Article 19
Liability discharge
1.
A depositary's liability under the second subparagraph of Article 24(1) of Directive 2009/65/EC shall not be triggered provided the depositary can prove that all the following conditions are met:
(a)
the event which led to the loss is not the result of any act or omission of the depositary or of a third party to whom the safekeeping of financial instruments held in custody in accordance with point (a) of Article 22(5) of Directive 2009/65/EC has been delegated;
(b)
the depositary could not have reasonably prevented the occurrence of the event which led to the loss despite adopting all precautions incumbent on a diligent depositary as reflected in common industry practice;
(c)
the depositary could not have prevented the loss despite rigorous and comprehensive due diligence as documented by:
(i)
establishing, implementing, applying and maintaining structures and procedures and insuring expertise that are adequate and proportionate to the nature and complexity of the assets of the UCITS in order to identify in a timely manner and monitor on an ongoing basis external events which may result in loss of a financial instrument held in custody;
(ii)
assessing on an ongoing basis whether any of the events identified under point (i) presents a significant risk of loss of a financial instrument held in custody;
(iii)
informing the management company or the investment company of the significant risks identified and taking appropriate actions, if any, to prevent or mitigate the loss of financial instruments held in custody, where actual or potential external events have been identified which are believed to present a significant risk of loss of a financial instrument held in custody.
2.
The requirements referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 may be deemed to be fulfilled in the following circumstances:
(a)
natural events beyond human control or influence;
(b)
the adoption of any law, decree, regulation, decision or order by any government or governmental body, including any court or tribunal, which impacts the financial instruments held in custody;
(c)
war, riots or other major upheavals.
3.
The requirements referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 shall not be deemed to be fulfilled in cases such as an accounting error, operational failure, fraud, failure to apply the segregation requirements at the level of the depositary or a third party to whom the safekeeping of financial instruments held in custody in accordance with point (a) of Article 22(5) of Directive 2009/65/EC has been delegated.