DOCUMENTI
INSTRUMENT AMENDING AND RESTATING THE TERMS GOVERNING
THE
"NEL NOME DELLA DONNA TRUST"
also known as the
"In The Name of
The Woman Trust"
THIS INSTRUMENT is
made the 14 day of november 2017,
BETWEEN:
1) GIOVANNA FOGLIA, bearer of Maltese passport numbered 1230251 and
residing at
C3003, Balluta Terrace, St Julian's Ramp, St Julian's STJ 1062, Malta
(hereinafter
the
"Trustee"); 2) FIORELLA CAGNONI, bearer of Italian passport numbered
YA1526609, MARIAGRAZIA PELLERINO, bearer of Italian passport numbered
YA9945650, SYLVIE COYAUD, bearer of French passport numbered 14DT10327,
LUCILLA PAGNANI, bearer of Italian passport numbered YA5001725, EMILIA
AMABILE COSTA, bearer of Italian passport numbered AA2095230, MADDALENA
CLAUDIA DEL RE, bearer of Italian passport numbered YA8090209, and
STEFANIA TOMASINI, bearer of Italian passport numbered
YA9051189(hereinafter together the "Protectors"); and
3) GIOVANNA
FOGLIA, bearer of Maltese passport numbered 1230251 and residing at
C3003,
Balluta Terrace, St Julian's Ramp, St Julian's STJ
1062, Malta
(hereinafter the "Settlor").
RECITALS
A. This instrument
(hereinafter the/this "Instrument") is supplementary to
the:
a) founding
instrument of the Trust called "Nel Nome della Donna Trust" (hereinafter the "Trust")
established on 1 July,
2004, between Giovanna Foglia (then Giovanna Foglia
Fonda but since divorced and no longer bearing the double surname
"Foglia Fonda" and accordingly referred to herein by her maiden and
current full name "Giovanna Foglia"),
Fiorella Cagnoni, Rosa Maria Lettieri and Serena Foglia Fonda as the
Settlors of the Trust on the one hand, and Baring Trustees (Guernsey)
Limited (later known as Northern Trust Fiduciary Services (Guernsey)
Limited) on the other (hereinafter the "First
Trustee of the Trust");
b)
instrument of Change of the Trust signed on 12 October, 2004, by the
First Trustee of theTrust in which the Trust rules were amended and
restated;
c) letter of
resignation from the office of Protector dated 11 February, 2011, by
virtue of which Laura Maltini Lepetit resigned as Protector of the
Trust;
d) instruments
dated 11 February, 2009, and 29 April, 2014, by virtue of which
Mariagrazia Pellerino, on the one hand, and Lucilla Pagnani and Emilia
Amabile Costa, on the other, were designated as the new Protectors of
the Trust, which office they hold from the respective dates mentioned
above;
e) letter dated 15
September, 2010, in which the office of trustee relating to the First
Trustee of the Trust was revoked by the Protectors and the new trustee
of the Trust, Studio ST Consulting s.r.l. with registered offices in
Milan in via Camperio 9, (hereinafter the
"Second
Trustee of the Trust"
was
appointed;
f) instrument of
Indemnity dated 9 December, 2010, between the First Trustee of the Trust
and the Second Trustee of the Trust;
g) instrument of
Rectification, Change and Resignation of 29 June, 2012, containing
14
november
important changes to the Trust and,
in particular, the removal of Rosa Maria Lettieri, the change to article
17 of the terms of the Trust instrument applicable at the time and the
replacement of the Fifth Schedule;
h) instrument
dated 9 July 2012 in which the Second Trustee of the Trust submitted its
resignation from the office of trustee of the Trust to the Protectors.
In the same instrument the Protectors appointed the company Southern
Italian Trust Company s.r.l. with registered offices in Lecce in via
Imbriani 24 as the new trustee of the Trust (hereinafter the "Third Trustee of
the Trust");
i) instrument
dated 27 June 2014, which restated the terms of the Trust (hereinafter
the "Current
Trust Instrument");
j) instrument
dated 9 November, 2017, by virtue of which: (i) the Settlors for the
time being (Giovanna Foglia and Fiorella Cagnoni) approved and recorded
their decision to appoint and designate the abovementioned Maddalena
Claudia del Re as Protector of the Trust
and to appoint Anna Leone, Azzurra Schirosi, Mariangela Bursomanno,
Paola Mastella and Nicoletta Potenza as the first members of the Board
of Force; (ii) Fiorella Cagnoni recorded her irrevocable decision to
relinquish her status as a settlor of the Trust; (iii) Giovanna Foglia,
in her resulting capacity as sole Settlor, recorded her decision to
appoint and designate Fiorella Cagnoni as a Protector of the Trust with
effect from the date of the said instrument;
k) letter dated ,
2017, by virtue of which the Third Trustee of the Trust formally
tendered its resignation from the office of trustee of the Trust to the
Protectors;
l) instrument of
appointment dated , 2017, by virtue of which: (i) the Protectors
appointed Giovanna Foglia as the new trustee of the Trust; (ii) Giovanna
Foglia accepted her appointment as trustee of the Trust; and (iii) the
Protectors approved and ratified, without reservation, the terms of the
instrument referred to above in paragraph (j).
B. Giovanna Foglia
is accordingly, as at the date hereof, the sole Settlor of the Trust and
the sole Trustee of the Trust.
C. Fiorella
Cagnoni, Mariagrazia Pellerino, Sylvie Coyaud, Lucilla Pagnani, Emilia
Amabile Costa, Stefania Tomasini and Maddalena Claudia del Re are, as at
the date hereof, the Protectors of the Trust.
D. Anna Leone,
Azzurra Schirosi, Mariangela Bursomanno, Paola Mastella and Nicoletta
Potenza are the first members of the Board of Force and they have
separately and respectively confirmed that they accept their appointment
as such.
E. According to
article 44 of the Current Trust Instrument, the Trustee may at any time
during the Trust Period and with the written consent of the Protectors,
amend, by instrument in writing, the provisions of the Current Trust
Instrument if she considers that the amendments are necessary to better
achieve the purpose of the Trust and in such circumstance may also
change the governing law of the Trust.
F. The current
governing law of the Trust is the law of Guernsey, Channel Islands.
G. The Trustee
wishes to change the governing law of the Trust to that of the Republic
of Malta insofar as no person involved with the Trust has any connection
whatsoever with Guernsey whilst she is a citizen of and resident in the
Republic of Malta and she has, accordingly, ready access to legal and
other professionals who may be called upon to assist as may be required
in connection with the Trust.
H. The Trustee
also wishes to streamline and ameliorate the terms and provisions
governing the Trust in terms of the Current Trust Instrument whilst
preserving the substance and effect of such terms and provisions to the
extent permissible in terms of the Trusts and Trustees Act, Chapter 331
of the laws of Malta (hereinafter the "Act"),
and any other applicable laws of the
Republic of Malta.
