28Right of acquiring company to seek relief in respect of certain transactions

(1) Where an existing insurer has at any time within five years before the 13th day of May, 1971--

(a) made any payment to any person without consideration,

(b) sold or disposed of any property of the insurer without consideration or for an inadequate consideration,

(c) acquired any property or rights for an excessive consideration,

(d) entered into or varied any agreement so as to require an excessive consideration to be paid or given by the insurer,

(e) entered into any other transaction of such an onerous nature as to cause a loss to, or impose a liability on, the insurer exceeding any benefit accruing to the insurer,

and the payment, sale, disposal, acquisition, agreement or variation thereof or other transaction was not reasonably necessary for the purpose of the general insurance business of the insurer or was made with an unreasonable lack of prudence on the part of the insurer, regard being had in either case to the circumstances at the time, the acquiring company may apply for relief to the court in respect of such transaction, and all parties to the transaction shall, unless the court otherwise directs, be made parties to the application.

(2) The court may make such order against any of the parties to the application as it thinks just having regard to the extent to which those parties were respectively responsible for the transaction or benefited from it and all the circumstances of the case.

(3) Where an application is made to the court under this section in respect of any transaction and the application is determined in favour of the acquiring company, the court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any claim outstanding in respect of the transaction.