Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

2172.   Power of appointing new or additional trustees

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    (1)   Where a trustee, either original or substituted, and whether appointed by a Court or otherwise, is dead, or remains out of Saint Lucia for more than 12 months, or desires to be discharged from all or any of the trusts or powers reposed in or conferred on him or her, or refuses or is unfit to act therein, or is incapable of acting therein, or is a minor, then subject to the restrictions imposed by this Part on the number of trustees—

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      (a)     the person or persons nominated for the purpose of appointing new trustees by the instrument, if any, creating the trust; or

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      (b)     if there is no such person, or no such person able and willing to act, then the surviving or continuing trustees or trustee for the time being, or the personal representative of the last surviving or continuing trustee,

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    may, by writing, appoint one or more other persons (whether or not being the person exercising the power) to be a trustee or trustees in the place of the trustee so deceased, remaining out of Saint Lucia, desiring to be discharged, refusing, or being unfit or being incapable, or being a minor, as aforesaid.

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    (2)   Where a trustee has been removed under a power contained in the instrument creating the trust, a new trustee or new trustees may be appointed in the place of the trustee who is removed, as if he or she were dead, or, in the case of a corporation, as if the corporation desired to be discharged from the trust, and the provisions of this article shall apply accordingly, but subject to the restrictions imposed by this Part on the number of trustees.

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    (3)   Where a corporation being a trustee is or has been dissolved either before or after the commencement of this Part, then, for the purposes of this article and of any enactment replaced thereby, the corporation shall be deemed to be and to have been from the date of the dissolution incapable of acting in the trust or powers reposed in or conferred on the corporation.

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    (4)   The power of appointment given by paragraph (1) of this article to the personal representatives of a last surviving or continuing trustee shall be and shall be deemed always to have been exercisable by the executors for the time being (whether original or by representation) of such surviving or continuing trustee who have proved the will of their testator or by the administrators for the time being of such trustee without the concurrence of any executor who has renounced or has not proved.

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    (5)   But a sole or last surviving executor intending to renounce, or all the executors where they all intend to renounce, shall have and shall be deemed always to have had power, at any time before renouncing probate, to exercise the power of appointment given by this article, if willing to act for that purpose and without thereby accepting the office of executor.

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    (6)   Where a sole trustee, other than a trust corporation, is or has been originally appointed to act in a trust, or where, in the case of any trust there are not more than 3 trustees (none of them being a trust corporation) either original or substituted and whether appointed by the Court or otherwise, then and in any such case—

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      (a)     the person or persons nominated for the purpose of appointing new trustees by the instrument, if any, creating the trust; or

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      (b)     if there is no such person, or no such person able and willing to act, then the trustee or trustees for the time being,

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    may, by writing, appoint another person or other persons to be an additional trustee or additional trustees, but it shall not be obligatory to appoint any additional trustee unless the instrument, if any, creating the trust or any law provides to the contrary, nor shall the number of trustees be increased beyond four by virtue of any such appointment.

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    (7)   Every new trustee appointed under this article as well before as after all the trust property becomes by law or by assurance or otherwise vested in him, shall have the same powers, authorities and discretions, and may in all respects act as if he or she had been originally appointed a trustee by the instrument, if any, creating the trust.

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    (8)   The provisions of this article relating to a trustee who is dead include the case of a person nominated trustee in a will but dying before the testator, and those relative to a continuing trustee include a refusing or retiring trustee, if willing to act in the execution of the provisions of this article.

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    (9)   Where a person of unsound mind, being a trustee, is also entitled in possession to some beneficial interest in the trust property, no appointment of a new trustee in his or her place shall be made by the continuing trustees or trustee, under this article, unless leave has been given by the Court to make the appointment.