Questions for lawyers Found 20

I’m setting up a private company in Malta and I’ve heard I need to register something called beneficial ownership information. I’d prefer to keep my ownership relatively private if possible. What exactly has to be disclosed and to whom?

I’ve been running a small trading business in Malta as a sole trader for about a year and it’s grown to the point where I want the liability protection and structure of a limited company. Can I just convert my existing business, or do I need to start a completely new company and somehow transfer everything over?

Our company in Malta is a bit behind on preparing audited financial statements for the last financial year, mostly due to delays on the accountant’s side. I’m worried about what penalties we might be facing and whether this could escalate into something more serious for the company or for me as a director.

My business partner and I agreed verbally, before we even registered the company, on how profits would be split and who would handle which responsibilities. We never put it in writing. Now that the company has grown, he’s disputing what we originally agreed. Does a verbal agreement like this actually count for anything?

I’m a director of a small limited company in Malta that has been struggling financially and is now behind on payments to a supplier. The supplier is threatening to come after me personally rather than just the company. I thought the whole point of a limited company was that my personal assets were protected. Is that not always true?

I want to start a small business in Malta helping foreign entrepreneurs set up local companies, essentially preparing documents and liaising with the registry on their behalf. Someone mentioned I might need a licence for this. Is that actually the case, or is this just general business consultancy?

I’m the majority shareholder and managing director of a company in Malta. A minority shareholder who owns about 15 percent and has never been involved in running the business is now demanding to inspect detailed financial records and correspondence. I feel like this is just an attempt to interfere. Am I obligated to give this access?

My Maltese company entered into a supply contract with a business based in another EU country, and the contract itself is silent on which country’s courts would handle disputes. They are now threatening to sue us in their home country instead of Malta. Can they actually do that?

My business partner and I set up a company together in Malta where I hold 70 percent of the shares and he holds 30 percent, but under the articles of association certain decisions need unanimous shareholder approval. He is now refusing to approve anything, including basic operational matters, seemingly out of spite after a personal disagreement. Can I do anything about this?

I’ve just been appointed company secretary of a small private company in Malta, mostly as a formality since I’m also a shareholder. I don’t have a clear picture of what this role actually legally requires of me day to day, beyond just being a named position on paper.