Intro to HK Legal System.docx
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Intro to HK Legal System.docx
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IntrotoHKLegalSystem
IntroductiontoHongKongLegalSystem
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Outcomes:
1.TounderstandthehistoricaloriginsanddevelopmentofthelegalsystemoftheHongKongSpecialAdministrativeRegion(‘HKSAR’).
2.ToidentifytherolesandfunctionsofthevariousinstitutionswhichmakeupthelegalsystemoftheHKSAR.
3.TorecognizethelegalfoundationonwhichthecommercialenvironmentoftheHKSARisbased.
ExtendedReading:
V.Stott,AnIntroductiontoHongKongBusinessLaw,4thed.,2010,Ch1pp.10-42.
K.Arjunan&A.Majid,BusinessLawInHongKong,2009,ch1–6,pp.1–63.
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Introduction
InHongKong,many‘new’constitutionalandpoliticalchangeshavetakenplacesince1July1997.Nevertheless,beforestudyingthesechanges,understandingtherelevantlegaltermsandthelegalsystemasawholeisthefirststeptowardsunderstandingtheimplicationsandmeaningsofthelawandrulesimposedoneachareaofbusinessactivitybycivilandcriminallaw.
OriginsofHongKong’sLegalSystem
TheChineseGovernmentformallycededtheislandofHongKongtoGreatBritainbytheTreatyofNankingin1842.TheBritishwantedtocontrolHongKongasabasefortradewithChinaandasabaseforitsRoyalNavyandagarrison.KowloonwasaddedtotheterritorycededtotheBritishin1860,andtheNewTerritoriesin1898.
TheBritishintroducedtheEnglishlegalsystemtoHongKong.TheapproachoftheBritishinrelationtotheestablishmentoftheappropriatelegalsystemfollowedthesameapproachasinthecaseofothercolonies,thatis,toimporttheEnglishlegalsystem,especiallyEnglishcommerciallawandpractices,intoHongKong.
Section3oftheSupremeCourtOrdinanceprovidedthatsuchEnglishlawsasexistedwhenthecolonyobtainedalocallegislatureweretohaveeffectinthecolony,exceptwheretheywereinapplicabletolocalcircumstancesorinhabitants,subjecttoany
modificationbythelocallegislature.Later,section3
(1)oftheApplicationofEnglishLawOrdinanceprovidedthatEnglishcommonlawandrulesofequityshouldbeinforceinHongKonginsofarastheywereapplicabletothecircumstancesofHongKongoritsinhabitants.
Hence,insofarascommerciallawwasconcerned,nothinglessthanEnglishcommerciallawwasacceptable,althoughthelegislationspecificallymadeprovisionsforthepreservationoflocalcustoms,includingChinesecustomsandlaw.Inrealityhowever,localcommercialcustomsandpracticesnevergainedmuchgroundinthedevelopmentofHongKongcommerciallaw.ThisisbecausethecommerciallawandpracticepreviouslyexistinginChinadifferedfromprovincetoprovinceandhence,lackedconsistency.Inaddition,diversityoflanguage,cultureandneedsresultedinChinesecommercialcustomsandpracticeneverattainingthesamestatusasEnglishcommercialcustomsandpractice.
However,Chinesecustomarylawcontinuedtoplayanimportantroleinthecolony’sChinesecommunity,forexample:
customsinrespectofmarriage,divorce,adoption,inheritanceandlandsettlement.
TheHKSARGovernment
Priorto1July1997,theGovernorwasthesymbolicrepresentativeoftheQueen’ssovereigntyoverHongKongandexercisedtheQueen’spowersbyherauthority.However,on1July1997,theUnitedKingdomceasedtohavesovereigntyovertheterritoryandHongKongwasreunitedwithChinaunderthe“OneCountryTwoSystems”concept.
Since1July1997,theChiefExecutiveoftheHKSARhasreplacedthegovernorastheheadoftheHKSARandisaccountabletoandappointedbytheCentralPeople’sGovernment.Hemakesappointmentsofcouncils,committeesandtheCivilService.Hemaysuspend,dismissordisciplineanypublicofficer.HemayalsopresideattheExecutiveandLegislativeCouncilandhisassentisrequiredinorderforHongKonglegislationtocomeintoeffect.
TheBasicLaw
AdocumentknownastheBasicLawhasbecomeHongKong’smini-constitutionsince1July1997.TheBasicLawpreservestheexistenceoflawspreviouslyinforceandthecontinuationofthecapitalistsystemandwayoflifefor50years.
Article5oftheBasicLawstates:
‘ThesocialistsystemandpoliciesshallnotbepractisedintheHongKongSpecialAdministrativeRegion,andthepreviouscapitalistsystemandwayoflifeshallremainunchangedfor50years.’
Article8oftheBasicLawstates:
‘ThelawspreviouslyinforceinHongKong,thatis,thecommonlaw,rulesofequity,ordinances,subordinatelegislationandcustomarylawshallbemaintained,exceptforanythatcontravenethisLaw,andsubjecttoanyamendmentbythelegislatureoftheHongKongSpecialAdministrativeRegion.’