I. The Protectors
are also appearing on and executing this Instrument by way of
confirmation of their consent and approval of the change of the
governing law of the Trust to that of the Republic of Malta and of all
changes to the terms and provisions governing the Trust as shall be
restated hereunder.
J. The change of
the governing law of the Trust to that of the Republic of Malta and such
amendments to the Current Trust Instrument as are approved hereby (including
such amendments as are necessary for the purposes of ensuring the
validity of the Trust in terms of the laws of Malta) shall not affect
the continuity of the Trust which shall, notwithstanding such change and
amendments, remain extant for all intents and purposes.
K. This Instrument
is executed pursuant to article 44 of the Current Trust Instrument,
restates the terms upon which the Trust Assets shall be held by the
Trustee, and shall be deemed as superseding the terms of the Current
Trust Instrument - such that the terms and provisions
set out in this Instrument shall govern the Trust without prejudice to
the requirements of any applicable law.
NOW
THEREFORE, THIS INSTRUMENT WITNESSETH AS FOLLOWS:
ARTICLE 1 - CHARITABLE PURPOSE
OF THE TRUST
The Trust is
constituted for the advancement, protection and promotion of women,
women's rights and women's freedom
(hereinafter the "Charitable
Purpose").
The
Charitable Purpose may be implemented by: (i) the provision of support,
aid, facilities and anyother
assistance or resources to women's projects and to women generally
including by assisting
and financing such women's projects,
women's groups and women's associations; (ii) establishing and/or
supporting local information centres; (iii) funding projects for the
support, development, education and protection of women, including such
projects carried on or undertaken by other organisations; (iv)
establishing and/or supporting counselling centres; (v) establishing
and/or supporting centres for the provision of psychological support;
and (vi) establishing, maintaining and fostering relationships with
national and international organizations working for women's rights and
freedom. Achieving the Charitable Purpose will require volunteers and
funds which may be secured even by means of awareness-raising
initiatives.
ARTICLE 2 - DEFINITIONS AND
INTERPRETATION
2.1 In addition to
the capitalised terms defined in this Instrument, the following terms
shall have the following meanings respectively assigned to them:
"absence"
shall,
in relation to the person to whom or which it refers, mean and refer to:
a) the death of
that person; or
b) that
person's
renunciation of any position to which
the relevant provision refers; or
c) the incapacity of the holder of a function to which the provision
refers to exercise anysuch function, whether temporarily or permanently;
or
d) the physical absence of that person, whether permanently or
temporarily, from the
territory in which such person's presence may be required from time to
time in terms of
this Instrument; or
e) the loss of a function contemplated in this Instrument by the holder
thereof, whether such loss is due to the revocation of such function in
terms of this Instrument or otherwise.
"incapable"
and "incapacity"
shall
mean and include:
a) legal
incapacity to act; or
b) the need for a person to require the assistance of an administrator,
a curator, a trustee or any other person to carry out the relevant act
or to carry out the function to which the term refers; or
c) the incapacity, certified by a competent medical practitioner, of a
person to whom the term refers to carry out any act.
"person"
means
and includes natural persons, legal entities and any entity or body of
persons which, according to any applicable law, has legal capacity to
contract and to sue or be sued.
2.2 All words and
expressions defined in the course of this Instrument shall apply, unless
otherwise indicated, to all its provisions and to the acts that
constitute its execution or that are expressly linked to it.
2.3 Words
importing one gender shall include all other genders and words importing
the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.
2.4 The Recitals
to this Instrument shall be construed as constituting an integral part
of this Instrument.
ARTICLE 3 - THE SETTLOR
3.1 The term
"Settlor"
refers
to Giovanna Foglia, bearer of Maltese passport numbered 1230251
and residing at
C3003, Balluta
Terrace, St Julian's Ramp,
St Julian's STJ 1062, Malta.
3.2 Any reference
to the Settlor in this Instrument shall be disregarded:
a) should the
Settlor relinquish her status as such by instrument in writing delivered
to the Trustee and to the Protectors; or
b)
in the event
of the Settlor's incapacity.
In
the circumstances referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this article
3.2, any decision which the Settlor may be entitled or required to make
in terms of this Instrument shall be made by the Protectors and as
contemplated in any relevant provision of this Instrument.
ARTICLE 4 - THE TRUST, THE NAME
AND IRREVOCABILITY
4.1 The term
"Trust" shall refer to the trust arising and subsisting pursuant to the
terms and conditions set forth in this Instrument.
4.2 The Trust shall be
known as the "NEL NOME DELLA DONNA TRUST"
in Italian or the"IN
THE NAME OF THE WOMAN TRUST"
in English as the context may require.
Provided that when the Trust is referred to by its name in one language
(Italian or English) in writing or otherwise on any medium (including
any electronic medium), a reference shall also be made to the name of
the Trust in the other language.
4.3 The Trust is
constituted for an indefinite duration and is irrevocable.
ARTICLE 5 - THE TRUSTEE
5.1 The
term "Trustee"
shall
refer to any person who from time to time holds the office of trustee of
the Trust. In the event of several persons being appointed as Trustees,
the term "a
Trustee"
shall
refer to each of such Trustees.
5.2 Pursuant to
the abovementioned instrument of appointment dated , 2017, the current
Trustee is Giovanna Foglia, bearer of Maltese passport numbered 1230251
and
residing at C3003, Balluta Terrace, St Julian's Ramp, St Julian's STJ
1062, Malta.
Upon her appointment as aforesaid, the Trustee was not required to draw
up an inventory of Trust Assets.
ARTICLE 6 - THE PROTECTORS
6.1 The term "Protector"
identifies
and refers to each person holding the
office of Protector of the Trust in terms of this Instrument. In the
event that several Protectors are in office, the term "Protectors" shall
indicate such Protectors collectively.
6.2 The current
Protectors of the Trust are:
a) Fiorella
Cagnoni born in Milan on 4 December 1947;
b) Stefania Tomasini born in Gallarate on 13 March, 1968;
c) Maddalena Claudia del Re born in Rome on 18 December, 1966;
d) Mariagrazia Pellerino born in Turin on 20 August 1958;
e) Sylvie Coyaud born in Paris on 30 May 1944;
f) Lucilla Pagnani born in Rome on 14 May 1953; and
g) Emilia Amabile Costa born in Monza on 28 June 1950.
ARTICLE 7 - THE BOARD OF FORCE
7.1 The term "Board
of Force"
refers to the body of women appointed by the Settlor, if she is
alive
and capable, and otherwise by the Protectors.
7.2 The members of
the Board of Force shall be appointed from amongst women who:
a) have distinguished themselves in a particular specialisation or
aptitude; and
b) are willing to provide advice to the Trustee and the Protectors in
relation to their respective competences.
Any woman who
accepts an appointment as a member of the Board of Force shall
communicate her acceptance by notice in writing addressed and delivered
to the Trustee.
