ANY insolvency that burns through five liquidators deserves special mention. When tens of millions of dollars – which might have been deployed beefing up creditor dividends – is instead spent pursuing a well-resourced, recalcitrant and foreign domiciled defendant, then the topic which so reliably provokes palpitations must be revisited. Fees and expenses should be kept in the limelight. Like mushrooms, they flourish in the dark….
Katherine Barnet leaving the Supreme Court Photo: iNO Images SUPREME Court Acting Justice Peter Young has spiked the punch at the Octaviar liquidators’ ex-parte party. In a recent judgement the judge criticised liquidators Kate Barnet and Bill Fletcher for a lack of candour, branded Barnet’s performance during cross-examination as “so vague as to be of little value” and rejected the Bentley pair’s attempts to repel…
Being cross-examined can’t be fun for any liquidator and Katherine Barnet won’t feel like the one who dodged the bullet after fronting the NSW Supreme Court yesterday. The insolvency specialist and director at Bentleys Corporate Recovery was brought in to talk about failed property investment group Octaviar. She began by getting confused about which of the two witness boxes to occupy. Perhaps the courtroom atmosphere…