ALDERNEY Electricity minority shareholders quizzed the board about why an overhaul of the company's rules and procedures saw a clause disqualifying directors with serious crime convictions, taken out.
They made the point at an extraordinary general meeting called to pass a resolution on AEL's updated articles of association.
The EGM followed a boisterous AGM on June 22nd which saw non executive director Geoffrey Sargent ejected from the board. It came after minority shareholders dramatically brought to light that a conviction for allowing his daughter to drive while uninsured, was indictable and as such meant he was disqualified from being appointed an AEL director.
The new articles remove that clause and make Mr Sargent eligible for re-election, and the amendment caused controversy.
Minority shareholders Louis Jean, Nigel Roberts and Colin Williams pointed out that general Alderney company law did strip out disqualification for indictable offences - so why, they wondered, did AEL want to do so?
"The effect of the old Articles of Association is that any director convicted of an offence connected to dishonesty was automatically disqualified from the board," said Mr Roberts.
"I think as a public company owned by the public of Alderney we should hold ourselves to higher standards," he said. Colin Williams said he was "puzzled" as to why law officers had been moved to take away that particular clause. "I can't understand why they did it," he said. "Under Alderney company law it's not covered, and that's the thing that bothers me. Why was it taken out?" Mr Jean pointed out that Mr Sargent's indictable offence had been the subject of debate for a considerable time .
The Guernsey Bereavement Service has made three visits to Alderney over the past few months and would like to continue to help you. We are visiting the island again on
Tuesday, 23rd February 2024 and would invite anyone who feels they would like Bereavement Counselling to telephone the Bereavement Service Office on 257778 to make a time to meet one of our counsellors.
The Guernsey Bereavement Service has made three visits to Alderney over the past few months and would like to continue to help you. We are visiting the island again on
Tuesday, 23rd February 2024 and would invite anyone who feels they would like Bereavement Counselling to telephone the Bereavement Service Office on 257778 to make a time to meet one of our counsellors. 