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翻译:新引渡法引发担忧,香港大亨开始将资产转移到海外 战友之声翻译组:文缘

Exclusive: Hong Kong Tycoons Start Moving Assets Offshore as Fears Rise Over New Extradition Law

翻译:新引渡法引发担忧,香港大亨开始将资产转移到海外

By Reuters 路透社 June 14, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/06/14/world/asia/14reuters-hongkong-extradition-capitalflight-exclusive.html?register=email&auth=register-email&login=email&auth=login-email&login=email&auth=login-email

战友之声翻译组:文缘

HONG KONG — Some Hong Kong tycoons have started moving personal wealth offshore as concern deepens over a local government plan to allow extraditions of suspects to face trial in China for the first time, according to financial advisers, bankers and lawyers familiar with such transactions.

香港——出于对本地政府计划首次允许引渡嫌犯到中国受审的极度担忧,根据熟悉此类交易的金融顾问、银行家和律师的意见,一些香港大亨已经开始将个人财富进行转移至海外。

One tycoon, who considers himself potentially politically exposed, has started shifting more than $100 million from a local Citibank account to a Citibank account in Singapore, according to an adviser involved in the transactions.

据参与交易的一名顾问透露,一名认为自己有潜在政治风险的大亨,已开始将逾1亿美元从花旗银行的一个本地账户转移至花旗银行在新加坡的一个账户。

"It's started. We're hearing others are doing it, too, but no-one is going to go on parade that they are leaving," the adviser said. "The fear is that the bar is coming right down on Beijing's ability to get your assets in Hong Kong. Singapore is the favored destination."

“这已经开始了。我们听说其他人也在这么做,但是没有人会高调炫耀他们要离开,”这位顾问说。“人们担心的是,北京方面在香港获得资产的能力正受到影响。新加坡是最受青睐的目的地。”

Hong Kong and Singapore compete fiercely to be considered Asia's premier financial center. The riches held by Hong Kong's tycoons have until now made the city the larger base for private wealth, boasting 853 individuals worth more than $100 million - just over double the number in Singapore - according to a 2018 report from Credit Suisse.

香港和新加坡在谁是亚洲首要金融中心上竞争激烈。瑞士信贷(Credit Suisse) 2018年的一份报告显示,迄今为止,香港大亨们所持有的财富使这座城市成为私人财富的更大基地,此地坐拥853名个人资产超过1亿美元富豪,该数字是新加坡的两倍多一点。

The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or traveling through the city, has sparked unusually broad concern it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status.

引渡法案将涵盖香港居民、在香港居住或旅行的外籍和中国公民。该法案引发了人们超乎寻常的广泛关注,担心它可能威胁到支撑香港国际金融地位的法治。

Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, has stood by the bill, saying it is necessary to plug loopholes that allow criminals wanted on the mainland to use the city as a haven. She has said the courts would safeguard human rights.

有北京做后台的香港领导人林郑月娥支持该法案,并表示(现有法律)允许被大陆通缉的嫌犯将香港当作避风港,有必要堵住这个漏洞。她曾表示,法院将捍卫人权。

Protests and violence forced an initial legislative debate to be shelved last Wednesday and it is unclear when they would resume to pass the bill.

抗议和暴力活动迫使最初的立法辩论于上周三被搁置,目前尚不清楚他们何时将恢复通过该法案。

Professor Simon Young, of the University of Hong Kong's law school, told Reuters that it was understandable that some Hong Kong residents might be considering moving assets out of the city given the little-noticed financial reach of the bill.

香港大学法学院教授杨艾文(Simon Young)对路透社(Reuters)表示,考虑到该法案鲜为人知的财务影响,一些香港居民可能正在考虑将资产迁出香港,这是可以理解的。

If the bill becomes law, it will be possible for mainland Chinese courts to request Hong Kong courts to freeze and confiscate assets related to crimes committed on the mainland, beyond an existing provision covering the proceeds of drug offences.

如果该法案成为法律,中国内地法院将有可能要求香港法院冻结和没收与内地犯罪有关的资产,这超出了现有毒品犯罪所得的条款。

"This has been largely overlooked in the public debate but it is really a significant part of the proposed amendments," Young said. "It may not have been overlooked, of course, by the tycoons and those giving them legal advice."

“这在公众辩论中很大程度上被忽视了,但它确实是拟议修正案的重要组成部分,”杨说。“当然了,大亨们和那些为他们提供法律咨询的人不太可能忽视这一点。”

SINGAPORE SHIFT

转向新加坡

The head of the private banking operations of an international bank in Hong Kong, who declined to be named, said clients have been moving money out of Hong Kong to Singapore.

一位拒绝透漏姓名的、香港国际银行私人银行业务负责人表示,客户一直在将资金从香港转移到新加坡。

"These aren't mainland Chinese clients who might be politically exposed, but wealthy Hong Kong clients," the banker said. "The situation in Hong Kong is out of control. They can't believe that Carrie Lam or Beijing leaders are so stupid that they don't realize the economic damage from this."

