EX-8.2 3 ea150340ex8-2_puyiinc.htm OPINION OF ETR LAW FIRM REGARDING CERTAIN PRC LEGAL MATTERS

Exhibit 8.2

 

Opinion of ETR Law Firm regarding certain PRC legal matters

 

  

 

29&11&10/F, Chow Tai Fook Finance Centre, NO.6 Zhujiang Dong Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.

P.C:510623; Tel:(86 20) 37181333; Fax:(86 20) 37181388   

Website:www.etrlawfirm.com

 

Date: November 15, 2021

 

To: Puyi Inc.

42/F, Pearl River Tower

No. 15 Zhujiang West Road

Guangzhou, Guangdong 510623

People’s Republic of China

 

Re:Legal Opinion on Certain PRC Legal Matters

 

Dear Sirs/Madams,

 

We are lawyers qualified in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC” or “China”, which, for purposes of this opinion only, does not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region or Taiwan) and as such are qualified to issue this opinion on the laws and regulations of the PRC effective as of the date hereof.

 

We act as the PRC counsel to Puyi Inc. (the “Company”), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in connection with the proposed offering (the “Offering”) of a certain number of ordinary shares (including in the form of American Depositary Shares, or the ADSs), preferred shares, warrants to purchase ordinary shares, debt securities, subscription rights to purchase ordinary shares, and units consisting of a combination of the foregoing securities of the Company, as set forth in the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3, including a base prospectus, and the prospectus supplement, including any amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) in relation to the Offering.

 

A. Documents and Assumptions

 

In rendering this opinion, we have carried out due diligence, and reviewed and examined copies of the Registration Statement, and other documents as we have considered necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion, including but not limited to the originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the documents provided to us by the Company and the PRC Companies (as defined below) and such other documents, corporate records and certificates issued by the Governmental Agencies (collectively, the “Documents”). Where certain facts were not independently established and verified by us, we have relied upon certificates or statements issued or made by competent Governmental Agencies (as defined below) or appropriate representatives of the Company or the PRC Companies.

 

In rendering this opinion, we have made the following assumptions (the “Assumptions”):

 

(i)all signatures, seals and chops are genuine, each signature on behalf of a party thereto is that of a person duly authorized by such party to execute the same, all Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic, and all Documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the originals;

 

 

 

(ii)each of the parties to the Documents, other than the PRC Companies, (a) if a legal person or other entity, is duly organized and validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and/or incorporation; or (b) if an individual, has full capacity for civil conduct; each of them, other than the PRC Companies, has full power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its, her or his obligations under the Documents to which it, she or he is a party, and, if a legal person or other entity, in accordance with the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and/or incorporation or the laws that it is subject to;

 

(iii)unless otherwise indicated in the Documents, the Documents that were presented to us remain in full force and effect on the date of this opinion and have not been revoked, amended or supplemented, and no amendments, revisions, supplements, modifications or other changes have been made, and no revocation or termination has occurred, with respect to any of the Documents after they were submitted to us for the purposes of this opinion;

 

(iv)the laws of jurisdictions other than the PRC which may be applicable to the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Documents are complied with;

 

(v)all factual statements made to us by the Company and the PRC Companies in connection with this opinion are true, correct and complete;

 

(vi)all the explanations and interpretations provided by the officers of Governmental Agencies duly reflect the official position of the Governmental Agencies, and all the factual statements provided by the Company and PRC Companies, including but not limited to the statements set forth in the Documents, are complete, true and correct; and

 

(vii)all Governmental Authorizations (as defined below) and other official statements and documentation obtained by the Company or any PRC Company from any Governmental Agency have been obtained by lawful means in due course, and the Documents provided to us conform with those documents submitted to Governmental Agencies for such purposes.

 

B. Definitions

 

In addition to the terms defined in the context of this opinion, the following capitalized terms used in this opinion shall have the meanings ascribed to them as follows.

 

“Puyi Consulting” means Puyi Enterprises Management Consulting Co., Ltd. (普益企业管理咨询有限公司)
   
“Puyi Bohui” means Chengdu Puyi Bohui Information Technology Co., Ltd. (成都普益博汇信息技术有限公司).
   
“Governmental Agency” means any national, provincial or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, agency or commission in the PRC, or any court, tribunal or any other judicial or arbitral body in the PRC, or any body exercising, or entitled to exercise, any administrative, judicial, legislative, law enforcement, regulatory, or taxing authority or power of a similar nature in the PRC.
   
“Governmental Authorization” means any license, approval, consent, waiver, order, sanction, certificate, authorization, filing, declaration, disclosure, registration, exemption, permission, endorsement, annual inspection, clearance, qualification, or permit by, from or with any Governmental Agency pursuant to any PRC Laws.
   
