The Impact of COVID-19 on Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law
Murat Atalı, Ersin ErdoğanThe COVID-19 outbreak, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March, has significantly damaged economic activities in Turkey and worldwide. Most economic activities have stopped or slowed down because of this pandemic. This situation has caused enormous difficulties and impossibilities for individuals to fulfill the obligations they had previously undertaken. These economic difficulties may economically destroy individuals. Therefore, to help individuals cope with these difficulties, some measures have been taken regarding Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law. First, with the Presidential Decree numbered 2279 regulated in article 330 of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, the extraordinary suspension institution has entered into force. All mandatory execution processes have stopped as per Law 7226. In this paper, measures undertaken regarding Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law and their legal consequences are discussed. Moreover, possible problems are discussed, and the measures taken with respect to the periods in the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law have been explained. In addition, all enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings have been stopped during this pandemic period. Individuals are not allowed to commence new proceedings. Here, the paper also examines the measures taken regarding the arrest orders and concordat proceedings.
COVID-19 Salgınının İcra ve İflâs Hukuku Alanına Etkileri
Murat Atalı, Ersin ErdoğanDünya Sağlık Örgütü tarafından pandemi ilan edilen COVID-19 salgını, ülkemizde ve dünya genelinde ekonomik faaliyetlere önemli ölçüde zarar vermiştir. Ekonomik hayatın durma noktasına gelmesi, bireylerin daha önce üstlenmiş oldukları edimlerini yerine getirmeleri konusunda çok büyük zorluklar, hatta imkansızlıklara sebebiyet vermiştir. Ülkemizde salgının yaratacağı ekonomik zorlukların bireylerin mahvına sebebiyet vermemesi amacıyla, takip hukuku açısından birtakım tedbirler alınmıştır. İlk olarak 2279 sayılı Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kararı ile İcra ve İflâs Kanunu’nun 330’uncu maddesinde düzenlenen fevkalade tatil kurumuna işlerlik kazandırılmış, daha sonra ise 7226 sayılı Kanun ile bir bütün olarak cebri icra faaliyetlerinin durdurulması öngörülmüştür. İşbu çalışmada, takip hukuku açısından alınan tedbirler ve bunların hukuki sonuçları üzerinde ele alınmaktadır. Bu çerçeve, takip hukukuna ilişkin süreler ile icra ve iflâs takipleri ile takip işlemleri açısından alınan tedbirler ve yarattığı sorunlar incelenmiştir. Kanun koyucu, bir bütün olarak takip hukukuna ilişkin bütün sürelerin durmasını düzenlemiştir. Bu noktada sürelerin taraflar veya icra ve iflâs daireleri açısından düzenlenmiş olması arasında bir ayrım yapılmamıştır. Ayrıca kanun koyucu hem cüz’i icra takiplerinin hem de iflâs takiplerinin yapılmasının önüne geçmiştir. Kanun tarafından belirlenen durma süresi boyunca yeni icra veya iflâs takibi başlatılamayacağı gibi daha önce başlatılmış olan takipler de duracaktır. Ayrıca kanun koyucu ihtiyati haciz kararlarının da icra ve infazını da durma süresi boyunca engellemiştir. 7226 sayılı Kanun ile konkordato açısından ortaya çıkan sorunlar da ele alınmıştır.
With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have undertaken several measures involving legal precautions to provide economic protection to individuals and entrepreneurs. On March 22, 2020, the Turkish government declared an “extraordinary recess” for all enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings with the decree numbered 2279. However, this decree was not sufficient to solve the many problems regarding the periods. All substantial prescriptions and limitation periods are to continue. Consequently, the Turkish Grand National Assembly passed a new law numbered 7226 to provide measures for all areas of law, including enforcement and bankruptcy. The article is as follows:
“The periods specified in the Execution and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004 and the periods specified in other laws related to the execution and bankruptcy proceedings, and the periods determined by the judge or enforcement and bankruptcy offices within the scope of these laws; except for the execution proceedings related to exspouse and child support receivables, all enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings, party transactions and proceedings, initiating new enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings, transactions regarding the enforcement and execution of provisional arrest order shall, from March 22, 2020 (including this date), stop until 30/4/2020 (including this date).”
With the Presidential Decree numbered 2480, the final date has been extended until June 15, 2020.
According to provisional article 1 of the Code subpara. b, the following measures have been taken regarding Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law:
First, the Code provides relief to individuals in terms of periods. All periods regulated in the Turkish Code of Enforcement and Bankruptcy shall stop from March 22 to June 15, 2020. Furthermore, between these dates, all periods determined by the judge or enforcement and bankruptcy offices within the scope of Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law shall stop. Thus, if the deadlines are to expire within or less than 15 days as of the start date (June 15) of the suspension period, 15 days of extension will be provided.
Second, all enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings shall stop from March 22 to June 15, 2020. They are suspended and will stay as they were before March 22, 2020. In addition, individuals are not allowed to commence new enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings during this period.
Third, parties shall not conduct any transactions regarding enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings. For example, they may not request arrest or sale of arrested assets. The enforcement and bankruptcy offices shall arrange a new sale date without a new request of parties at the end of this period if the date of sale has been decided between March 22 and June 15, 2020. The sale announcements will only be conducted electronically, and there shall not be any demand of expense for these announcements. However, we argue that it can be paid to the creditor if the debtor pays their debts directly to enforcement offices. Therefore, the suspension period shall not stop the voluntary payments to the creditor. The enforcement offices must accept voluntary payments. Otherwise, it would be considered unproportional limitation for parties to access their rights. Similarly, the enforcement offices must accept and do what is required by parties if the parties reach any agreements regarding enforcement proceedings.
Fourth, parties may request for provisional arrest orders during this period. Nevertheless, they shall not be enforced and executed until June 15, 2020.
Finally, the consequences of the respites of concordat regarding creditor and debtor will be maintained during this period. This formulation may create some confusion because during the concordat process, some parties may initiate new enforcement proceedings. However, we argued that the consequences of concordat regarding the creditor and their right to commence enforcement proceedings must also be suspended during this period.