7.3 The current
members of the Board of Force are:
a) Anna Leone born
in Vieste on 11 May, 1969;
b) Azzurra Schirosi born in Mesagne on 8 July, 1976;
c) Mariangela Bursomanno born in San Cesario di Lecce on 10 February,
1980;
d) Paola Mastella born in Bassano Del Grappa on 8 March, 1981; and
e) Nicoletta Potenza born in Gagliano del Capo on 10 September, 1980.
7.4 The Board of
Force shall support the Protectors in the performance of their tasks,
and shall assist in securing the Charitable Purpose of the Trust when
required and in terms of the provisions of this Instrument.
ARTICLE 8 - PROJECTS
8.1 The term
"Project" refers to each initiative or the organization of any event
which the Trustee pursues in furtherance of the Charitable Purpose by
using or otherwise applying all or part of the Trust Assets.
8.2 The Settlor
and/or any Protector and/or any member of the Board of Force may make
recommendations to the Trustee as regards any new or existing Project
which may benefit from the Trust Assets or from additional Trust Assets
in furtherance of the Charitable Purpose.
8.3 Should any of
the persons referred to in the immediately preceding article 8.2 wish to
make a recommendation as referred to in the said article 8.2 in respect
of any new Project, any such person shall be required to prepare or
procure a feasibility study to enable the Trustee to evaluate the merits
of the recommendation. Any such feasibility study should at least
disclose and describe:
a) the financial
requirements of the proposed Project;
b) the Project implementation timeframe;
c) the expected date of commissioning of the Project; and
d) reporting terms and frequency.
Provided that the
Trustee shall be entitled, in its exclusive discretion, to dispense with
any feasibility study or to require any alternative (whether lesser or
greater) information in connection with a proposed Project.
8.4 The Trustee
shall keep separate records and accounts in respect of each Project.
Where an expense
is not directly attributable to a single Project, such expense shall be
apportioned amongst all the Projects benefitting therefrom in such
proportions to be determined by the Trustee and which, in its discretion,
best reflect the extent to which each relevant Project benefitted as
such.
8.5 The Trustee
shall use its best endeavours to ensure that the goals identified in
respect of each Project shall be effectively achieved
Provided that any
Trustee acting as such on a voluntary basis shall not be held to account
and shall have no liability for any perceived or actual failure or
default in terms of this article. A Trustee remunerated nominally and
whose expenses are reimbursed shall be deemed to be acting as such on a
voluntary basis.
8.6 If a Project
is not feasible:
a) due to
insufficiency of funds raised or otherwise comprised or available in the
Trust Assets;
b) because it is more effectively implemented by any other organisation;
or
c) for any other reason which, in the opinion of the Trustee, makes its
success impossible or improbable,
the Trustee, at
its own initiative, and possibly pursuant to a proposal of the Settlor
or of any Protector, shall allocate any funds which were initially
designated for application to the relevant Project to: (i) any other
Project; and/or (ii) to any initiative undertaken by another
organisation and which has, broadly, the same purposes of the said
relevant Project.
ARTICLE 9 - THE TRUST ASSETS
9.1 The term
"Trust Assets" refers to the capital and income held by the Trustee in
its capacity as such under trusts pursuant to the terms of this
Instrument and the Act and includes:
a) assets settled,
transferred or otherwise vested in the Trustee and accepted by it, in
its capacity as Trustee of the Trust, as an addition to the Trust
Assets;
b) assets pertaining to the Trustee and which it declares to be Trust
Assets;
c) income produced over time by the Trust Assets; and
d) the proceeds derived by the Trustee upon the disposal or other
alienation of any Trust Assets and any assets which represent the same.
9.2 In the absence
of specific limitations set forth in this Instrument and/or in any
applicable law, the Trustee shall have all the faculties and rights of
an owner of the Trust Assets.
Provided that the
Trustee shall use and apply the Trust Assets in the implementation of
Projects and generally in furtherance of the powers and in fulfilment of
the obligations
arising from this Instrument and/or from any applicable law.
9.3 Without
prejudice to the generality of the provisions of article 9.2, the
Trustee:
a) has authority
to institute and defend proceedings with respect to any of the Trust
Assets and may proceed to the determination of such proceedings or
compromise the same including as to costs at the expense of the Trust
Assets;
b) may appear in its capacity as Trustee before notaries, public
authorities and any other third parties;
c) may apply to the courts for directions as may be permitted in terms
of applicable law;
d) is the custodian of the Trust Assets and shall accordingly be bound
to safeguard and preserve the Trust Assets;
e) shall hold legal title of the Trust Assets and, where appropriate,
shall be entrusted with the possession thereof; and
f) shall, to the extent that the nature of any Trust Assets permit so,
ensure that the value of such Trust Assets is preserved over time.
Provided that the
Trustee may transfer any Trust Assets to any other trustee or fiduciary
companies or professional financial intermediaries, or wholly owned
subsidiaries of the Trustee in the case of a corporate Trustee and the
Trustee may deposit assets and documents with banks and professional
custodians which undertake to take custody of the same.
Provided further
that the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss or depreciation in
value or loss of profits howsoever caused which may be suffered in
respect of the Trust Assets, unless such loss or depreciation in value
or loss of profit is caused by fraud, wilful misconduct or gross
negligence attributable to the Trustee.
9.4 The Trust
Assets are separate from the wealth and patrimony of the Trustee, cannot
be attacked by its personal creditors and, if a Trustee is a natural
person, do not form part of any patrimonial regime resulting from
marriage or part of her inheritance.
A Trustee shall
accordingly keep the Trust Assets separate and distinctly identifiable
from its own assets and from any other assets for which it acts as
trustee in terms of a separate trust. Moreover, a Trustee shall:
f) in the case of
assets which may or should be registered in any public or private
register, request the registration of such assets in its name acting as
Trustee of the Trust or in any another manner which confirms that the
Trustee holds the relevant assets in its capacity as Trustee of the
Trust;
g) deposit all financial instruments comprised in the Trust Assets in
accounts which shall be opened and maintained by the Trustee in its name
and in its capacity as Trustee of the Trust; and
h) take any other appropriate measure in order to formalise the
inclusion of any other property appertaining to the Trust as part of the
Trust Assets.
9.5 The Trustee
shall safeguard and secure the integrity of the Trust Assets and shall
not take or otherwise derive any personal benefit (whether directly or
indirectly via intermediaries by way of commissions or otherwise) from
its office, save for any remuneration which the Trustee may be entitled
to receive pursuant to article 22.1 of this Instrument.
9.6 Without
prejudice to the generality of the immediately preceding article 9.5 and
article 11.2, the Trustee shall not: (i) procure or allow any other
person to directly or indirectly derive any personal profit from the
Trust or from the office of the Trustee outside the scope of the
Charitable Purpose; and (ii) perform any transaction with or otherwise
apply the Trust Assets in any manner which may give rise to personal
benefit outside the scope of the Charitable Purpose.
