ANGRY Legislative Councillors have called on Attorney-General Jeremy Mathews to accept responsibility for a legal fees debacle, and they urge he come armed with explanations to a meeting of a panel investigating the matter.
The summons and a list of questions were sent to Mr Mathews late yesterday as senior lawyers expressed amazement over the taxpayer-funded fees of up to $700,000 a month paid to junior counsel Graham Grant.
Legislators Jimmy McGregor and Emily Lau Wai-hing said they wanted to put a 'blowtorch of scrutiny' on all expenses and legal fees submitted.
They sent a letter to Mr Mathews, saying: 'We are writing to convey our deep concern and disquiet over your department's handling of the briefing-out of Mr Graham Grant.
'It is unfortunate that the person most directly responsible, the former director of public prosecutions (DPP) John Wood, is not available to answer our questions.
'We hope you will personally appear before the panel to answer our further questions.' At Thursday's Legco panel meeting the new DPP, Peter Nguyen, was grilled by legislators demanding to know why Mr Grant charged 18 hours a day at $3,025 an hour for a case he took to the private Bar after leaving the Legal Department.
Mr Nguyen admitted the hours were 'odd' and said they were being queried.