“Individual Shareholders” means Mr. Yu Haifeng and Ms. Yang Yuanfen, who collectively hold 100% of equity interests in Puyi Bohui.

 

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“M&A Rules” means the Provisions on Merging and Acquiring Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, which was promulgated by six Governmental Agencies, namely, the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), and the SAFE, on August 8, 2006 and became effective on September 8, 2006, as amended by the Ministry of Commerce on June 22, 2009.
   
“PRC Companies” means, collectively, all entities listed in Appendix A hereof, and each, a “PRC Company”.
   
“PRC Laws” means all applicable national, provincial and local laws, regulations, rules, notices, orders, decrees and judicial interpretations of the PRC currently in effect and publicly available on the date of this opinion.
   
“VIE Agreements” means the documents as set forth in Appendix B hereto.

 

C. Opinions

 

Based on our review of the Documents and subject to the Assumptions and the Qualifications, we are of the opinion that, as of the date hereof, so far as PRC Laws are concerned:

 

(i)VIE Structure. The ownership structure of the PRC Companies as set forth in the Registration Statement, do not and will not, immediately after giving effect to the Offering, result in any violation of applicable PRC Laws. Each of Puyi Consulting, Puyi Bohui, and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, the Individual Shareholders has the power, authority and legal right to enter into, execute, deliver and perform its, his or her respective obligations under each VIE Agreement to which it, he or she is a party. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, each VIE Agreement constitutes valid, legal and binding obligations enforceable against each of Puyi Consulting, Puyi Bohui and the Individual Shareholders to which it, he or she is a party in accordance with its terms. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, none of Puyi Consulting, Puyi Bohui and the Individual Shareholders is in breach or default in the performance or observance of any of the terms or provisions of the VIE Agreements to which it, he or she is a party.

 

Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the due execution, delivery and performance of each VIE Agreement by the parties thereto and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereunder do not, as to each of the PRC Companies that is a party to such VIE Agreement:

 

(a) result in any violation of the business license, articles of association, approval certificate or other constitutional documents (if any) of such PRC Company; or (b) result in any violation of applicable PRC Laws. No Governmental Authorizations are required under PRC Laws in connection with the due execution, delivery or performance of each of the VIE Agreements; provided, however, any exercise by Puyi Consulting of its rights under the relevant Option Agreements will be subject to: (a) the Governmental Authorizations for the resulting equity transfer;

 

(b) the exercise price for equity transfer under the VIE Agreements in accordance with PRC Laws; and

 

(c) completion of tax filing under applicable PRC Laws;

 

There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC Laws and future PRC laws and regulations, and there can be no assurance that the Governmental Agencies will take a view that is not contrary to or otherwise different from our opinion stated above;

 

(ii)Taxation. The statements made in the Registration Statement under the caption “Taxation,” “Our Company—Impact of Taxation on Dividends” and elsewhere, with respect to the PRC tax laws and regulations or interpretations, constitute true and accurate descriptions of the matters described therein in all material respects and such statements constitute our opinion;

 

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(iii)M&A Rules. Based on our understanding of the explicit provisions under the PRC Laws, we are of the opinion that the China Securities Regulatory Commission’s approval is not required to be obtained for the Offering or the listing, because (i) the CSRC has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether the Offering is subject to the M&A Rules as of the date hereof; (ii) Puyi Consulting is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise which was initially established by means of direct investment and not through mergers or acquisitions of the equity or assets of a “PRC domestic company” as such term is defined under the M&A Rules; and (iii) no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the contractual arrangements under the VIE Agreements as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules;

 

(iv)Enforceability of Civil Procedures. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of written arrangement with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against a company or its directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC Laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or the Cayman Islands; and

 

(v)PRC Laws. All statements set forth in the Registration Statement under the captions “About this Prospectus”, “Our Company”, “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in each case insofar as such statements describe or summarize PRC legal or regulatory matters, are true and accurate in all material respects, and are fairly disclosed and correctly set forth therein, and nothing has been omitted from such statements which would make the same misleading;

 

D. Qualifications

 

Our opinion expressed above is subject to the following qualifications (the “Qualifications”):

 

(i)Our opinion is limited to PRC Laws of general application on the date hereof. We have made no investigation of, and do not express or imply any views on, the laws of any jurisdiction other than the PRC, and we have assumed that no such other laws would affect our opinions expressed above;

 

(ii)There is no guarantee that any of the PRC Laws referred to herein, or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, will not be changed, amended or revoked in the future with or without retrospective effect;

 

(iii)Our opinion is subject to (a) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws in the PRC affecting creditors’ rights generally, and (b) possible judicial or administrative actions or any PRC Laws affecting creditors’ rights;

