Hong Kong Ordinances

DEPOSIT PROTECTION SCHEME ORDINANCE - SECT 46

Confidentiality

PART 7

MISCELLANEOUS

(1) Except so far as it is necessary for the performance of any function under
this Ordinance or for carrying into effect the provisions of this Ordinance, a
specified person—

   (a)  shall not suffer or permit any person to have access to any matter
        relating to the affairs of any person that comes to the specified
        person’s knowledge in the performance of any function under this
        Ordinance; and

   (b)  shall not communicate any such matter to any person other than the
        person to whom such matter relates.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply—

   (a)  to the disclosure of information in summary form that is so framed as
        to prevent particulars relating to the business of any particular
        Scheme member from being ascertained from it;

   (b)  to the disclosure of information with a view to the institution of, or
        otherwise for the purpose of, any criminal proceedings, whether under
        this Ordinance or otherwise;

   (c)  in connection with any other legal proceedings arising out of this
        Ordinance;

   (d)  to the disclosure of information to the police or the Independent
        Commission Against Corruption, at the request of the Secretary for
        Justice, relevant to the proper investigation of any criminal
        complaint;

   (e)  to the disclosure of information with a view to the institution of, or
        otherwise for the purpose of, any disciplinary proceedings relating to
        the discharge of his professional duties by an auditor, or a former
        auditor, of a Scheme member or former Scheme member, whether or not
        the auditor or former auditor, as the case may be, was appointed for
        the purposes of section 48(3) or (4);

   (f)  to the disclosure of information to the Chief Executive, the Financial
        Secretary, the Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures
        Commission, an investor compensation company recognized by the
        Commission under section 79 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (
        Cap 571) or any public officer authorized by the Financial Secretary
        where the disclosure will, in the opinion of the Board, enable or
        assist the recipient of the information to perform his functions;

   (g)  to the disclosure of information to an auditor, or a former auditor,
        of a Scheme member or former Scheme member for the purpose of enabling
        or assisting the Board to perform its functions under this Ordinance;

   (h)  to the disclosure of information with the consent of—

   (i)  the person from whom the information was obtained or received; and

        (ii)   where the information does not relate to such person, the
               person to whom it relates;

        (i)    to the disclosure of information which has been made available
               to the public by virtue of being disclosed in any circumstances
               in which, or for any purpose for which, disclosure is not
               precluded by this section; or

   (j)  to the disclosure of information required by law.

(3) The Board may attach a condition to any disclosure of information made
pursuant to subsection (2)(b), (c), (d), (e), (f) or (j), and shall attach a
condition to any disclosure of information made pursuant to subsection (2)(g),
that neither—

   (a)  the person to whom the information has been disclosed; nor

   (b)  any person obtaining or receiving the information (whether directly or
        indirectly) from the person referred to in paragraph (a), shall
        disclose that information to any other person without the consent of
        the Board.

(4) No person shall, without the written consent of the Monetary Authority
given generally or in any particular case or class of cases, disclose to any
other person—

   (a)  any information regarding a Scheme member’s MA supervisory rating or
        the amount of a Scheme member’s contribution; or

   (b)  any other information that would, by itself or together with other
        information, enable a Scheme member’s MA supervisory rating or the
        amount of a Scheme member’s contribution to be ascertained or
        inferred.

(5) Any specified person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and
is liable—

   (a)  on conviction on indictment to a fine of $1000000 and to imprisonment
        for 2 years; or

   (b)  on summary conviction to a fine at level 6 and to imprisonment for 6
        months.

(6) If a person, knowing that the condition referred to in subsection (3) has
been attached to a disclosure of information made pursuant to subsection (2),
contravenes that condition, the person commits an offence and is liable—

   (a)  on conviction on indictment to a fine of $1000000 and to imprisonment
        for 2 years; or

   (b)  on summary conviction to a fine at level 6 and to imprisonment for 6
        months.

(7) If a person contravenes subsection (4), the person or, where the person is
a Scheme member, every director and every chief executive of the person,
commits an offence and is liable—

   (a)  on conviction on indictment to a fine of $1000000 and to imprisonment
        for 2 years; or

   (b)  on summary conviction to a fine at level 6 and to imprisonment for 6
        months.

(8) In this section, “specified person” (指明人士) means—

   (a)  any person who—

        (i)    is or has been— (A) a member of the Board; (B) a related
               person of the Board; or (C) a person employed by or assisting a
               related person of the Board; and

        (ii)   performs or has performed any function under this Ordinance; or

   (b)  the Monetary Authority, or a person appointed under section  5A (3) of
        the Exchange Fund Ordinance ( Cap 66) to assist the Monetary
        Authority. “specified person” (指明人士)