ORDER 49
GARNISHEE PROCEEDINGS
1.
—(1) Where a person (referred to in these Rules as the judgment creditor) has obtained a judgment or order for the payment by some other person (referred to in these Rules as the judgment debtor) of money, not being a judgment or order for the payment of money into Court, and any other person within the jurisdiction (referred to in this Order as the garnishee) is indebted to the judgment debtor, the Court may, subject to the provisions of this Order and of any written law, order the garnishee to pay the judgment creditor the amount of any debt due or accruing due to the judgment debtor from the garnishee, or so much thereof as is sufficient to satisfy that judgment or order and the costs of the garnishee proceedings.
(2) An order in Form 101 under this Rule shall in the first instance be an order to show cause, specifying the time and place for further consideration of the matter, and in the meantime attaching such debt as is mentioned in paragraph (1), or so much thereof as may be specified in the order, to answer the judgment or order mentioned in that paragraph and the costs of the garnishee proceedings.
(3) In this Order, “any debt due or accruing due” includes a current or deposit account with a bank or other financial institution, whether or not the deposit has matured and notwithstanding any restriction as to the mode of withdrawal.
2. An application for an order under Rule 1 must be made by ex parte summons supported by an affidavit in Form 102 —
(a)
identifying the judgment or order to be enforced and stating the amount remaining unpaid under it at the time of the application; and
(b)
stating that to the best of the information or belief of the deponent the garnishee (naming him) is within the jurisdiction and is indebted to the judgment debtor and stating the sources of the deponent’s information or the grounds for his belief.
3.
—(1) An order under Rule 1 to show cause must, at least 7 days before the time appointed thereby for the further consideration of the matter, be served —
(a)
on the garnishee personally; and
(b)
unless the Court otherwise directs, on the judgment debtor.
(2) Such an order shall bind in the hands of the garnishee as from the service of the order on him any debt specified in the order or so much thereof as may be so specified.
4.
—(1) Where on the further consideration of the matter the garnishee does not attend or does not dispute the debt due or claimed to be due from him to the judgment debtor, the Court may, subject to Rule 7, make a final order8 in one of the forms in Form 103 under Rule 1 against the garnishee.
(2) A final order8 under Rule 1 against the garnishee may be enforced in the same manner as any other order for the payment of money.
5. Where on the further consideration of the matter the garnishee disputes liability to pay the debt due or claimed to be due from him to the judgment debtor, the Court may summarily determine the question at issue or order in Form 104 that any question necessary for determining the liability of the garnishee be tried in any manner in which any question or issue in an action may be tried.
6.
—(1) If in garnishee proceedings it is brought to the notice of the Court that some person other than the judgment debtor is or claims to be entitled to the debt sought to be attached or has or claims to have a charge or lien upon it, the Court may order that person to attend before the Court and state the nature of the claim with particulars thereof.
(2) After hearing any person who attends before the Court in compliance with an order under paragraph (1), the Court may summarily determine the questions at issue between the claimants or make such other order as it thinks just, including an order that any question or issue necessary for determining the validity of the claim of such other person as is mentioned in paragraph (1) be tried in such manner as is mentioned in Rule 5.
7.
—(1) The Court shall not make an order under Rule 1 requiring the garnishee to pay any sum to or for the credit of any judgment creditor resident outside the scheduled territories unless that creditor produces a certificate that the Monetary Authority of Singapore has given permission under the Exchange Control Act (Chapter 99), for the payment unconditionally or on conditions which have been complied with.
(2) If it appears to the Court that payment by the garnishee to the judgment creditor will contravene any provision of the Exchange Control Act, it may order the garnishee to pay into Court the amount due to the judgment creditor and the costs of the garnishee proceedings after deduction of his own costs, if the Court so orders.
8. Any payment made by a garnishee in compliance with a final order8 under this Order, and any execution levied against him in pursuance of such an order, shall be a valid discharge of his liability to the judgment debtor to the extent of the amount paid or levied notwithstanding that the garnishee proceedings are subsequently set aside or the judgment or order from which they arose reversed.
9.
—(1) Where money is standing to the credit of the judgment debtor in Court, the judgment creditor shall not be entitled to take garnishee proceedings in respect of that money but may apply to the Court by summons for an order that the money or so much thereof as is sufficient to satisfy the judgment or order sought to be enforced and the costs of the application be paid to the judgment creditor.
(2) On issuing a summons under this Rule the applicant must produce the summons at the office of the Accountant-General and leave a copy at that office, and the money to which the application relates shall not be paid out of Court until after the determination of the application.
If the application is dismissed, the applicant must give notice of that fact to the Accountant-General.
(3) Unless the Court otherwise directs, the summons must be served on the judgment debtor at least 7 days before the day named therein for the hearing of it.
(4) Subject to Order 70, Rule 24, the Court hearing an application under this Rule may make such order with respect to the money in Court as it thinks just.
10. The costs of any application for an order under Rule 1 or 9, and of any proceedings arising therefrom or incidental thereto, shall, unless the Court otherwise directs, be retained by the judgment creditor out of the money recovered by him under the order and in priority to the judgment debt.