Two prisoners serving long jail terms have had their convictions quashed in the last Hong Kong criminal appeal to be heard by the Privy Council.
The Law Lords have sent the two cases, involving murder and drug trafficking, back to the territory so that judges here can decide whether the men should be freed.
The men are due to appear tomorrow before the Court of Appeal, which will be sitting for the final time under British rule.
Thakoen Thongiai was found guilty of murder and jailed for life in September 1994.
Lee Chun-kong was sentenced to 21 years' imprisonment after an unrelated drug trafficking trial in October 1994.
The two appeals were dealt with together because they raised the same legal issue.
In both cases a High Court judge had failed to make a pre-trial ruling on whether a verbal confession by the defendant had been made voluntarily.
