To make new provision in relation to powers of attorney and for matters connected therewith

[1 October 1972] L.N. 176 of 1972

(Originally 51 of 1972)

This Ordinance may be cited as the Powers of Attorney Ordinance.

     (1) A person shall be regarded as being mentally incapable or suffering from mental incapacity for any purpose relating to a power of attorney for which the fact that a person is mentally incapable or is suffering from mental incapacity is relevant, if-

        (a) he is suffering from mental disorder or mental handicap and-

           (i)   is unable to understand the effect of the power of attorney; or

           (ii)  is unable by reason of his mental disorder or mental handicap to make a decision to grant a power of attorney; or

       (b) he is unable to communicate to any other person who has made a reasonable effort to understand him, any intention or wish to grant a power of attorney.

    (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), “mental disorder” (精神紊亂) and “mental handicap”(弱智) have the meanings assigned to them by the Mental Health Ordinance(Cap 1360.

(Added 18 of 1997 s. 2. Amended 81 of 1997 s. 59)

    (1) An instrument creating a power of attorney shall be signed and sealed by, or by direction and in the presence of, the donor of the power.

    (2) Where such an instrument is signed and sealed by a person by direction and in the presence of the donor of the power, two other persons shall be present as witness and shall attest the instrument.

    (3) This section is without prejudice to any requirement in, or having effect under, any other Ordinance as to the witnessing of instruments creating powers of attorney and does not affect the rules relating to the execution of instruments by corporations.

[cf. 1971 c. 27 s. 1 U.K.]

    (1) The contents of an instrument creating a power of attorney may be proved by means of a copy which-

      (a) is a reproduction of the original made with a photographic or other device for reproducing documents in facsimile; and

      (b) contains the following certificate or certificates signed by the donor of the power or by a solicitor, that is to say-

        (i) a certificate at the end to the effect that the copy is a true and complete copy of the original; and

        (ii) if the original consists of two or more pages, a certificate at the end of each page of the copy to the effect that it is a true and complete copy of the corresponding page of the original.

    (2) Where a copy of an instrument creating a power of attorney has been made which complies with subsection (1), the contents of the instrument may also be proved by means of a copy of that copy if the further copy itself complies with that subsection, taking references in it to the original as references to the copy from which the further copy is made.

    (3) In favour of a person acting in good faith a signature on a certificate under subsection (1)(b) purporting to be that of a person described as being a solicitor shall, until the contrary is proved, be deemed sufficient for the purposes of this section.

    (4) this section is without prejudice to any other method of proof authorized by any other Ordinance.

    (5) In this section “solicitor”(律師) means a person who is enrolled on the roll of solicitors kept under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap 159) and who, at the material time, is not suspended from practice.

[cf. 1971 c. 27 s. 3 U.K.]

    (1) Where a power of attorney is expressed to be irrevocable and is given to secure-

      (a) a proprietary interest of the donee of the power; or

      (b) the performance of an obligation owed to the donee,

Then, so long as the donee has that interest or the obligation remains undischarged, the power shall not be revoked-

        (i)   by the donor without the consent of the donee; or

        (ii)  by the death, incapacity or bankruptcy of the donor or, if the donor is a corporation, by its winding up or dissolution.

    (2) A power of attorney given to secure a proprietary interest may be given to the person entitled to the interest and persons deriving title under him to that interest, and those persons shall be duly constituted donees of the power for all purposes of the power but without prejudice to any right to appoint substitutes given by the power.

    (3) This section applies to powers of attorney whenever created.

[cf. 1971 c. 27 s. 4 U.K.]

    (1) A donee of a power of attorney who acts in pursuance of the power at a time when it has been revoked shall not, by reason of the revocation, incur any liability (either to the donor or to any other person) if at that time he did not know that the power had been revoked.

    (2) Where a power of attorney has been revoked and a person, without knowledge of the revocation, deals with the donee of the power, the transaction between them shall, in favour of that person, be as valid as if the power had then been in existence.

    (3) Where the power is expressed in the instrument creating it to be irrevocable and to be given by way of security then, unless the person dealing with the donee knows that it was not in fact given by way of security, he shall be entitled to assume that the power is incapable of revocation except by the donor acting with the consent of the donee and shall accordingly be treated for the purposes of subsection (2) as having knowledge of the revocation only if he knows that it has been revoked in that manner.

    (4) Where the interest of a purchaser depends on whether a transaction between the donee of a power of attorney and another person was valid by virtue of subsection (2), it shall be conclusively presumed in favour of the purchaser that that person did not at the material time know of the revocation of the power if-

      (a) the transaction between that person and the donee was completed within twelve months of the date on which the power came into operation; or

      (b) that person makes a statutory declaration, before or within three months after the completion of the purchase, that he did not at the material time know of the revocation of the power.

