Category Archives: Blog News

Australia Tightens Acquisition of Agricultural Land by Foreign Investors

/ 12:46 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

The Year 2017 has proven to be a turbulent year for Sino-Australian relationship, which witnessed not only the downfall of some pro-Chinese politicians amid scandals of taking illicit funding from Chinese businessmen in Australia, but also the tabling of the highly controversial counter-espionage and foreign interference laws which evidently aim at forestalling China’s perceived infiltration into Australia’s politics. This trend

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New Changes to the Companies Ordinance – Significant Controller Register

/ 02:43 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

From 1 March 2018, companies incorporated in Hong Kong, except listed companies, are required to keep a significant controller register at their registered offices. This article will give a brief introduction of the newly enacted Division 2A, Part 12 of the Companies Ordinance, cap. 622 relating to the significant controller register, and their major implications and take-aways. Application The new

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玛瑞瓦禁制令 – 跨境訴訟的脈衝彈

/ 02:35 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

在現代的軍事上,脈衝炸彈的作用及威力無庸置疑。它可以瞬間癱瘓敵人的電子設備,使敵人喪失作戰能力。在普通法地區,馬瑞亞禁制令(Mareva Injunction)的作用實在與脈衝彈有異曲同工之妙, 因為其性質其實是一個資產凍結令 。 禁制令的性質 馬瑞亞禁制令的名稱源自英國1975年 Mareva Compania Naviera SA v International Bulkcarriers SA一案,之後在所有普通法地區的法院,如英、美,加拿大、澳洲、紐西蘭、香港、星加坡等被廣泛肯定和採用。此種禁制令有幾個特點:第一、他是一種臨時性(interim)並從屬於主訴訟的法律濟助(interim relief),作用是防止訴訟一方(通常是被告)在判決之前轉移資產,以逃避判決責任,所以類似國內的訴訟保全; 第二、在起始時,申請是單方面的(ex parte),亦即是法院只聽取申請人的陳述,被告沒權出席聆訊,被告是要到禁制令發出並送達給他後才知道禁制令的存在,這種機制是要防止被告知道原告申請禁制令時立刻轉移資產。為了平衡被告的權利, 這種禁制令因此規定被告有權在禁制令發出28天後向法院申請解除。所以這種先凍結資28天才到被告申請解除的機制,對被告的震懾力及特襲性十分大; 第三、此种禁制令是針對個人而非財產的,所以若果被告違反禁令轉移資產,資產的轉讓未必無效但被告則會犯了藐視法庭罪, 可被罰款或監禁。 第四、禁制令可以涵蓋訴訟方以外的第三方,例如銀行或上市公司的股票過戶處(registrar),前提是第三方必須獲告知禁制令的內容。第五、 禁制令不單可以包括法院所在地的被告資產,還可以擴展到被告全球的資產,這種禁制令即稱為環球馬瑞亞禁制令(global mareva injunction)。 申請禁制令的條件 由於此類禁制令對被告十分嚴苛,所以法院為平衡、保障被告的權益亦相對設定比較嚴格的頒發條件:(1) 原告必須證明他在主訴訟中有比較強的訴訟理由(good arguable case), 但這並不表示原告人需要證明他在主訴訟中必然會勝出 ; (2) 被告轉移資產(dissipation of assets)的可能性比較高;(3) 若不發出禁制令,對原告造成的傷害大於發出禁制令時對被告造成的不便;(4) 由於一開始申請禁制令時是單方面的,所以原告必須就案情向法院作出全面及真實的披露(full and frank disclosure),不能隱瞞對其不利的材料。同時法院在發出此禁制令前一般會要求原告向其作出承諾,若法院日後裁定禁制令對被告或第三方造成損失而原告需要賠償時,原告會作出賠償。 有時,法院甚至會要求原告提供銀行擔保。 在涉及到中港跨境商業訴訟中,這種禁制令近年的演變及應用上有一項特別有意義的發展,這就是自2009年香港民事訴訟程序改革之後,這種禁制令並非必需要依附於在香港進行的訴訟,而是可以自成為一獨立訴訟以輔助在香港境外進行的訴訟, 這當然包括在國內的訴訟了。 例如,當原告在內地法院向被告追討違約的賠償,但發現被告持有香港上市公司的股份而且有可能在國內訴訟判決前轉移這些股份以逃避國內法院判決,他就可以在香港法院申請這種禁制令。 自香港回歸後,中港商貿雖頻繁並日漸融合,但很多時候由於各種各樣的原因民事訴訟並不適合在香港進行,但被告卻在香港擁有龐大的流動資產而在判決前可能隨時轉移,所以此項新的規定對公平解決中港之間的商業糾紛提供額外保障。 案例  在論及此新規定上,則不得不提到 Compania Sud Americana De Vapores S.A. v Hin-Pro International Logistics Ltd (FACV 1/2016,

