摘要(Abstract):
信用证的议付问题虽然在《跟单信用证统一惯例》(UCP500)中有所规 定,但是并不全面和具体,实践中往往存在对诸如议付的构成、议付行与受益人、议付行 与开证行之间的关系等产生误解。本文结合UCP500的规定对议付信用证的意义与法律 特点、主要当事人的权利义务、议付与出口押汇的异同、议付信用证的主要风险及其防范 等作了系统研究。
关键词(KeyWords): 议付;议付信用证;风险
Abstract:
Keywords:
基金项目(Foundation):
作者(Author): 李金泽
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参考文献(References):
- ①自由议付信用证中通常有如下条款:“We hereby agree with the drawers, endorsers a n d bona fi de holders of thedraft(s) drawn under and in compliance with the draft(s) shall be duly honored on due presentation and deliveryof documents as here in specified."
- ②在英文本的UCP500中的定义为:" Negotiation means the giving of value for Draft (s) and/or document (s ) by the bankauthorized to negotiate. Mere examination of the documents without giving of value does not constitute a negotiation." See UCP500, Article 10, B (ii ).
- ①See the ICC's Commission on Banking Technique and Practice: Position Paper No 2.
- ②"We told the banks if you want to classify yourself as a negotiating bank, if you want to have the rights and protectionsunder the laws of the respective countries as a negotiating hank, you must do something more than examine documents.You must buy those documents, you must purchase those documents, you must give value for those documents, you mustbecome a holder in due course, and we believe that indeed constitutes negotiation in most jurisdictions.. So we put intothe rules a general definition of what negotiation is, since the UCP cannot legislate, we could not put In any legal in-terpretation of what negotiation means. We left that up to the individual countries... to define by their standards and bytheir laws what is' giving of value' ". See Documentary Credit Insight, Winter 1995, Vol. 1, No 1, p. 4.
- ③Bills of Exchange Act 1882 s. 27 (1 ).
- ④这主要反映在有关“指定人”(Nominated person)的有关条款中,
- ⑤该部分内容提及了给付对价(give value)的用语,但是没有明确界定其含义。
- ⑥Flagship Cruises Ltd v. New England Merchants National Bank of Boston,569 F2d 699 (Ist Cir. 1978).
- ⑦Paris National Bank,Inc. v. Shin Han International Inc. 96 Da 43713 (Aug. 29, 1997) Supreme Court Second Division of Korea
- ⑧"undertaking an absolute obligation without any condition for definite payment to the beneficiary on a particular date."
- ①参见《最高人民法院公报》1998年第1期。
- ②Watson ,Finance of International Trade,6th Edition,Instiute of Financial Services /Chartered Instiute of Bankers,pp.232,234.
- ③Article 13 of UCP 500.
- ①在限制议付信用证的议付实践中,时有发生非指定银行充任所谓的议付行的情形,这就是局外议付的问题
- ②信用证关系中的当事人有开证申请人、开证行、通知行(或转递行)、受益人、保兑行、付款行、承兑行、议付行、偿 付行等。这些当事人身份可能重合。鉴于议付信用证的独特性,本文只介绍议付信用证的主要当事人的权利与义 务。
- ③通常是开证行,如果有保兑行时,也有以保兑行为偿付行的。鉴于此,下文的讨论中,仅以开证行为例来探讨。
- ④关于开证申请人与其它当事人之间的关系本文不作探讨,因为该层关系与普通信用证下的关系并无明显区别。
- ① UCP500第10条规定:单据必须交给开证行或保兑行(如有)或其他任何指定银行。
- ② 国内有人认为议付行不具有谨慎审核单据的义务,如有学者在评论新疆高级人民法院审理的中国银行新疆分行诉新兴公司信用证交易纠纷案时有此主张。
- ③UCP500,Article 14
- ④UCP500,Article9.
- ⑤这种结论也有一定的法律理论基础,后文有详细分析。
- ① 我国内地《票据法》第65条规定。
- ①将信用证项下的跟单汇票区别于票据法上的汇票也是有一定的根据的,因为票据法所要求的汇票成立要件必须 是“无条件支付一定金额之委托”。我国《票据法》、澳门《商法典》等均有此要求。
- ② 如 Drawn under credit No. 1147 against shipment of cotton piece goods.
- ③作为单据的所有人──受益人(出口商)在出售单据时,有义务担保其出售的权利上无暇疵。
- ④UCP500第14条Ⅱ项。
- ① 有主张将出口押汇与议付等同对待。参见郑顺炎:《信用证结算纠纷》,载《金融法苑》1998年第7期。
- ① 这在我国表现尤为突出,因为现有的法制对信用证有关的法律关系缺乏权威性法律文件的规定,而国家外汇管制严格,信用证的独立性往往受到来自国家政策或者司法裁量的干预。
- ①所谓信用证软条款,是指开证申请人在注明为不可撤销的信用证中规定的若干赋予开证申请人或开证行单方面随时解除付款责任主动权的条款。由于这类条款的存在,使得表面为不可撤销的信用证变成了变相的可撤销信 用证。
- ②国内外已经有不少此类成功的案例。