9.7 When
circumstances so require, and upon obtaining any approvals and/or
opinions, proposals or recommendations as may be prescribed by this
Instrument, the Trustee may transfer a portion of the Trust Assets which
had been originally budgeted for use or application in a Project to any
other Project/s.
9.8 The Trustee,
in the case of continuing Projects, shall in its absolute discretion,
budget and reserve a portion of the Trust Assets for eventual allocation
or application for the benefit of each such continuing Project, taking
into consideration any recommendations provided to it by the Settlor
and/or the Protectors, and shall use any such reserve in favour of the
designated Projects.
ARTICLE 10 -
DONATIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE TRUST ASSETS
10.1 The Trustee
may accept, as additions to the Trust Assets, additional money,
investments or other property or assets, of whatever nature and wherever
situated, as may from time to time be donated inter vivos or bequeathed
causa mortis. Such additional money, investments or other property or
assets shall, subject to any contrary direction and subject to the
provisions of the following article 10.2, be held upon the trusts and
with and subject to the powers and provisions of this Instrument.
10.2 Any person
who donates or bequeaths to the Trust any additional money, investments
or other property or assets as referred to in the immediately
preceding article 10.1, shall be entitled to propose to or otherwise
direct the Trustee that such property be applied for the benefit
of a specified Project in existence and active at the time and,
generally, to impose any condition upon the Trustee for the use and
application of such additional money, investments or other property or
assets. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Trustee shall be entitled to
decline any additional money, investments or other property or assets
should any proposal, direction or condition made in terms of this
article be deemed unacceptable.
ARTICLE 11 - CONFLICT
OF INTEREST
11.1 Save as
otherwise provided in this Instrument in relation to any specific
transaction or transactions, any decision concerning the use and
application of any part or all of the Trust Assets shall be taken at the
sole discretion of the Trustee.
Provided that the
Trustee may not proceed with any operation or transaction related to the
Trust Assets which may give rise to a conflict of interest except with
the prior written approval of the Protectors and after having heard the
opinion of the Board of Force.
Provided further
that for so long as Giovanna Foglia is a Trustee, she shall not be
deemed to have any conflict of interest in relation to any Project.
11.2 The Trustee
shall, with the consent in writing of the Protectors, be entitled to do
anything contemplated in the provisions of Article 21(3) of the Act.
ARTICLE 12 -
DEVOLUTION OF THE TRUST ASSETS
12.1 Should the
Settlor, the Trustee and the Protectors (acting in terms of article 31.2
hereunder) and a majority of persons for the time being members of the
Board of Force agree that, in their considered opinion, it is no longer
possible to pursue or to achieve the Charitable Purpose by means of the
Trust or that a more suitable legal form or arrangement should be
established for the pursuit and achievement of the Charitable Purpose,
the Trust Assets shall be: (i) allocated and applied by the Trustee
proportionally to each Project supported at that time by the Trust; (ii)
and/or assigned gratuitously to any such legal form or arrangement
established for the pursuit and achievement of the Charitable Purpose; (iii)
and/or assigned gratuitously to entities or non-profit organisations
having objectives similar to the Charitable Purpose.
Provided that the
Trustee shall only allocate, apply and/or assign Trust Assets in the
circumstances set out in this article after:
a) having considered any proposals of the Settlor; and
b) having obtained the opinion of the Protectors; or
c) having considered the proposals of the Board of Force should the
Protectors not be in a position to provide any opinion in this respect.
12.2 The Trustee
shall do anything which may be necessary and/or required for the
purposes of validly allocating, applying and/or assigning the Trust
Assets in terms of the immediately preceding article 12.1 and completing
any processes and formalities as may be prescribed by applicable law
with a view to making such allocations, application and/or assignments
legally enforceable against third parties.
ARTICLE 13 - THE
GOVERNING LAW
13.1 The governing
law of the Trust is the law of the Republic of Malta.
13.2 The Trustee
may, for the sole purpose of ensuring a more effective pursuit of the
Charitable Purpose of the Trust, and having obtained the prior written
consent of the Protectors:
a) substitute the governing law of the Trust with another; and
b) change any provision of this Instrument which would not be valid or
whose interpretation or effects would vary according to the new
governing law and change this Instrument as necessary for its effects to
remain as far as possible the same in terms of the new governing law.
13.3 Any dispute
relating to the establishment, validity or the effects of the Trust or
its administration or the rights or obligations of any person mentioned
in this Instrument shall be referred to the jurisdiction of the courts
of the Republic of Malta.
13.4 In the event
of any inconsistency arising in the interpretation of the terms
governing the Trust as set out in this Instrument, the English language
version of this Instrument shall take precedence over any translation of
this Instrument into the Italian language or any other language from
time to time.
13.5
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary expressed or implied in any
other provision of this Instrument, none of the provisions, powers,
discretions or authorities conferred by this Instrument shall at any
time be exercisable in such a manner as to infringe any provision of the
laws of the Republic of Malta, and in the event that any such provision,
power, discretion or authority shall not be valid in terms of the said
law, the same shall, insofar as it is capable in terms of law of being
separated and severed, be so severed and separated from the remaining
provisions of this Instrument and shall not affect the validity of the
Trust or of the other provisions of this Instrument.
ARTICLE 14 - POWERS
AND THEIR EXERCISE, WAIVER OF A POWER
14.1 All powers
related to the functions of Trustee, Protectors or the Board of Force
are fiduciary powers.
14.2 The holder of
a fiduciary power:
a) shall, when called upon to exercise the same in terms of this
Instrument or any applicable law, exercise the power with absolute
discretion according to the circumstances, provided that it has obtained
any consents and/or opinions required by this Instrument and it is in
the exclusive general interest of the Charitable Purpose;
b) is not required to communicate to anyone the reasons justifying or
underlying the exercise of the power, provided however that any decision
taken in the course of the exercise of any such power shall be recorded
by it; and
c) unless this Instrument provides otherwise, may exercise the relevant
power on such occasion or occasions as may be deemed necessary from time
to time and/or may declare, by authenticated instrument to the subject
recipient of any communication, that it waives the exercise of the
relevant power and such declaration shall be effective and binding only
upon the person entitled to exercise such fiduciary power and shall not
be binding on subsequent holders of such power.
ARTICLE 15 -
DIRECTIONS IN EXERCISING FIDUCIARY POWERS
Whenever this
Instrument obliges any person to follow the directions which another
person may give concerning the method, timing and object of an exercise
of a fiduciary power or the fulfilment of an obligation, it shall be
relieved from liability for having followed any such directions, unless
the person receiving such directions had or should have had, using due
diligence, knowledge of facts which contradicted or otherwise attested
to the incorrectness of such directions, or should any such liability
arise due to the fraud, wilful misconduct or gross negligence of the
person receiving such directions.