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Without prejudice letter – a shield as well as a sword in settlement negotiation

/ 03:01 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

The nature and application of without prejudice correspondences are by no means strange to lawyers in common law jurisdictions.  Without prejudice communication is a branch of the law of evidence. Its primary purpose is to facilitate settlements in civil proceedings. Therefore, if a party to a civil action states in his verbal or written communications with the other party in

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“It is not illegal, but still wrong”

/ 08:18 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

Recently, a video clip about Chinese “daigous’ snapping up baby formula in Coles has gone viral in various online social media. The conducts of such daigous obviously infuriated local Aussies, who filmed what happened in the supermarket and uploaded to YouTube. In the video, the daigous were however unrepentant and one of them asked, “Is it illegal” when confronted by

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新州禮物卡發行新改革

/ 07:57 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

悉尼雖然沒有像香港一樣獲得購物天堂的美譽, 但禮物卡的發行卻大行其道 。過節時送贈或收到禮物卡本來是一大樂事,但購物卡被愈期作廢或無理扣減價值 ,卻令消費者有被騙的感覺。但這個情況將會獲得改善。 新州就禮物卡發行條件即將推出新的改革。 1987年的公平貿易法(Fair Trade Act)的修正案預算在本年10月呈交新州國會。若法案獲得通過, 以後在新州出售的禮物卡必須有最少三年的使用期,相關企業亦不能在售卡後扣取行政費用,從而減少卡的儲值。 新州創新及監管部長說,新州出售的大部分禮物卡只有12個月的限期, 而有8%的消費者沒有在期限前用盡儲值 ,這樣的意味著新州的消費者每年損失數以千萬計 。

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A Brief Note on Removal of Directors under Hong Kong law and Australian law

/ 04:47 PM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

There are a lot of reasons why a director is removed from his office. These include his incompetence, his relationship with his peers and other colleagues of the company, and sometimes misconducts such as breach of fiduciary duties etc. Generally, only shareholders can remove a director, the reason being that directors are considered as quasi-agents for the company or the

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Application of Hong Kong law is no Panacea

/ 09:20 AM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

In the ever increasing commercial intercourses between Hong Kong and Mainland China, many of the related agreements are governed by Hong Kong law instead of the PRC law, despite that quite a lot of such agreements are largely performed in Mainland China. The reasons for this may be that the contracting parties (or one of them) are Hong Kong residents

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A Brief Note on the Passing of Arbitration and Mediation Legislation (Third Party Funding) (Amendment) Bill

/ 09:15 AM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

The Arbitration and Mediation Legislation (Third Party Funding) (Amendment) Bill (“Bill) was passed by Hong Kong’s legislature on 14 June 2017, following recommendations in the Law Reform Commission’s Report in October 2016. The Bill, expected to come into effect later this year, seeks to change the outdated (if not antiquated) common law doctrine of maintenance and champerty, which basically bans

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Mutual Enforcement of Civil Judgments between Hong Kong and Australia

/ 09:09 AM/ Blog News/ 0 comments

With the governments of Hong Kong and Australia kicking off the negotiations for a free trade agreement in April 2017, which aims at further strengthening the already vibrant trades between the two regions, trading volume is bound to explode following conclusion of the bilateral treaty. With the explosion in trades also, unfortunately, will come the disputes between trading partners. This

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