SourcesofHongKongLaw
TheHongKonglegalsystemisbasedontheEnglishlegalsystem–alsoknownasthecommonlawsystem.ThemainsourcesofHongKonglawareasfollows:
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I.commonlawandrulesofequity;
II.legislation;and
III.Chineselawandcustom.
I.CommonLawandRulesofEquity
Asmentionedearlier,HongKonglaw,especiallyHongKongcommerciallaw,isbasedonEnglishlaw.TherearetwoimportantsetsoflawinEngland–commonlawandtherulesofequity.
CommonLaw
Before1066,EnglandwasverymuchlikeChinabeforeitwasunifiedunderQinShiHuangDi.Therewasnosingleruler:
nosinglelawthatappliedthroughouttheentireBritishIsland.Eachcountyhaditsownlordandcourtstoenforceitsownpeculiarcustom.
However,in1066,WilliamIconqueredEnglandandestablishedastrongcentralgovernmenttoadministeracentralisedlegalsystemthatwascommontothewholecountry.TheKingofEnglandhadoverallauthorityoverhisRoyalCourts.Throughhiscourtsheidentifiedcustomsthatweremostreasonableandappliedthemthroughouthisentirekingdom.Theresultwasthejudicialestablishmentofasetoflawsthatwascommontoallinhabitants.ThiswashowtheEnglishlawwastermedthe"commonlaw".Therefore,historically,thecommonlawdidnotoriginatefromlegislationbutfromtheKing'sjudicialrecognitionofcertaincustoms.
Theconsistencyintheapplicationofthecommonlawwasachievedthroughthedoctrineofbindingprecedentorstaredecisis.Thisdoctrinemeansthatwherethefactsofapresentcasebeforethecourtissimilartothefactsofapreviousdecidedcase,thepresentcourtmustapplythelegalrulelaiddowninthatpreviouscasetoresolvethecasebeforehim.However,iftherewasnopre-existingcustomaryorcommonlawprinciple,thejudgewouldmakearulingwhichwouldsubsequentlyhavetobefollowedbyallotherjudges.
Thecommonlawgraduallybecamepredictableandcouldbeappliedthroughoutthelandwithadegreeofcertainty.ThecommonlawofEnglandhasbeenappliedinHongKongpriorto1July1997.Today,theBasicLawstatesthelawspreviouslyinforcewillcontinuetoapplytotheSAR(Article8).Section7
(1)oftheHongKongReunificationOrdinance1997provides:
"TheLawspreviouslyinforceinHongKong,thatisthecommonlaw,rulesofequity,Ordinances,subsidiarylegislationandcustomarylaw,whichhavebeenadoptedasthelawsoftheHongKongSpecialAdministrativeRegion,shallcontinuetoapply."
Today,commonlawcontinuestobeanimportantsourceofHongKonglaw.Wherelegislationdoesnotmakeexplicitprovision,thebodyofcommonlawexistinginHongKongcontinuestogrowandinfluencetheoutcomeofcasesincourt.
RulesofEquity
CommonlawinEnglandwasfoundtobeinflexible,slowandexpensiveincertainsituations.TheinflexibilityofthecommonlawandtheharshnessofsomeoftherulesledtopeopleinEnglandpetitioningtheKingdirectlyforjustice.TheKingpassedthesecasestotheChurchforhearingaccordingto‘conscience’and‘morality’.Thesecaseswerethebasisforestablishingtherulesofequity.Later,theCourtofChancerywassetupinEnglandtohearthesepetitions.
Whendeterminingapetition,theCourtofChancerywasnotboundbythedoctrineofbindingprecedent,atleastatthebeginning.Itwassimplyconcernedwithwhetherornottheirdecisionwasfair.Proceedingsinthecourtsofequitywerenotboundbyanyformality.
Inthe17thcentury,theKingestablishedthatwhenthereisaconflictbetweenthecommonlawandtherulesofequity,therulesofequityshouldprevail.
InHongKong,section16oftheHighCourtOrdinance(Cap.4)provides:
"...Whereverthereisanyconflictorvariancebetweentherulesofequityandtherulesofthecommonlawwithreferencetothesamematter,therulesofequityshallprevail."
Assuch,equityremainstodayasaflexible,adaptablesystemofrules,abletoremedynewsituationsofinjustice.Theconceptof‘trust’andthedeviceofthe‘mortgage’areexamplesofinventionsofequity.Thereareotherequitableremediessuchasinjunctions,specificperformance,rescissionofcontractandrectification.
II.Legislation
Anordinanceoriginatesina'bill'whichisdraftedbytheDepartmentofJustice.Therearetwotypesofbills,namely,publicbillsandprivatebills.Apublicbillisaproposedlegislationwhichaffectstheinterestsofthecommunityatlarge.Aprivatebillonlydealswiththeinterestsofthepartiesnamedinit.TheBankofEastAsiaLimited(Merger)Bill2001whichprovidesforthemergeroftheFirstPacificBankwiththeBankofEastAsiaisanexampleofaprivatebill.
OrdinancespassedbytheLegislativeCounciltogetherwithrules,regulationsandothersubsidiarylegislationformanimportantsourceofHongKonglaw.Theyareoftenknownasstatutelaw.
Whenaconflictarisesbetweencommonlawandstatutelaw,statutelawprevails.
LawMakingProcess
Theprocessofpassinglegislation
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