ARTICLE 16 - IMPROPER
EXERCISE OF A FIDUCIARY POWER
Save as may
otherwise be provided by any applicable law (including in particular,
any statutory protection of a third party contracting in good faith),
acts carried out in the exercise of a fiduciary power which is not
within the competence of the person who acted, and acts carried out in
the exercise of a fiduciary power in violation of any provision of this
Instrument, are invalid, are not enforceable against any person who may
be entitled to set aside any such acts, and their effects shall be
reversed to the status quo ante by the person who carried out such acts.
ARTICLE 17 - FORM OF
ACTS AND METHOD OF COMMUNICATION
17.1 Every
manifestation or communication of the intention of the Trustee is valid
only if made in writing. For the avoidance of doubt, electronic forms of
communication shall be valid for the purposes of this Instrument.
17.2 Any
communication which may be required to be made or given by this
Instrument shall be sent to the relevant recipient in a manner that
ensures the provision by the recipient to the sender of proof of receipt
of the relevant communication.
17.3 In the event
that any applicable law prescribes any particular or specific form,
authentication or other formality for the purposes of the Trustee
formalising, executing and completing any act pursuant to this
Instrument, the Trustee shall ensure that any such form, authentication
or other formality is satisfied and complied with by the Trustee.
ARTICLE 18 -
REVOCABLE ACTS
Any act of the
Trustee shall, unless the Trustee specifies otherwise or unless
otherwise prescribed in terms of any applicable law, be presumed to have
been carried out on the basis that it may be revocable.
ARTICLE 19 -
DELEGATION OF POWERS
The Trustee shall
have power, but with the prior approval of the Protectors, to delegate
to any person (including in cases where there is more than one (1)
Trustee, to any one (1) of the Trustees) at any time for any period and
in any manner (including without prejudice to the generality of the
foregoing by power of attorney) and upon any terms whatsoever, all or
any of the powers or discretions, whether dispositive, administrative or
otherwise imposed on or given to the Trustee pursuant to this Instrument
or by applicable law or otherwise (including the management and
administration of this Trust) without being liable for any loss to the
Trust Assets arising from the acts or defaults of any such person.
Provided that in
delegating any powers or discretions as aforesaid, the Trustee shall not:
(i) authorise the appointed person to sub-delegate any powers or
discretions; (ii) provide for any
limitation of the
appointeeÕs liability in the course of any such appointment; (iii)
permit the
relevant appointee to act in the
event of the said appointee having any conflict of interest.
ARTICLE 20 -
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY OF THE TRUSTEE
20.1 A Trustee is
not liable for any loss caused to the Trust Assets as a consequence of
its acts or omissions unless these derive from its fraud or wilful
misconduct or gross negligence.
20.2 If the
Trustee, in good faith and without neglect, makes a delegation or an
appointment in accordance with the provisions of article 19 of this
Instrument, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss arising to the
Trust in consequence thereof.
20.3 Any liability
arising under or in connection with the Trust is limited to and can be
enforced limitedly against the Trustee in respect of its role as trustee
of the Trust and only to the extent to which it can be satisfied out of
property of the Trust Assets.
The Trustee shall
be indemnified out of the Trust Assets for such liabilities (including
any tax liabilities) as well as any damages, claims, actions, suits or
proceedings (civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, investigative
or other, including appeals), including, withoutlimitation, legal fees,
costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other
liabilities whatsoever, suffered or incurred by the Trustee in
connection with or as a result of its acting as Trustee of the Trust
except where any of the foregoing is attributable to any fraud, wilful
misconduct or gross negligence on the part of the Trustee or, in the
case of a corporate Trustee, any of its directors, officers or employees.
20.4 No party may
sue the Trustee in any capacity other than as trustee of the Trust.
20.5 No party
shall have recourse against any personal assets of the Trustee, or, in
the case of a corporate Trustee, of its directors, officers or employees,
and/or any assets of the Trustee held by the Trustee as trustee of other
trusts and/or any assets of the Trustee held by the Trustee for the
benefit or on behalf of third parties.
20.6 In the
exercise of the powers herein contained, the Trustee shall not be under
any duty to see that the value of the Trust Assets or any part or parts
thereof is enhanced in any way nor shall the Trustee be liable for any
failure in that respect whatsoever.
20.7 Nothing shall
imply in any manner whatsoever any breach of trust or improper
performance or failure by the Trustee to perform its obligations in
terms of this Instrument or any applicable law, to the extent that one
or more of the following circumstances prevents or
limits the
Trustee's performance
of its obligations:
(i) the Trustee is
dependent on receiving consent or advice from any Protectors and/or the
Board of Force
in terms of this Instrument, and despite the
Trustee's reasonable efforts
to do so, the Trustee shall have
either not received such consent or advice, or have received the same in
an incomplete, ambiguous or incomprehensible state or format, or
received the same subsequent to the lapse of any applicable statutory or
other deadline, or received the same at a time when it was reasonably
not possible for the Trustee to comply with any applicable statutory or
other deadline; or
(ii) the Trustee
is not in possession of sufficient funds to enable the Trustee to effect
any reasonable payment due to any person providing services.
ARTICLE 21 -
MANAGERIAL POWERS OF THE TRUSTEE
21.1 The Trustee
may, subject to any other provision of this Instrument, after having
obtained the consent of the Protectors and after having heard the
opinion of the Board of Force:
a) borrow money by
way of loan;
b) charge, pledge, hypothecate or loan Trust Assets;
c) dispose of any immovable property or any rights thereon comprised in
the Trust Assets and which may be registered or otherwise require
registration in any public registers in the jurisdiction in which such
immovable property is situated.
21.2 The Trustee
shall be entitled to invest or to procure the investment of any monies
comprised in the Trust Assets. The Trustee shall appoint any investment
advisors and/or managers for the purposes. Provided that any investment
of Trust Assets shall be made within the scope and parameters of any
investment strategy, profile and restrictions set by the Settlor and
communicated to the Trustee in writing. Provided further that no
deviation shall be permitted from any such investment strategy, profile
and restrictions set by the Settlor except with the written consent of
the Settlor. Provided moreover that should the Settlor be absent or
otherwise incapable of giving her consent to any deviation from any such
investment strategy, profile and restrictions as aforesaid, the Trustee
may apply to the competent court in the Republic of Malta and in terms
of the Act for authorisation to implement and execute any such proposed
deviation.
21.3 The Trustee
shall be entitled to engage executors, accountants, advocates, notaries,
attorneys, stockbrokers, market makers, investment managers, brokers,
agents, property agents and any other any person/s providing
professional services in Malta and in any other country to provide
advice or any such professional services to the Trustee in connection
with the performance of any obligations of the Trustee as are referred
to in this Instrument and any applicable laws in Malta or elsewhere. The
Trustee shall be entitled to rely on the advice of any such person and
to debit the Trust Assets in settlement of all and any fees and expenses
incurred in connection with any professional services procured by the
Trustee in terms of this clause.
ARTICLE 22 -
REMUNERATION AND COSTS OF THE TRUSTEE
22.1 For so long
as Giovanna Foglia is a Trustee, she shall not be entitled to receive
any remuneration for her services rendered as such. Any other Trustee
who may from time to time be appointed as such pursuant to this
Instrument may be entitled to receive remuneration for services rendered
as such to the Trust and as may be approved by the
Protectors.
