ACT 125
COMPANIES ACT 1965 (REVISED - 1973)
PART III - CONSTITUTION OF COMPANIES
DIVISION 1 - INCORPORATION

 
Section 15. Private company.
 
(1) A company having a share capital may be incorporated as a private company if its memorandum or articles—

    (a) restricts the right to transfer its shares;

    (b) limits to not more than fifty the number of its members (counting joint holders of shares as one person and not counting any person in the employment of the company or of its subsidiary or any person who while previously in the employment of the company or of its subsidiary was and thereafter has continued to be a member of the company);

    (c) prohibits any invitation to the public to subscribe for any shares in or debentures of the company; and

    (d) prohibits any invitation to the public to deposit money with the company for fixed periods or payable at call, whether bearing or not bearing interest.

(2) Where, upon the commencement of this Act, neither the memorandum nor articles of a company that is a private company by virtue of paragraph (a) of the definition of "private company" in subsection 4(1) contain the restrictions, limitations and prohibitions required by subsection (1) to be included in the memorandum or articles of a company that may be incorporated as a private company, the articles of the company shall be deemed to include each such restriction, limitation or prohibition that is not so included and a restriction on the right to transfer its shares that is so deemed to be included in its articles shall be deemed to be a restriction that prohibits the transfer of shares except to a person approved by the directors of the company.

(3) Where a restriction, limitation or prohibition deemed to be included in the articles of a company under subsection (2) is inconsistent with any provision already included in the memorandum or articles of the company, that restriction, limitation or prohibition shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, prevail.

(4) A private company may, by special resolution, alter any restriction on the right to transfer its shares included, or deemed to be included, in its memorandum or articles or any limitation on the number of its members included, or deemed to be included, in its memorandum or articles, but not so that the memorandum and articles of the company cease to include the limitation required by paragraph (1)(b) to be included in the memorandum or articles of a company that may be incorporated as a private company.