    (5) Without prejudice to subsection (3), for the purposes of this section knowledge of the revocation of a power of attorney includes knowledge of the occurrence of any event (such as the death of the donor) which has the effect of revoking the power.

    (6) In this section-

“purchaser”(購買人) means-

      (a) a purchaser in good faith for valuable consideration;

      (b) a lessee, mortgage or other person who for valuable consideration acquires an interest in property; and

      (c) an intending purchaser; and

“valuable consideration” (有價值代價) includes marriage but not a nominal consideration in money.

    (7) This section applies whenever the power of attorney was created but only to acts and transactions after the commencement of this Ordinance.

    (8) No statutory declaration relating to a power of attorney made under subsection (4)(b) at any time after the commencement of the Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Ordinance 1987 (34 of 1987) shall be sufficient if made before-

      (a) a solicitor who acted for the declarant or the donee of the power of attorney in the transaction referred to in subsection (2);

      (b) a solicitor acting, or who has acted, for a party in any transaction affected by the statutory declaration;

      (c) a partner, clerk or employee of a solicitor mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b); or

      (d) a partner, clerk or employee of a partner of a solicitor mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b). (Added 34 of 1987 s. 2)

    (9) For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that a statutory declaration made under subsection (4) (b) at any time prior to the commencement of the Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Ordinance 1987 (34 of 1987) shall not be invalid or otherwise ineffective for its purpose solely by reason of the fact that it was made before any solicitor, partner, clerk or employee mentioned in subsection (8). (Added 34 of 1987 s.2)

[cf. 1971 c. 27 s. 5 U.K.]

    (1) The donee of a power of attorney may, if he thinks fit-

      (a)  execute any instrument with his own signature and, where sealing is required, with his own seal; and

      (b)  do any other thing in his own name,

by the authority of the donor of the power; and any document executed or thing done in that manner shall be as effective as if executed or done by the donee with the signature and seal, or, as the case may be, in the name, of the donor of the power.

    (2) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that an instrument may be executed on behalf of a person by a donee of a power of attorney either as provided in this section or as provided in any other Ordinance.

    (3) This section is without prejudice to a provision in any other Ordinance requiring an instrument to be executed by a person specified therein.

    (4) This section applies to powers of attorney whenever created.

[cf. 1971 c. 27 s. 7 U.K.]

    (1) Subject to subsection(2), a general power of attorney in the form set out in the Schedule, or in a form to the like effect but expressed to be made under this Ordinance, shall operate to confer-

      (a) on the donee of the power; or

      (b) if there is more than one donee, on the donees acting jointly or acting jointly or severally, as the case may be,

authority to do on behalf of the donor anything which he can lawfully do by an attorney.

    (2) This section does not apply to functions which the donor has as a trustee or personal representative.

[cf. 1971 c.27 s. 10 U.K.]

For the avoidance of doubt it is declared that any question relating to the validity or otherwise or revocation of a power of attorney created before the commencement of the Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Ordinance 1997 (18 of 1997) is to be determined as if that Ordinance had not been enacted.

(Added 18 of 1997 s. 3)

[Section 7]

POWERS OF ATTORNEY ORDINANCE

(Chapter 31)

FORM OF GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR PURPOSES OF SECTION 7

THIS GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY is made this day         of       19   by AB of (address)

I appoint CD of (address)            [or CD of (address)             and EF of (address) jointly or jointly and severally] to be my attorney(s) in accordance with section 7 of the Powers of Attorney Ordinance.

IN WITNESS whereof I have hereunto set may hand and seal.

(L.S)

Signature, etc.

本條例旨在就授權(quán)書及相關(guān)事宜訂定新條文

[1972年10月1日] （1972年第176號法律公告）

（本為1972年第51號）

本條例可引稱為《授權(quán)書條例》。

     (1)凡某人屬精神上無能力或患有精神上無行為能力的事實是對關(guān)乎授權(quán)書的目的屬有關(guān)的，如任何人有以下情況，該人須就該目的而言被視為精神上無能力行事或患有精神上無行為能力——

        (a) 該人患有精神紊亂或?qū)偃踔�，并且—�?/P>

           (i)   不能明白授權(quán)書的效力；或

           (ii)  因其精神紊亂或弱智而不能作出授予授權(quán)書的決定；或

       (b) 該人不能將其授予授權(quán)書的任何意向或意愿傳達予任何已作出合理努力以期明白他的其他人。

    (2) 就第（1）款而言，“精神紊亂”（mental disorder）及“弱智”(mental handicap) 具有《精神健康條例》（第136章）給予該等詞語的涵義。