22.2 The Trustee
may use the income generated by the Trust Assets and, if insufficient,
the capital comprised in the Trust Assets:
a) to support the
operating and management costs of the Trust; and
b) to meet any legitimate expenses and liabilities of the Trust.
The costs
attributable to the Trust shall include any remuneration and expenses as
may be payable to any professional or other third party as may from time
to time be appointed by the Trustee pursuant to this Instrument, and the
costs of any legal proceedings in which the Trustee may be involved,
unless the competent court provides otherwise.
ARTICLE 23 -
REPORTING
23.1 The Trustee
shall keep and maintain accurate accounts and documentation and records
in respect of the Trust and, specifically, in relation to each
transaction and act relating to each Project.
Without prejudice
to the requirement of any applicable law, such accounts may include a
balance sheet, a capital account, an income account, and such notes and
schedules as are considered appropriate by the Trustee (such as
statements of accounting policies, an inventory of assets comprised in
the Trust Assets, a schedule of investments and distributions, and cash
accounts, administration expenses and their apportionment between income
and capital accounts). Unless mandated in terms of applicable law, the
Trustee shall have the absolute discretion and the power to cause the
accounts of this Trust to be audited annually or at such intervals as
the Trustee deems fit by such professional accountant or accountants as
the Trustee may appoint for the purpose. Such accounts shall be
deposited at such address as the Trustee may from time to time designate
for such purposes and communicated to the Settlor and the Protectors.
23.2 Without
prejudice to the requirement of any applicable law, the Trustee shall
provide the Settlor and Protectors with a report on the performance of
the Trust and each Project:
a) annually within
30 (thirty) days of the end of each calendar year;
b) whenever it considers it necessary;
c) when the Protectors request so.
Provided that for
so long as Giovanna Foglia is a Trustee she shall not be required to
prepare any report whatsoever except when the Protectors request the
same.
23.3 The annual
report referred to in paragraph (a) of the immediately preceding article
23.2 shall: (i) set out and describe the general criteria on the basis
of which such report is prepared; (ii) describe the main events which
occurred during the relevant period in respect of which the annual
report is prepared and, specifically, those events which had an economic
and financial impact on the Trust; (iii) describe the criteria adopted
and applied by the Trustee for the purposes of valuing the Trust Assets;
(iv) provide information in relation to each Project and any reserves or
amounts set aside or otherwise budgeted by the Trustee for the purposes
of each Project during the relevant period; (v) provide a statement of
reconciliation between the operating result and the fiscal income with
an indication of the taxable income of the Trust; (vi) provide a
statement of changes in the capital comprised in the Trust during the
relevant calendar year; (vii) set out the
TrusteeÕs
conclusions in respect of the
relevant calendar year in respect of which the annual report has been
prepared as well as strategies proposed for implementation during the
following calendar year; and (viii) be approved by the Protectors.
ARTICLE 24 -
SUCCESSION IN THE OFFICE OF TRUSTEE
24.1 New or
additional Trustees shall be appointed by the Protectors by instrument
in writing.
24.2 Trustees,
whether present or future, shall remain in office until resignation,
removal, or:
a) in the case of
a natural person, until death or incapacity of the Trustee to act as
such or until such person has attained eighty (80) years of age,
whichever occurs the earliest; or
b) in the case of a legal entity, until the commencement of any
insolvency, liquidation or similar proceedings or until such time as the
Trustee shall no longer be authorised by any competent authority to act
as such.
24.3 The
resignation of a Trustee shall become effective on the lapse of thirty
(30) days following receipt by the Protectors of a written notification
of such resignation or until the appointment of a new Trustee to replace
the outgoing Trustee should any such appointment take place prior to the
lapse of the aforementioned period of thirty (30) days.
Provided that, in
the case of the resignation of a sole Trustee, the outgoing Trustee
shall remain responsible and liable to provide services as such in terms
of this Instrument until such time as the Trust Assets shall have been
properly vested in a new Trustee and all duties and responsibilities
under this Instrument shall have been assumed by the new Trustee.
24.4 A Trustee may
be removed by the Protectors at any time by instrument in writing with
effect on and from the date on which the outgoing Trustee shall receive
written notice of its removal. Provided that, in the case of the removal
of a sole Trustee, the outgoing Trustee shall remain responsible and
liable to provide services as such in terms of this Instrument until
such time as the Trust Assets shall have been properly vested in a new
Trustee and all duties and responsibilities under this Instrument shall
have been assumed by the new Trustee.
24.5 A new Trustee
shall accept its appointment as such:
a) if the Trust
Assets include immovable property, by virtue of a public deed duly
published by a notary public or any other equivalent instrument duly
executed and/or published by a competent officer or official as may be
prescribed in the jurisdiction in which any such immovable property is
situated;
b) if the Trust Assets do not include immovable property, by virtue of a
written acceptance without any other formalities being required for such
purposes unless otherwise prescribed by virtue of applicable law.
24.6 Any
appointment, resignation or removal of a Trustee shall be noted in the
"Book of Events" by the new or remaining Trustee/s.
24.7 If the
Protectors fail to appoint a Trustee within thirty (30) days following
the resignation or removal of a sole or the last remaining Trustee, the
Protectors shall refer the matter to the Chairman of the Society of
Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) in Malta who shall be requested to
recommend the appointment of a new Trustee to the Protectors who shall,
in turn, be bound to accept the aforementioned recommendation and shall
proceed with formalising the appointment of the recommended new Trustee.
ARTICLE 25 -
TRANSFER
OF TRUST ASSETS IN CASE OF CHANGE OF TRUSTEE
25.1 An outgoing
Trustee loses any rights over the Trust Assets and shall promptly
transfer and vest the Trust Assets in the name and under the control of
the new Trustee (should the outgoing Trustee be the sole Trustee at the
time) or any one (1) or more or all of the Trustees remaining in office
as Trustees of this Trust (should the outgoing Trustee not be the sole
Trustee), as the case may be.
25.2 Without
prejudice to the generality of the provisions of the immediately
preceding article
25.1, the outgoing
Trustee:
a) shall transfer
and deliver to the new or remaining Trustee/s (as the case may be) all
Trust Assets, the Book of Events and all documents pertaining to the
Trust and the Trust Assets which may be in the possession of the
outgoing Trustee;
b) shall do anything which may be necessary and/or required without
delay to allow the new or remaining Trustee/s to exercise the rights of
Trustee in relation to the Trust Assets;
c) shall provide all information that the new or remaining Trustee/s may
request or require and generally shall do any acts or things as may be
necessary for vesting the Trust Assets in the new or remaining Trustee/s
and to fulfil the obligations relating to their office;
d) may make and retain copies of documents handed over to the new or
remaining Trustee/s as aforesaid, but only for the purposes of retaining
such records for use in the event of any legal proceedings being
instituted against the outgoing Trustee in his capacity as such.
