Lai See | Something is 'rotten' in the Prosecutions Department

We gather there has been some amusement in prosecution circles over the claim by outgoing Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos, in his recent annual review, that the prosecutors who have departed over the past year "were at or near retirement age".

The response from some observers has been: "Who's he trying to kid?"

Robert Lee Shiu-keung SC, who resigned as Zervos's Deputy DPP last year, shortly after his appointment, was at least five years short of the civil service retirement age of 60, and Louisa Lai Nga-man, who resigned as Zervos's Deputy DPP in August, again only months after her appointment, is not yet 50.

As the first lady Deputy DPP, her departure was apparently felt to be a particular loss to the Prosecutions Department. Last week, Lai's successor, Alex Lee Wan-tang - the acting Deputy DPP and head of the Commercial Crime Unit - also quit.

One cannot escape the conclusion that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark". But there is more. The Senior Public Prosecutors are the non-directorate counsel who would normally step up to fill the directorate vacancies, as and when they arise.

However, talented people at this rank are likewise bailing out, which spells real trouble for the PD in succession terms. In the past three months, four SPPs have resigned: Kathie Cheung Kit-yee, Lily Wong Sze-lai, June Cheung Tin-ngan, and, only last week Olivia Tsang Oi-kei.