(由1997年第18號第2條增補。由1997年第81號第59條修訂)

    (1) 任何訂立為授權(quán)書的文書須由該授權(quán)書的授權(quán)人簽署及蓋印，或在該授權(quán)人指示下在其面前簽署及蓋印。

    (2) 凡該等文書在授權(quán)書的授權(quán)人的指示下在其面前簽署及蓋印，須另有兩人在場為見證人，該兩人并須在該文書上核簽。

    (3) 本條不損害任何其他條例中或根據(jù)任何其他條例而有效的任何有關(guān)對訂立為授權(quán)書的文書作見證的規(guī)定，亦不影響關(guān)乎法團文書事宜的規(guī)則。

[比照1971 c. 27 s. 1 U.K.]

    (1) 任何訂立為授權(quán)書的文書的內(nèi)容，可籍符合以下規(guī)定的副本予以證明­­­---

      (a) 由可將文件復(fù)制成為精確本的攝影或其他 器材所制成的正本復(fù)制本；及

      (b) 載有以下經(jīng)授權(quán)人或律師簽署的一份或多于一份證明書----

        (i) 在副本之末的證明書，表明該副本為正本的真實完整副本；及

        (ii) 如正本有兩頁或多于兩頁，則為在副本每頁之末的證明書，表明該頁為正本中相應(yīng)的一頁的真實完整副本。

    (2) 凡已將訂立為授權(quán)書的文書復(fù)制一份副本，而該副本符合第（1）款的規(guī)定，該文書的內(nèi)容亦可籍復(fù)制該副本而成的另一副本予以證明，但該另一副本本身亦須符合該款的規(guī)定，而在該款中提述正本之處，須視為提述用以作為復(fù)制該另一副本的原有副本。

    (3)為使真誠行事的人受惠，在第（1）（b）款所指證明書上的簽名，如看來是被描述為律師的人的簽名，須當(dāng)作足以符合本條的規(guī)定，直至相反證明成立為止。

    (4) 本條不損害任何其他條批準(zhǔn)采用的任何其他證明方法。

    (5) 在本條中，“律師”(solicitor)指在根據(jù)《法律執(zhí)業(yè)者條例》（第159章）備存的律師登記冊上登記，而在關(guān)鍵時間并無被暫時吊銷執(zhí)業(yè)資格的人。（由2007年第7號法律公告修訂）

[比照 1971 c. 27 s. 3 U.K.]

    (1) 凡授權(quán)書訂明為不可撤銷及作為以下事項的保證----

      (a) 該授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人的所有人權(quán)益；或

      (b) 履行須向獲授權(quán)人履行的義務(wù)，

只要獲授權(quán)人仍享有該權(quán)益或該義務(wù)仍未予解除，該授權(quán)書----

        (i)   不得在未經(jīng)獲授權(quán)人同意下由授權(quán)人撤銷；或

        (ii)  不得因授權(quán)死亡、無行為能力或破產(chǎn)而撤銷，如授權(quán)人為法團，則不得因法團清盤或解散而撤銷。

    (2) 作為所有人權(quán)益保證的授權(quán)書，可給予有權(quán)享有該權(quán)益的人及藉該人而得到該權(quán)益所有權(quán)的人。該等人士是該授權(quán)書的妥為委任的獲授權(quán)人，但不損害該授權(quán)書所賦予的任何委任代替人的權(quán)利。

    (3) 授權(quán)書不論何時訂立，本條均適用。

[比照971 c. 27 s. 4 U.K.]

    (1) 凡授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人在該授權(quán)書已撤銷時依據(jù)該授權(quán)書行事，如該人當(dāng)時不知道該授權(quán)書已撤銷，則無須因該項撤銷而地授權(quán)人或任何其他人負(fù)上任何法律責(zé)任。

    (2) 凡授權(quán)書已撤銷，而任何人在不知道該項撤銷的情況下，與獲授權(quán)人進行交易，為使該上述的人受惠，該兩人之間的交易仍屬有效，猶如該授權(quán)書當(dāng)時仍然存在一樣。

    (3) 凡訂立為授權(quán)書的文書訂明該授權(quán)書不可撤銷及作為保證，除非與獲授權(quán)人交易的人知道該授權(quán)書事實上并非作為保證，否則他有權(quán)假定除在獲授權(quán)人同意下由授權(quán)人撤銷外，該授權(quán)書是不可撤銷的，據(jù)此，只有在該人知道該授權(quán)書已藉上述方式撤銷的情況下，他才會被視為知道該項撤銷。

    (4) 凡購買人的權(quán)益取決于授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人與另一人之間的交易是否憑借第（2）款有效，如----

