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27 1965

SUCCESSION ACT, 1965

PART III

Executors and Administrators

Summons to executor to prove or renounce.

[1537 (c. 18)]

16. —The High Court shall have power to summon any person named as executor in a will to prove or renounce probate.

Cesser of right of executor to prove.

[1857 (c. 79) s. 84; 1859 (c. 31) s. 12]

17. —Where a person appointed executor by a will—

(a) survives the testator but dies without having taken out probate, or

(b) is cited to take out probate and does not appear to the citation, or

(c) renounces probate,

his rights in respect of the executorship shall wholly cease, and the representation to the testator and the administration of his estate shall devolve and be committed in like manner as if that person had not been appointed executor.

Withdrawal of renunciation.

[New]

18. —(1) Where an executor who has renounced probate has been permitted, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, to withdraw the renunciation and prove the will, the probate shall take effect and be deemed always to have taken effect without prejudice to the previous acts and dealings of and notices to any other personal representative who has previously taken out representation, and a memorandum of the subsequent probate shall be endorsed on the original grant.

(2) This section applies whether the testator died before or after the commencement of this Act.

Death of sole or last surviving executor.

[New]

19. —(1) Where the sole or last surviving executor of a testator dies after the commencement of this Act, the executor of such executor shall not be the executor of that testator.

(2) This section applies whether the testator died before or after the commencement of this Act.

Right of proving executors to exercise powers.

[Cf. 1959 (No. 8) s. 18 (2)]

20. —(1) Where probate is granted to one or some of two or more persons named as executors, whether or not power is reserved to the other or others to prove, all the powers which are by this Act or otherwise by law conferred on the personal representative may be exercised by the proving executor or executors or the survivor or survivors of them and shall be as effectual as if all the persons named as executors had concurred therein.

(2) This section applies whether the testator died before or after the commencement of this Act.

Executor not to act while administration is in force.

[1857 (c. 79) s. 80]

21. —Where administration has been granted in respect of the estate, or any part of the estate, of a deceased person, no person shall have power to bring any action or otherwise act as executor of the deceased person in respect of the estate comprised in or affected by the grant until the grant has been recalled or revoked or has expired.

Protection of persons acting on probate or administration.

[1857 (c. 79) ss. 82, 83]

22. —(1) Every person making or permitting to be made any payment or disposition in good faith under a representation shall be indemnified and protected in so doing, notwithstanding any defect or circumstance whatsoever affecting the validity of the representation.

(2) Where a representation is revoked, all payments and dispositions made in good faith to a personal representative under the representation before the revocation thereof are a valid discharge to the person making the same; and the personal representative who acted under the revoked representation may retain and reimburse himself in respect of any payments or dispositions made by him which the person to whom representation is afterwards granted might have properly made.

Liability of person fraudulently obtaining or retaining estate of deceased.

[1634 (sess. 3. c. 10)]

23. —(1) If any person, to the defrauding of creditors or without full valuable consideration, obtains, receives or holds any part of the estate of a deceased person or effects the release of any debt or liability due to the estate of the deceased, he shall be charged as executor in his own wrong to the extent of the estate received or coming to his hands, or the debt or liability released, after deducting—

(a) any debt for valuable consideration and without fraud due to him from the deceased person at the time of his death; and

(b) any payment made by him which might properly be made by a personal representative.

(2) In this section, “full valuable consideration” means such valuable consideration as amounts or approximates to the value of that for which it is given.

Liability of estate of personal representative.

[1695 (c. 6) s. 11]

24. —Where a person as personal representative of a deceased person (including an executor in his own wrong) wastes or converts to his own use any part of the estate of the deceased, and dies, his personal representative shall to the extent of the available assets of the defaulter be liable and chargeable in respect of such waste or conversion in the same manner as the defaulter would have been if living.

Validity of conveyance not affected by revocation of representation.

[New]

25. —(1) All conveyances of any estate or interest in the estate of a deceased person made to a purchaser either before or after the commencement of this Act by a person to whom representation has been granted are valid, notwithstanding any subsequent revocation or variation, either before or after the commencement of this Act, of the grant.

(2) This section takes effect without prejudice to any order of the court made before the commencement of this Act, and applies whether the deceased died before or after such commencement.