### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

19B. Disposal by Director of moneys paid to him
(1) Upon receipt of all moneys paid to him pursuant to section 19 or 19A, the Director shall— (Amended 40 of 1989 s. 7)
(a) retain—
(i) any sum paid by virtue of an order or agreement for costs made in the aided person’s favour;
(ii) a sum equal to the amount, if any, by which any property recovered or preserved is charged for the benefit of the Director by virtue of section 18A(1); and (Amended 60 of 1981 s. 3)
(iii)  any costs recovered in proceedings taken by the Director in his own name under regulations made under this Ordinance:

Provided that where the Director is satisfied that it would cause serious hardship to any person to retain any such sum under this paragraph and that it is in all the circumstances just and equitable to reduce the sum to be so retained, the amount to be so retained shall be reduced by such amount not exceeding $114,140 as the Director may determine; (Added 60 of 1981 s. 3. Amended 40 of 1989 s. 7; 8 of 1997 s. 5; L.N. 131 of 2020; L.N. 32 of 2023; L.N. 16 of 2024)(b) pay to the Registrar of the High Court or the Registrar of the Court of Final Appeal any court fees and other fees and charges paid to him pursuant to section 19(1A); and (Amended 79 of 1995 s. 50; 25 of 1998 s. 2)
(c) pay the balance to the aided person or, if the court so directs, to the court or to some other person. (Added 9 of 1968 s. 3)
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), where the Director is satisfied that—
(a) compliance with subsection (1)(a) would cause serious hardship to any person; and
(b) a payment will be received by him under section 19 or 19A,
the Director may, upon receipt of any such payment, pay such proportion thereof as he thinks fit to the aided person without complying with subsection (1)(a). (Added 40 of 1989 s. 7)
(3) In this section, court (法院) includes the Court of Final Appeal. (Added 79 of 1995 s. 50)

### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

19C. Interest on moneys paid to Director
(1) Any interest or dividend received by the Government under this Ordinance on all moneys paid to the Director by or on behalf of an aided person shall be paid into the general revenue.
(2) It is declared that any interest or dividend received by the Government under this Ordinance, prior to its amendment by the Legal Aid (Amendment) Ordinance 1991 (27 of 1991), on all moneys which have been paid to the Director by or on behalf of an aided person shall be deemed to be and to have always been part of the general revenue.
(Added 27 of 1991 s. 13)

20. Costs of counsel and solicitors
There shall be paid by the Director to counsel and solicitor acting for an aided person such fees and costs for so acting as may be prescribed.

20A. Taxation of costs
(1) On the taxation of costs in proceedings to which an aided person is a party, costs shall be taxed for the purposes of this Ordinance according to the ordinary rules applicable on a taxation as between solicitor and client where the costs are to be paid out of a common fund in which the client and others are interested.
(2) The Director shall be entitled to attend and be heard on any such taxation, to raise objections or to apply for a review of the taxation in accordance with the rules of court made under the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484), the High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4) or the District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336). (Amended 79 of 1995 s. 50; 25 of 1998 s. 2)
(Added 27 of 1991 s. 14)

### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

21. Adaptation of rights to indemnity
(1) This section shall have effect for the purpose of adapting in relation to this Ordinance any right (however and whenever created or arising) which a person may have to be indemnified against expenses incurred by him.
(2) In determining for the purposes of any such right the reasonableness of any expenses, the possibility of avoiding them or part of them by taking advantage of this Ordinance shall be disregarded.
(3) Where a person having any such right to be indemnified against expenses incurred in connection with any proceedings receives legal aid in connection with those proceedings, then (without prejudice to the effect of the indemnity in relation to his contributions, if any, to the Director) the right shall operate also for the benefit of the Director as if the expenses incurred by the Director on behalf of the said person in connection with the proceedings had been incurred by such person.
(4) Where—
(a) a person’s right to be indemnified against expenses incurred in connection with any proceedings arises by virtue of an agreement and is subject to any express condition conferring on those liable thereunder any right with respect to the bringing or conduct of the proceeding; and
(b) those liable have been given a reasonable opportunity of exercising the right so conferred and have not availed themselves of that opportunity,
the right to be indemnified shall be treated for the purposes of subsection (3) as not being subject to that condition.
(5) Nothing in subsections (3) and (4) shall be taken as depriving any person or body of persons of the protection of any law or, save as provided in subsection (4), as conferring any larger right to recover money for the benefit of the Director in respect of any expenses than the person receiving legal aid would have had if the expenses had been incurred by him.
(6) Where under subsection (3) a person’s right to be indemnified against expenses incurred in connection with any proceedings operates for the benefit of the Director, any sum recovered for the benefit of the Director shall be deducted from the total of all sums payable by the Director in respect of such proceedings and the balance remaining shall be the maximum recoverable from such person.