      (a) 該另一人與獲授權(quán)人之間的交易是在該授權(quán)書生效之日起計12個月內(nèi)完成的；或

      (b) 該另一人在完成購買前或在完成購買后3個月內(nèi)作出法定聲明，表示他在關(guān)鍵時間不知道該授權(quán)書已撤銷，

則為使購買人受惠，須推定該另一人在關(guān)鍵時間不知道該授權(quán)書已撤銷，而該項推定是不可推翻的。

    (5) 在不損害第（3）款的原則下，就本條而言，知道授權(quán)書的撤銷，包括知道有任何具有撤銷該授權(quán)的效力的事件（如授權(quán)人去世）發(fā)生。

    (6) 在本條中----

“有值代價”（valuable consideration）包括婚姻，但不包括卯是象征式的金錢代價；及

“購買人”（purchaser）指----

      (a) 出于真誠并付出有值代價的購買人；

      (b) 承租人、承按人或其他以有值代價取得財產(chǎn)權(quán)益的人；及

      (c) 有意購買的購買人。

    (7) 授權(quán)書不論何時訂立，本條均適用， 但只限適用于本條例生效日期后作出的作為及交易。

    (8) 在《1987年授權(quán)書（修訂）條例》（1987年第34號）生效日期后任何時間，根據(jù)第（4）（b）款作出的與授權(quán)書有關(guān)的法定聲明，如在以下人士面前作出則屬不足夠----

      (a) 在第（2）款所提述的交易中代表聲明人或授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人行事的律師；

      (b) 代表或曾代表任何受該法定聲明影響的交易其中一方行事的律師；

      (c) （a）或(b)段所述律師的合伙人、文員或雇員；或

      (d) (a)或段所述律師的合伙的的另一名合伙人、文員或雇員。（由1987年第34號第2條增補）

    (9) 為免生疑問，現(xiàn)宣布在《1987年授權(quán)書（修訂）條例》（1987年第34號）生效日期前任何時間根據(jù)第（4）(b)款作出的法定聲明，不得僅因其在第（8）款所述的任何律師、合伙人、文員或雇員面前作出而無效，或就其目的而言不具效力。（由1987年第34號第2條增補）

[比照1971 c. 27 s. 5 U.K.]

    (1) 授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人如認(rèn)為適當(dāng)，可在授權(quán)書的授權(quán)人授權(quán)下----

      (a)  以其本文的簽名簽立任何文書，及如須蓋印，再加蓋其本人的印章；及

      (b)  以其本人名義作出任何其他事情，

以上述方式簽立的任何文件或作出的任何事情均具有效力，猶如該文件是獲授權(quán)人以授權(quán)人的簽名及印章簽立的一樣，或猶如該事情是獲授權(quán)人以授權(quán)人的名義作出的一樣。

   (2) 為免生疑問，現(xiàn)宣布任何文書可由授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人按本條或任何其他條例的規(guī)定而代他人簽立。

   (3) 本條不損害任何其他條例中規(guī)定文書須由該條例所指明的人簽立的條文。

   (4) 授權(quán)書不論何時訂立，本條均適用。

[比照1971 c. 27 s. 7 U.K.]

    (1) 除第（2）款另有規(guī)定外，以附表所載格式訂立的一般授權(quán)書，或以效果相同的格式訂立但訂明為根據(jù)本條例訂立的一般授權(quán)書，須用作賦予以下人士權(quán)限，以代授權(quán)人作出授權(quán)人可透過受權(quán)人合法作出的任何事情----

      (a) 授權(quán)書的獲授權(quán)人；或

      (b) 如獲授權(quán)人多于一名，則 共同行事的獲授權(quán)人，或共同或各別行事的獲授權(quán)人（視屬何情況而定）。

    (2) 本條不適用于授權(quán)人以受托人或遺產(chǎn)代理人身分所具有的職能。

[比照1971 c.27 s. 10 U.K.]

為免生疑問，現(xiàn)宣布：任何關(guān)乎在《1997年授權(quán)書（修訂）條例》（1997年第18號）的生效日期前所訂立的授權(quán)書的有效性或其他方面的問題或撤銷的問題，須猶如該條例并未制定般予以裁定。

(由1997年第18號第3條增補)

[第七條]

授權(quán)書條例

（第三十一章）

為施行第7條而訂明的一般授權(quán)書格式

本一般授權(quán)書于19  年  月  日由地址為 

                 的AB訂立。

本人按照《授權(quán)書條例》第7條的規(guī)定，委任地址為

              的CD[或地址為

              的CD及地址為

              的EF共同或共同及分別]為本人的受權(quán)人。

本人謹(jǐn)在下方簽署蓋印為證。

（蓋印處）

簽名