HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION.docx
- 文档编号:11703095
- 上传时间:2023-03-30
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:11
- 大小:26.02KB
HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION.docx
《HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION.docx(11页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
HONGKONGSPECIALADMINISTRATIVEREGION
HCA1004/2005
INTHEHIGHCOURTOFTHE
HONGKONGSPECIALADMINISTRATIVEREGION
COURTOFFIRSTINSTANCE
ACTIONNO1004OF2005
____________
BETWEEN
DUANQIGUI(段琪桂)Plaintiff
and
UPPERLIKEINVESTMENTSLIMITED1stDefendant
(超禮投資有限公司)
WANGZHIWEI(王志偉)2ndDefendant
ZHONGANHUA(鍾安華)3rdDefendant
HUANGHONG(黃紅)4thDefendant
TAIQIINTERNATIONALINVESTMENT
LIMITED(泰琪國際投資有限公司)5thDefendant
____________
Before:
HonACheungJinChambers
DateofHearing:
8August2007
DateofJudgment:
22August2007
_______________
JUDGMENT
_______________
Background
ThisisanappealfromanordermadebyMasterAu-Yeung(asMadamRegistrarAu-Yeungthenwas)on17April2007,dismissinganapplicationbythe1st,4thand5thdefendantstostayallfurtherproceedingsinthisactiononthegroundofforumnonconveniens.
1.Itisonlynecessarytostatethefactsanddisputesinasimplifiedway.Theplaintiff,initiallythroughaMainlandcompanyknownasShanghaiTaiQiRealEstateCompanyLimited(STQ)andsubsequentlyalsothroughthe5thdefendant,aHongKongcompany,controlledarealestateprojectinShanghai.Ontheotherhand,the1st defendant,aHongKongcompany,throughitsthendirectorsandshareholders,the2ndand3rd defendants,andanotherHongKongcompanyknownasEagleFairInternationalLimited(EagleFair),controlledtworealestateprojectsinQingdaoontheMainland.
2.Byanagreementmadeon8August1997,theplaintiffactingonbehalfofSTQagreedwiththe1stdefendant(representedbythe2nd defendant)toassignSTQ’sinterestintheShanghaiprojecttothe1st defendantinexchangeforthe1stdefendant’sassignmenttothe5th defendantofitsmajorityinterestsinthetwoQingdaoprojects.
3.Basedonagreedvaluationsoftherespectiveprojects,equalisationmoneywaspayablebythe1stdefendanttotheplaintiff’sside.
4.On11December1997,the5th defendantrepresentedbytheplaintiffenteredintoasupplementalagreementwiththe1stdefendant(representedbythe2nddefendant)toclarify,sotheplaintiffmaintains,thatthe5thdefendantwastoreplaceSTQasthepartyeffectingtheprojectexchangewiththe1stdefendant.Thesupplementalagreementalsoconfirmedandagreedthattheequalisationmoneyduetotheplaintiff’ssidewasRMB136,857,000,payablebyinstalments.
5.Itistheplaintiff’scasethatpursuanttotheagreementandthesupplementalagreement,shetransferredatotalof10,000sharesbeneficiallyownedbyherinthe5th defendant,comprisingtheentireauthorisedandissuedsharecapitalofthe5th defendant,tothe2nd defendant(9,999shares)andthe3rddefendant(oneshare)on15 December1997.(The3rddefendanthassincetransferredtheonesharetothe4th defendant.)ShealsorelinquishedhercontrolinSTQ.Itistheplaintiff’scasethatshehasthereforedischargedhercontractualobligationsundertheprojectexchangeagreementandthesupplementagreement.
6.Hercaseisthatthe1stdefendanthasonlypartiallyperformeditsobligationsunderthetwoagreementsbymakingcertainpaymentstoher.ThemoresignificantobligationoftransferringtoherthemajorityinterestsinthetwoQingdaoprojectswasnotperformed.
7.Infact,accordingtotheplaintiff’scase,thedefendantscouldnotperformtheobligationbecausethe1stand2nddefendantsdidnotatanymaterialtimehavetheagreementofathirdshareholderofEagleFair(LukPeiLun)toenterintothetwoagreements,andthe1st defendantdidnotholdamajorityinterestinoneofthetwoQingdaoprojects.Misrepresentationsweremadebythe1st and2nd defendantstoherduringthenegotiations,shemaintains.
8.Itisthereforetheplaintiff’scasethatbyreasonofthosemisrepresentationsandthefailuretotransfertheagreedmajorityinterestsintheQingdaoprojectstoher,sheisentitledtoseekthereturnofthesharesinthe5thdefendanttoher.Shethussuesforanorderthatthetransferofthesharesbyhertothe2ndand3rddefendantsbesetasideandcancelledandanorderforthere-transferofthesharestoher.Shealsoseeksaccounts,inquiresanddirections,oralternativelydamages.