“这些客户不是可能被政治曝光的中国内地客户,而是富裕的香港客户”,这位银行人士说。“香港局势已经失控。他们不相信林郑月娥或北京领导人竟然会如此愚蠢透顶,以至于他们没有意识到由此带来的经济损失。”

A Hong Kong government spokesman did not directly address Reuters' questions over capital flight, but said Hong Kong's "world class financial infrastructure" and open, international market had a regulatory regime "completely compatible with that of overseas markets".

一位港府发言人没有直接回答《路透社》有关资本外逃的问题,但他表示,香港“世界级的金融基础设施”和开放的国际市场拥有“与海外市场完全相容”的监管制度。

The amendments seek to simplify case-by-case extraditions to jurisdictions, including mainland China, beyond the 20 with which Hong Kong already has extradition treaties.

修正案旨在简化对包括中国大陆在内的司法管辖区的逐案引渡,而不仅限于香港已经与之签订引渡条约的20个管辖区。

As well as removing an explicit block on extraditions to mainland China in the current Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, the amendments also remove the restrictions on the mainland from the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, known as the MLAO.

除了取消现行《逃犯条例》明确禁止向内地引渡罪犯限制外,修正案亦取消了《刑事事宜相互法律协助条例》(简称《司法协助条例》)对内地的限制。

According a recent Hong Kong Bar Association study, the MLAO allows foreign jurisdictions to ask Hong Kong authorities to gather evidence for use outside the city "and to render other forms of assistance, such as freezing and confiscating the assets of persons wanted for crimes in other jurisdictions".

根据香港大律师公会(Hong Kong Bar Association)最近的一项研究,《司法协助条例》(MLAO)允许外国司法管辖区要求香港当局收集证据,以便在香港以外地区使用,“并提供其他形式的协助,例如冻结和没收因在其他司法管辖区犯罪而被通缉人士的资产”。

Search, seizure and confiscation can involve cases with a penalty of two years in prison or more, compared with the threshold of seven years for extraditions under the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, the submission notes. Requests can also be made at the investigative rather than prosecution stage.

提交的意见书指出,搜查、扣押和充公的案件可判处两年或以上监禁,双向对比下,《逃犯条例》规定引渡门槛则是七年。请求也可以在调查阶段而不是起诉阶段提出。

The association notes that the mutual legal assistance amendments would "significantly strengthen the impact of the amended Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in relation to criminal prosecutions on the mainland".

该协会指出,司法协助条例修正案将“大大加强经修订的《逃犯条例》对内地刑事诉讼的影响力”。

The Hong Kong government spokesman noted that any external confiscation order had to be registered in a Hong Kong court and could be challenged. It had to meet a "double criminality" standard, whereby it had to be based on conduct that was also a crime in Hong Kong.

香港政府发言人指出,任何外来充公令必须在香港法院登记,并可能受到质疑。它必须符合“双重犯罪”的标准,根据这一标准,它必须以在香港也被认为是犯罪为基础。

"The rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people and foreigners in Hong Kong, including their assets, are fully protected by the Basic Law," the spokesman added, referring to Hong Kong's mini-constitution.

“香港人和在香港的外国人的权利和自由,包括他们的资产,都受到《基本法》的充分保护,” 发言人补充说,这指的是香港的小宪法。

Prominent commercial lawyer Kevin Yam said he was aware of high net-worth Hong Kong figures taking steps to move assets to Singapore as they matured or market conditions proved favorable.

知名商业律师任建峰 (Kevin Yam)表示,他知道高净值香港人士正在采取措施,在资产成熟或市场环境有利时将资产转移到新加坡。

"At this point I would say it is a steady trickle rather than stampede but is most definitely happening," he said.

“在这一点上我想说,它是一条绵绵不尽的涓涓细流而不是狂潮,但肯定是正在发生着,”他说。

Three other private bankers said they had received inquiries from clients about the impact of the bill, but had not yet seen the funds move.

其他三位私人银行家说,他们也收到客户询问有关该法案的影响,但是还没有看到有资金转移。

Yam said few expected the bill to be widely exploited by Beijing overnight if passed, but it was creating a climate of deep unease, with the fear it could be used more liberally in coming years.

任建峰表示,如果该法案获得通过,几乎没有人预计北京方面会在一夜之间对其加以广泛利用,但它正在制造一种深深的不安气氛,人们担心未来几年该法案可能会得到更随意使用。

"It is great for Singapore," he said. "And such an own goal for Hong Kong."

“这对新加坡很好,”他说。“这是香港的一个乌龙球。”

(Reporting by Greg Torode; Additional reporting by James Pomfret and Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by Jennifer Hughes and Alex Richardson)

(报道:Greg Torode; 补充报道:James Pomfret和Sumeet Chatterjee; 编辑:Jennifer Hughes和Alex Richardson)

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