The full facts behind the unprecedented bid by the police to search offices of the Legal Aid Department are not yet known. We can expect more to emerge when the dispute is resolved by a court.
But the details revealed in the Legal Aid Department's application for a judicial review have focused attention back on the manner in which Hong Kong's law enforcement agencies go about conducting their investigations.
Last year, there was an outcry over the heavy-handed manner in which the Independent Commission Against Corruption raided newspaper offices at a time of concern in the community about threats to the freedom of the press. The courts were then asked to consider the validity of the ICAC's search warrant and the case ended rather inconclusively.
Now, a police search warrant is being challenged. And this time the litigant is the government department responsible for representing people who cannot afford their own lawyer. It is a very unusual case.
According to the Legal Aid Department's application, the offices of its criminal section were the subject of an attempted police raid on two occasions. The police were apparently seeking documents which they believed could provide key evidence in a criminal case.
But the documents concerned were provided by the suspect to his lawyers and would normally be regarded as confidential. They are arguably covered by legal profession privilege, a very important principle protecting the privacy of communications between lawyer and client.