### Coroners Ordinance 《死因裁判官條例》

41. Certificate of the fact of death
(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Cap. 174) but subject to subsections (2) and (3), a coroner who is carrying out an investigation, or conducting a pre-inquest review or an inquest, into the death of a person may issue to a properly interested person who so requests, a certificate in the prescribed form under his hand and seal, recording the fact of that death.
(2) A coroner shall not issue a certificate of the fact of death in respect of the death of a person after the conclusion of an inquest, if any, into that death.
(3) A coroner shall not issue a certificate of the fact of death unless he is satisfied—
(a) that the reasons stated by the properly interested person seeking the certificate justify its issue; and
(b) as to the evidence provided by a registered medical practitioner who has personally viewed the dead body of the person in respect of whose death the certificate is being sought and who is satisfied that that death has occurred—
(i) of the identification of, and place and date of death of, that person; and
(ii) that an infectious disease was not the cause of that death.
(4) In this section, infectious disease (傳染病) means any disease which may render the dead body of a person a danger to public health.

42. Majority findings
(1) Where at an inquest held with a jury any of the jurors, after reasonable consultation, dissent from the other jurors, the findings of a majority of the jurors shall be taken to be the findings of the jury.
(2) Where at an inquest held with a jury it seems for any cause to be desirable, the coroner may direct the jury to consider their findings further.

43. Recording of findings
(1) At the conclusion of an inquest the coroner shall record in the prescribed form his findings or the findings of the jury and in a case where there is a jury each juror shall sign the findings.
(2) Where an inquest is held under section 15(2) into the death of a person dying in official custody, the coroner shall furnish to the person in whose custody the person died a copy of the findings of the jury signed by the coroner and the jurors.

### Coroners Ordinance 《死因裁判官條例》

44. Civil liability, etc.
(1) Neither a coroner nor a jury at an inquest shall—
(a) frame a finding in such a way as to appear to determine any question of civil liability;
(b) subject to subsection (2), express an opinion on any matter other than a matter referred to in section 27.
(2) A coroner or a jury at an inquest may make a recommendation designed—
(a) to prevent the recurrence of fatalities similar to that in respect of which the inquest is being held;
(b) to prevent other hazards to life disclosed by the evidence at the inquest;
(c) to bring to the attention of a person who may have power to take appropriate action any deficiencies in a system or method of work which are disclosed by the evidence at the inquest and which are of public concern.
(3) A coroner at an inquest shall disallow a question which in his opinion—
(a) relates only to civil liability;
(b) is not relevant; or
(c) is otherwise not a proper question.

45. Forwarding transcription of evidence, etc.
Where, after the conclusion of an inquest, the Secretary for Justice so requests, the coroner shall deliver to the Secretary for Justice— (Amended L.N. 362 of 1997)
(a) the transcription of the notes or record of evidence taken or made at the inquest;
(b) any documents which have been produced in evidence;
(c) a list signed by the coroner of all exhibits produced in evidence; and
(d) a certificate in the prescribed form filled up and signed by him.

46. Obstruction of coroner, etc.
(1) A person who wilfully obstructs, resists or delays a coroner in the lawful discharge of any of his duties, or the lawful exercise of any of his powers, under this Ordinance commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 1 and to imprisonment for 6 months.
(2) For the purposes of this section, coroner (死因裁判官) includes a person lawfully assisting a coroner in the lawful discharge of any of the coroner’s duties, or the lawful exercise of any of the coroner’s powers, under this Ordinance.
(3) This section shall be without prejudice to the operation of section 36 of the Offences against the Person Ordinance (Cap. 212), section 23 of the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228) or section 63 of the Police Force Ordinance (Cap. 232).

### Coroners Ordinance 《死因裁判官條例》

47. Committal for contempt
(1) Where a person—
(a) wilfully insults a coroner, an officer assisting a coroner or a witness, during the course of an inquest, or in going to or returning from an inquest;
(b) wilfully interrupts the proceedings at an inquest or commits a contempt or otherwise misbehaves at the inquest; or
(c) subject to subsection (2), obtains, discloses or solicits any particulars of statements made, opinions expressed, arguments advanced or votes cast by the jurors at an inquest in the course of their deliberations in the proceedings at the inquest,
a person authorized by the coroner, with or without the assistance of any other person, may, by order of the coroner, take the offender into custody and detain him until the conclusion of the proceedings at the inquest on the day on which the offender is so taken into custody, and the coroner may if he thinks fit—
(i) by a warrant in the prescribed form under his hand and seal, commit the offender to prison for a specified period not exceeding 2 months; or
(ii) impose upon the offender a fine at level 1 for every such offence.
(2) Subsection (1)(c) shall not apply to any disclosure of particulars—
(a) in the proceedings concerned for the purpose of enabling the jury to arrive at their findings, or in connection with the delivery of those findings; or
(b) in evidence in any subsequent proceedings for an offence alleged to have been committed in relation to the jury in the proceedings referred to in paragraph (a),
or to the publication of any particulars so disclosed.
(3) A coroner shall not exercise any of his powers under subsection (1) in respect of a matter referred to in subsection (1)(c) without the consent of the Secretary for Justice. (Amended L.N. 362 of 1997)

48. Protection for coroners, etc.
(1) No liability shall attach to a coroner in respect of an act or omission of his if it was done or made by him in the honest belief that it was required or authorized in the discharge or purported discharge of any of his duties, or in the exercise or purported exercise of any of his powers, under this Ordinance.
(2) For the purposes of this section, coroner (死因裁判官) includes a person assisting a coroner in the discharge or purported discharge of any of the coroner’s duties, or in the exercise or purported exercise of any of the coroner’s powers, under this Ordinance.