Playford and Inspector-General in Bankruptcy

This matter concerned an appeal by Mr Playford against a decision of the delegate of the Inspector-General in Bankruptcy, which affirmed the trustee's objection to Mr Playford's discharge from bankruptcy. The core of the dispute revolved around Mr Playford's failure to disclose funds held in a BankSA bank account and his subsequent lack of full cooperation with the trustee's investigations into this non-disclosure. The appeal was heard by Ms G Lazanas, Senior Member.

The legal issues before the Senior Member were whether the trustee's objection to Mr Playford's discharge was validly made on grounds specified in the *Bankruptcy Act*, and whether there was sufficient evidence to support the existence of those grounds. Specifically, the court had to determine if Mr Playford had failed to disclose a beneficial interest in bank account monies and if he had not fully cooperated with the trustee.

The Senior Member found that the delegate correctly identified that Mr Playford had a beneficial interest in the BankSA funds, which should have been disclosed as an asset in his Statement of Affairs but was not. The Senior Member also agreed with the delegate that there was sufficient evidence to support the trustee's objection, noting the trustee's diligent efforts to obtain information and Mr Playford's failure to provide satisfactory explanations or the required funds. The Senior Member was not persuaded by Mr Playford's arguments, particularly in light of his professional background as a solicitor and his engagement of legal representation, which undermined any claim that health issues prevented his cooperation.

Consequently, the Senior Member affirmed the decision of the delegate of the Inspector-General dated 6 June 2017.