25.3 Any
obligations incurred or assumed by the outgoing Trustee, acting in its
capacity as trustee of the Trust, towards third parties shall be taken
over and assumed by the new or remaining Trustee/s, and the outgoing
Trustee and the new or remaining Trustee/s shall do anything that may be
necessary and/or required for the purposes of formalising the same. The
outgoing Trustee shall be released from liability for any act or
omission in relation to the Trust Assets or its duty as a trustee,
except in respect of actions arising from breach of trust to which the
outgoing Trustee was a party or to which it was privy.
Provided that the
outgoing Trustee shall continue to be liable for the recovery from such
outgoing Trustee of any Trust Assets or the proceeds thereof in the
possession of the outgoing
Trustee or converted to
the outgoing Trustee's own use or not surrendered as required
pursuant to
this Instrument and any applicable law.
ARTICLE 26 -
ADMINISTRATION OFFICES
26.1 The
administration of the Trust shall be carried out from C3003, Balluta
Terrace, St Julian's Ramp, St Julian's STJ 1062, Malta, and/or from any
other location as may from time to time be designated by the Trustee
appointed at the time. All accounts, reports, instruments or other
documents which the Trustee shall be required to prepare, keep or
otherwise maintain pursuant to this Instrument shall be kept at C3003,
Balluta Terrace, St JulianÕs
Ramp, St Julian's STJ 1062, Malta, or at any other location as
may from
time to time be designated by the Trustee appointed at the time.
26.2 The Trustee
may at any time change the address referred to in the preceding article
26.1 by instrument in writing, which shall be notified to the Protectors
and to the Board of Force.
ARTICLE 27 - THE BOOK
OF EVENTS
27.1 The Trustee
shall maintain and update
a "Book of Events"
in which the
Trustee shall record every event that this Instrument may prescribe to
be recorded and every other event which the Trustee may deem appropriate
to record from time to time.
27.2 The Trustee
is also required to record in the Book of Events the details and content
of acts for which any authenticated or public form is prescribed in this
Instrument or by virtue of applicable law, or which the Trustee
otherwise considers appropriate to register, publish or authenticate.
27.3 Any
interested third party who deals with the Trustee in its capacity as
Trustee of the Trust shall be entitled to fully rely upon the contents
of the Book of Events, which shall be made available by the Trustee to
the relevant third party upon request.
ARTICLE 28 - TRUSTEE
RESOLUTIONS AND MEETINGS
28.1 Where two (2)
or more persons (whether individuals and/or legal entities) are Trustees,
every decision, resolution or exercise of a power or discretion required
to be or capable of being made by the Trustees shall be validly made if
it is approved by a majority of the Trustees, and any document or other
instrument executed in pursuance of any such decision, resolution or
exercise shall have binding legal effect (as if executed by all Trustees)
if it shall be executed by a majority in number of the Trustees.
Any one (1) of the
Trustees may convene a meeting of the Trustees with reasonable notice
being given to all other Trustees. The Trustees may meet in any
appropriate form or forum and including, without limitation, by means of
telephone or video conferencing or by such other similar means of
communication allowing, in either case, all the Trustees participating
in the meeting to hear and speak to each other. Where meetings of the
Trustees are held by telephone or video conference or by such other
similar means of communication as aforesaid such that the Trustees are
not present together in the same place, the chairwoman of the meeting
shall, in such cases, first verify the identity of the participating
Trustees, and shall make a record of such verification once he is
satisfied of the identity thereof. The chairperson of any meeting of the
Trustees shall be the longest serving Trustee at the time of the meeting
or, in its absence, any one (1) of the Trustees as may be appointed by
the Trustees for such purposes.
28.2 The
chairwoman of a meeting of the Trustees shall cause minutes of all
proceedings of such meeting to be entered in the Book of Events,
including details of the Trustees in attendance at the relevant meeting,
matters discussed during the meeting, resolutions approved or rejected
at the meeting, and opinions or dissent expressed by any Trustee during
the meeting.
28.3 Where there
is more than one (1) Trustee, all Trustees shall participate and
cooperate in the performance or implementation of any resolution
approved by the Trustees in terms of the provisions of article 28.1,
notwithstanding that any such resolution is approved by a majority of
the Trustees. Should a Trustee fail to participate and cooperate with
the other Trustees as aforesaid, the said defaulting Trustee shall
resign from his office as such by instrument in writing which shall be
delivered by the defaulting Trustee to the other Trustees and to the
Protectors. Should the defaulting Trustee fail to resign from its office
as aforesaid and persists in its failure to participate and cooperate
with the other Trustees, the Protectors shall remove the relevant
Trustee in terms of article 24.4 of this Instrument.
ARTICLE 29 - THE
PROTECTORS
29.1 There shall
at all times be a minimum of three (3) female Protectors in office at
any given time.
29.2 A Protector:
a) may be
appointed at any time by instrument in writing by the Settlor or, in her
absence, by the Protectors;
b) shall be required to identify another woman, whether a member of the
Board of Force or otherwise, as her successor in the event of and upon
her demise, provided that if a Protector fails
to choose her successor as aforesaid or if her chosen successor declines
the proposed appointment, her successor shall be unanimously appointed
by the other remaining Protectors;
c) may be removed by the Settlor or, in her absence, by the Protectors,
the
removal of a Protector as aforesaid shall take effect on and from the
date of delivery to the outgoing Protector of a written notice of
removal;
d) may be appointed as Trustee, whereupon the said Protector shall
immediately resign from her office as Protector.
29.3 If a member
of the Board of Force is appointed as a Protector, the relevant member
of the Board of Force shall immediately tender her resignation from the
Board of Force or shall otherwise be removed from the Board of Force.
29.4 The
Protectors are not liable with respect to the Trust other than for their
fraud or wilful misconduct or gross negligence.
29.5 The
Protectors shall:
a) monitor and
supervise the work of the Trustee with a view to ensuring that the
Trustee acts in furtherance of the Charitable Purpose of the Trust and
in the most efficient manner possible;
b) determine the remuneration of any Trustee from time to time;
c) provide their approval or consent as may be required in terms of this
Instrument;
d) ascertain the incapacity of the Trustee to act under this Instrument;
e) formulate opinions (in relation to the approval or rejection of a
proposed action or exercise of a discretion by the Trustee) when
required by this Instrument; and
f) otherwise carry out any other obligation or function as may be
prescribed pursuant to this Instrument.
29.6 The
Protectors shall also be required to monitor the Projects and the
Protectors shall be entitled to engage any person or persons (including
from amongst themselves) to monitor one (1) or more of the Projects and
to report any findings in writing to the Settlor, the Trustee and the
Protectors.