 

(iv)Our opinion is subject to the effects of (a) certain legal or statutory principles affecting the enforceability of contractual rights generally under the concepts of public interests, social ethics, national security, good faith, fair dealing, and applicable statutes of limitation; (b) any circumstance in connection with the formulation, execution or performance of any legal documents that would be deemed materially mistaken, clearly unconscionable, fraudulent, coercionary or concealing illegal intentions with a lawful form; (c) judicial discretion with respect to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, remedies or defenses, or the calculation of damages; and (d) the discretion of any competent PRC legislative, administrative or judicial bodies in exercising their authority in the PRC;

 

(v)This opinion is issued based on our understanding of PRC Laws. For matters not explicitly provided under PRC Laws, the interpretation, implementation and application of the specific requirements under PRC Laws, as well as their application to and effect on the legality, binding effect and enforceability of certain contracts, are subject to the final discretion of competent PRC legislative, administrative and judicial authorities. Under PRC Laws, foreign investment is restricted in certain industries. The interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations, and their application to and effect on the legality, binding effect and enforceability of contracts such as the VIE Agreements and transactions contemplated by the VIE Agreements, are subject to the discretion of the competent Governmental Agency;

 

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(vi)The term “enforceable” or “enforceability” as used in this opinion means that the obligations assumed by the relevant obligors under the relevant Documents are of a type which the courts of the PRC may enforce. It does not mean that those obligations will necessarily be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with their respective terms and/or additional terms that may be imposed by the courts. As used in this opinion, the expression “to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry” or similar language with reference to matters of fact refers to the current, actual knowledge of the attorneys of this firm who have worked on matters for the Company and the PRC Companies in connection with the Offering and the transactions contemplated thereby;

 

(vii)We may rely, as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent we deem proper, on representations made by officers and employees of the Company, the PRC Companies and Governmental Agencies;

 

(viii)Except to the extent expressly set forth herein, we have not undertaken any independent investigation, search or other verification action to determine the existence or absence of any fact or to render this opinion, and no inference as to our knowledge of the existence or absence of any fact should be drawn from our representation of the Company or the PRC Companies or the rendering of this opinion;

 

(ix)This opinion is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein; each paragraph shall be construed as a whole and no part shall be extracted and referred to independently; and

 

(x)This opinion is strictly limited to the matters stated herein and no opinion is implied or may be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated herein. The opinion expressed herein is rendered only as of the date hereof, and we assume no responsibility to advise you of facts, circumstances, events or developments that hereafter may be brought to our attention and that may alter, affect or modify the opinion expressed herein.

 

This opinion is delivered solely for the purpose of and in connection with the Offering and the Registration Statement submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the date of this opinion and may not be used for any other purpose without our prior written consent.

 

We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the use of our firm’s name under the captions “Taxation,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

Yours faithfully,  
   

/s/ ETR Law Firm

 
ETR Law Firm  

 

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Appendix A

 

List of the PRC Companies of Puyi Inc.

 

1. Puyi Enterprises Management Consulting Co., Ltd. (普益企业管理咨询有限公司);

 

2. Puyi Dake Information Technology Co., Ltd. (普益达科信息技术有限公司);

 

3. Chengdu Puyi Bohui Information Technology Co., Ltd. (成都普益博汇信息技术有限公司);

 

4. Fanhua Puyi Fund Distribution Co., Ltd. (泛华普益基金销售有限公司);

 

5. Guangdong Puyi Asset Management Co., Ltd. (广东普益资产管理有限公司);

 

6. Shenzhen Puyi Zhongxiang Information Technology Co., Ltd. (深圳普益众享信息科技有限公司);

 

7. Chongqing Fengyi Management Consulting Co., Ltd. (重庆锋毅企业管理咨询有限公司).

 

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Appendix B

 

VIE Agreements

 

1. Exclusive Technical and Consulting Services Agreement dated as of September 6, 2018 between Puyi Consulting and Puyi Bohui;

 

2. Power of Attorney dated as of September 6, 2018 among Puyi Consulting, Mr. Yu Haifeng and Ms. Yang Yuanfen;

 

3. Exclusive Option Agreement dated as of September 6, 2018 among Puyi Consulting, Puyi Bohui, Mr. Yu Haifeng and Ms. Yang Yuanfen;

 

4. Equity Interest Pledge Agreement dated as of September 6, 2018 among Puyi Consulting, Puyi Bohui, Mr. Yu Haifeng and Ms. Yang Yuanfen; and

 

5. Spousal Consent Letters dated as of September 6, 2018 respectively issued by Mr. Yu Haifeng and Ms. Yang Yuanfen.

 

 

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