed by the registrar
were substituted.
(4) If default is
made in complying with any requirement of this section, the
company and every
officer of the company who is knowingly a party to the default shall
be liable to a fine
not exceeding five hundred rupees for every day during which the
default continues.
(5) This section
shall apply mutatis mutandis to shares which are allotted or
issued or deemed to
have been issued to a scheduled bank or a financial institution in
pursuance of any
obligation of a company to issue shares to such scheduled Bank or
financial
institution:
Provided that where
default is made by a company in filing a return of allotment
in respect of the
shares referred to in this sub-section, the scheduled bank or the financial
institution to whom
shares have been allotted or issued or deemed to have been issued
may file a return of
allotment in respect of such shares with the registrar together with
such documents as may
be specified by the Commission in this behalf, and such return of
allotment shall be
deemed to have been filed by the company itself and the scheduled
bank the financial
institution shall be entitled to recover from the company the amount of
any fee properly paid
by it to the registrar in respect of the return.