Any such person or
persons engaged by the Protectors may be remunerated by the Trustee out
of the Trust Assets as may be directed by the Protectors. Provided that:
a) the extent of any such remuneration payable shall be reasonable and
shall be subject to
the Trustee's prior
approval;
b)
should the extent of any such remuneration payable be deemed to be
excessive by the Trustee, the Trustee shall refer the matter to the
Protectors and the Protectors shall seek to find a compromise but shall
ultimately be entitled to confirm or cancel the relevant engagement
whether with or without the approval of the Trustee.
29.7 The
Protectors may express an opinion in relation to any activity of the
Trust, even if such opinion has not been requested by the Trustee.
29.8 In the event
that the Trustee requests the Protectors'
opinion,
any such opinion shall be provided within any period which the Trustee
may set and prescribe for such purposes but in any case not earlier than
three (3) days and no later than fifteen (15) days (excluding public
holidays in Malta) following the relative request of the Trustee.
29.9 The
Protectors shall be entitled to take legal action against any Trustee in
case of any breach of its obligation or in case of breach of the
governing law of the Trust or of any other law which may be applicable
to a specific act of the Trustee.
ARTICLE 30 -
REMUNERATION OF THE PROTECTORS
30.1 The
Protectors are not entitled to receive any remuneration for the work
performed by them in such capacity.
30.2 The costs
incurred by the Protectors in the fulfilment of their duties shall be
borne by the Trust provided that the Trustee considers them to be (in
its reasonable opinion) adequatelyjustified and documented by any
Protectors seeking reimbursement.
ARTICLE 31 -
RESOLUTIONS OF THE PROTECTORS
31.1 The
Protectors may, at their discretion, take into account the opinion of
the Board of Force on any matter which may from time to time require the
consideration, opinion or approval of the Protectors pursuant to this
Instrument.
31.2 The
Protectors must do everything possible to ensure that their decisions
are taken unanimously. The Board of Force shall promote and facilitate
discussion among the Protectors in order for the same to unanimously
approve their decisions. If, notwithstanding the best efforts of the
Board of Force, the Protectors shall fail to achieve unanimity in their
decisions for any reason whatsoever (including as a result of the
absence or unavailability of any Protector at the time), any matter
requiring the approval of the Protectors shall be decided by a majority
of the Protectors available at the time. In the event of an equality of
votes, the matter shall be conclusively determined by the Trustee in its
sole discretion.
For the avoidance
of any doubt, the absence or other unavailability of one or more
Protectors shall not invalidate a decision of the majority of the other
Protectors. Provided that a matter shall only be approved by the
Protectors if it is considered by at least three (3) Protectors and
approved by two (2) of them. If any matter cannot be considered by at
least three (3) Protectors owning to the absence and/or unavailability
of Protectors, the matter shall be deemed to have been decided in the
negative.
ARTICLE 32 -
SUCCESSION IN THE OFFICE OF PROTECTOR
32.1 A Protector
remains in office until resignation, removal, death, incapacity to act
or until such time as the Trust terminates in terms of applicable law.
32.2 A resigning
Protector shall deliver notice in writing of her resignation to the
Trustee. The resignation of a Protector shall become effective upon
receipt by the Trustee of the aforementioned notice of resignation.
32.3 Additional or
substitute Protectors may be appointed at any time in accordance with
the provisions contained in this Instrument. The appointment of any
Protector may be subject to such a term and/or to conditions as may be
prescribed by the Settlor or the Protector/s appointing such Protector
in terms of this Instrument as the case may be.
32.4 A newly
appointed Protector shall notify the Settlor, the Trustee, the
Protectors and the Board of Force of her acceptance of such appointment
by notice in writing.
32.5 The Trustee,
the Settlor, the Protectors and the Board of Force shall be immediately
notified in writing of any removal or appointment of a Protector by the
subject exercising such power.
ARTICLE 33 -
THE
BOARD OF FORCE
33.1 The Board of
Force shall at all times consist of a minimum of three (3) and a maximum
of nine (9) members, all being women, and always in an odd number.
33.2 The members
of the Board of Force:
a) shall remain in
office for five (5) years;
b) shall be appointed in the month of December of the year immediately
preceding the beginning of each five-year term which shall commence with
effect on and from the following 1st
January;
c) may be re-elected following the expiration of each five-year term;
d) may be removed at any time by the Settlor if she is alive and capable
and otherwise by the Protectors.
33.3 The Board of
Force may meet whenever it deems fit, and shall be required to meet
whenever the Trustee or the Protectors request so by any means and even
with very short notice, depending on the circumstances.
33.4 The eldest
member of the Board of Force or, in her absence, any member of the Board
of Force as may be designated by the Board of Force, shall:
a) chair meetings
of the Board of Force;
b) cause minutes of all proceedings of the Board of Force to be entered
in a register of the Board of Force, including details of the members in
attendance at meetings, matters discussed during such meetings,
resolutions approved or rejected at such meetings, and opinions or
dissent expressed by any member of the Board of Force during such
meeting;
c) cause a record to be made in the register of the Board of Force of
any opinions given by the Board of Force as may be required pursuant to
this Instrument or of any action which the Board of Force may be
required to take in terms of applicable law;
d) ensure an effective communication of any opinion or decision of the
Board of Force to the Trustee or to any other person as may be required
pursuant to this Instrument and in terms of applicable law.
33.5 The Board of
Force shall provide its advice to the Trustee and the Protectors as may
be required from time to time and:
a) shall give its
opinion to the Trustee and the Protectors in the circumstances provided
for by this Instrument or as the Board of Force may otherwise deem in
necessary in fulfilment of its obligations at law;
b) shall chronologically record every opinion referred to in the
immediately preceding paragraph (a) in the register of the Board of
Force. A member of the Board of Force who does not agree with the
opinion of a majority of the Board of Force shall be entitled to procure
that a record of her dissent be made in the register of the Board of
Force;
c) shall mediate and may ultimately settle a matter as contemplated in
article 31.2 above;
d) provides assurance that the Charitable Purpose of the Trust is being
carried out by supporting the Protectors in their task of verifying that
the Trustee fulfils her duties and exercises her powers within the
limits imposed by this Instrument or applicable law in order to ensure
the effective pursuit of the Charitable Purpose for which the Trust was
established.
ARTICLE 34 -
CONFIDENTIALITY
34.1 All documents
and information relating to the Trust shall be confidential, unless
their disclosure is required in order to:
a) comply with any
obligations which may be prescribed in terms of applicable law;
b) obtain benefits of any kind provided that the same are for the
exclusive benefit of the Trust or any Project.
34.2 The Trustee,
Protectors and members of the Board of Force shall not disclose or
discuss any document or information concerning or related to the Trust
to anyone, unless:
a) any such
disclosure or discussion is permitted by a provision of this Instrument
or is otherwise required by applicable law; or
b) an order to that effect is issued by any competent supervisory bodies,
courts, tribunals or authorities; or
c) the Trustee considers it necessary for the purposes of: (i)
exercising any power or discretion pursuant to this Instrument; (ii)
fulfilling an obligation in relation to the Trust;






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