Source: https://www.hcch.net/en/states/authorities/details3/?aid=492
Timestamp: 2019-07-16 10:52:32
Document Index: 182125871

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 24', 'Art. 7', 'Arts 4', 'Arts 14', 'Arts 14', 'Art. 23']

China (Hong Kong) - other authority (Art. 24) and practical information
Registrar of the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Address: Registrar of the High Court
Telephone: +852 2825 0380
Fax: +852 2825 4550
E-mail: enquiry@judiciary.hk
General website: https://www.judiciary.hk
Contact person: Ms E. Leung
Transmission of Letters of Requests: Letters of Request are first sent to the Chief Secretary for Administration before being sent to the Central Authority of the requested State.
Authority responsible for informing of the time and place of the execution of Letter of Request (Art. 7): Private agent of the parties or, in the absence of private agent, Law Officer (International Law).
Translation requirements (Arts 4(2) and 33): In accordance with Articles 4 and 33 of the Convention, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will not accept a Letter of Request in the French language.
Costs relating to execution of the Letters of Request (Arts 14(2)(3) and 26): Hong Kong does not seek reimbursement of costs under Arts 14 and 26.
Art. 23 pre-trial discovery of documents: Letter of Request may be executed subject to certain conditions (qualified exclusion).
Information about domestic rules on the taking of evidence: The legislation below is available online at:
https://www.elegislation.gov.hk
- Part VIII of the Evidence Ordinance (Chapter 8 of the Laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
- Orders 39 and 70, Rules of the High Court (Chapter 4A of the Laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region).
Should Letters of Request include specific questions to be used during witness examination or only a list of matters to be addressed? No such requirement is imposed for letters of request as such. However, where private agents are not appointed in an incoming letter of request, it would be left to the Law Officer (International Law) to apply to the Court for execution and to arrange for the evidence to be taken. Given that the Law Officer (International Law) is not party to the foreign legal proceedings, a list of specific questions is required in practice in order to facilitate the taking of evidence. Furthermore, for outgoing requests, according to Order 39, rule 3 of the Rules of the High Court (Chapter 4A of the Laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) (https://www.elegislation.gov.hk), if evidence is to be obtained by means of written questions, a copy of the interrogatories and cross-interrogatories must be lodged with the letter of request.
Do the judicial authorities "blue-pencil" Letters of Requests (i.e. rephrase, restructure and / or strike out objectionable questions or offensive wording so that a Letter of Request may be executed under the laws of the requested State)? Yes (see also O.70/1/24 and 25, Hong Kong Civil Procedure 2014).
Are there sanctions for non-appearance of witness? A witness who fails to comply with the order for examination
will be liable to committal for contempt of court. See para. 70/4/8 Hong Kong Civil Procedure 2014 and Order 45 of the Rules of the High Court, Chapter 4A, Laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Must interpreters who assist with the witness examination be court-certified? Yes (if the examination is conducted by court).
How is the testimony transcribed? In the form of a deposition or verbatim transcript.
Article 16 Not applicable.
Article 17 Applicable.
Bilateral or multilateral agreements Not applicable.
(This page was last updated on 7 December 2018)