9.The2ndand3rddefendantshavenotenteredanappearancetodefendthepresentaction.Indeed,accordingtothedocumentsfiled,the2ndand4th defendantsappeartohavetransferredthesubjectsharestoBVIcompanies.Inanyevent,itisthecaseofthe1st,4thand5th defendantsthatinfacttherewerehiddendebtsandliabilitiesinSTQwhichtheplaintifffailedtodisclosetothe1stand2nddefendants.Asaresultofthetransferofthesharesbytheplaintifftothe2ndand3rd defendantsandtheassumptionofcontrolofSTQbythe1stand2nd defendants,coupledwiththesubsequentcriminalprosecutionagainsttheplaintiff(onaseparatematter)whichresultedatonestageinherbeingsentencedtocapitalpunishmentontheMainland,thedefendantshadnochoicebuttomeettheseindebtednessandliabilitiesonbehalfofSTQ.TheyclaimthatthemoneytheyhavesoexpendedonSTQfarexceedstheamountthatwaspayableundertheagreementandsupplementalagreementtotheplaintiff’ssidebywayofequalisationmoney.Inthosecircumstances,theydenythattheplaintiffhasanyoutstandingclaimagainstthemfortheequalisationmoney.Furthermore,theyclaimthattheundisclosedindebtednessandtheirdischargingofthesameunderforcedcircumstanceshavecausedthemloss,forwhichtheplaintiffisliable.
10.Butmoreimportantly,itisthedefendants’casethatthetotalamounttheyhaveincurredindischargingthehiddenliabilitiesandindebtednessnotonlyexceedstheoutstandingequalisationmoneypayabletotheplaintiff’sside,butalsocoverstheentirevalueoftheQingdaoprojectsthatoughttobetransferredtotheplaintiff.Moreover,theplaintiffhassigneddocumentsinChinesepledgingherinterestsintheQingdaoprojectsinfavourofthedefendantsassecurityforrepaymentofthemoneysthusadvancedinherfavour.ThedefendantsarethereforenotliabletotransfertheQingdaoprojectstotheplaintiff.
11.The1st,4thand5thdefendantsacceptthattherewasatonestageamemoranduminChinesesignedbythe2nddefendantinfavouroftheplaintiff.Thedocumentseemstosuggestthattheplaintiffhadalreadyperformedallherobligationsunderthetwoagreementsanditwasthedefendants’sidewhichwasunabletoperformtheirobligations.Butthedefendantsmaintainthatthememorandumdidnotcorrectlyandfullyreflectthetrueposition.
12.Theplaintiffdoesnotacceptthattherewereundisclosedindebtednessandliabilities.ShemaintainsthattheyhadbeendisclosedinthefinancialstatementofSTQfor1997andwerediscoverablebythedefendantsduringtheirfinancialadvisers’duediligenceatthenegotiationstage.Furthermore,sheclaimsthatsomeoftheallegedliabilitiesontheMainlandweresimplyfabricatedordouble-counted.
Applicationforstay
Intheapplicationforstay,the1st,4thand5thdefendantsmaintainthateitherthePeople’sCourtinShanghaiorthatinQingdaoontheMainlandisclearlyanddistinctlyamoreappropriateforumthantheHongKongcourttotrythecase.Theplaintiff,thedefendantscontend,hasnosustainablecaseonjuridicaladvantage.ButiftheCourtshouldholdthattheplaintiffwouldsufferfromajuridicaldisadvantageintermsoflimitationperiod,suchdisadvantageisansweredbyanappropriateundertakingofwaiver.Thedefendantsfurthercontendthatthereoughttobeamutualwaiverbythedefendantsandtheplaintiffinrespectof,respectively,theplaintiff’sclaimandthedefendants’setoffandcounterclaimrelatingtotheallegedlyundisclosedindebtednessandliabilities.Butasafall-backposition,thedefendantsarecontenttoprovideaunilateralwaiver.
13.MasterAu-Yeungdismissedtheapplicationforstayessentiallyononeground,namelythejuridicaldisadvantageintermsoflimitationperiodwhichcannotbesatisfactorilycoveredbyaunilateralwaiver–shehavingruledthattherewasnoquestionofforcingupontheplaintiffamutualwaiver.
14.Theapplicablelegaltestisnotindispute.Itiscommongroundthatthethree-stagetestpropoundedbytheHouseofLordsinSpiliadaMaritimeCorporationvCansulexLtd[1987]1AC460representsthecorrecttesttoapply.
15.InPeiZhengMiddleSchoolvChinaPuiChingEducationFoundationLtdCACV262/2005,21February2006,CheungJAexplainedthelawasfollows:
“1.Thesinglequestiontobedecidediswhetherthereissomeotheravailableforum,havingcompetentjurisdiction,whichistheappropriateforumforthetrialofanactioni.e.inwhichtheactionmaybetriedmoresuitablyfortheinterestsofallthepartiesandtheendsofjustice?
2.Inordertoanswerthisquestion,theapplicantforthestayhastoestablishthatfirst,HongKongisnotthenaturalorappropriateforum(‘appropriate’inthiscontextmeanstheforumhasthemostrealandsubstantialconnectionwiththeaction)andsecond,thereisanotheravailableforumwhichisclearlyordistinctlymoreappropriatethanHongKong.Failurebytheapplicanttoestablishthesetwomattersatthisstageisfatal.
3.Iftheapplicantisabletoestablishbothofthesetwomatters,thentheplaintiffintheHongKongproceedinghastoshowthathewillbedeprivedofalegitimatepersonalorjuridicaladvantageiftheactionistriedinaforumotherthanHongKong.
4.Iftheplaintiffisabletoestablishthis,thecourtwillhavetobalancetheadvantagesofthealternativeforumwiththedisadvantagesthattheplaintiffmaysuffer.Deprivationofoneormorepersonaladvantageswillnotnecessarilybefataltotheapplicantforthestayifheis
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
![提示](https://static.bdocx.com/images/bang_tan.gif)