THE Executive and Legislative Councils should ''keep their hands off'' prosecution-related issues, or the Legal Department's integrity would be jeopardised, legislator Andrew Wong Wang-fat warned yesterday.
Mr Wong, a lecturer in government and public administration at the Chinese University, was concerned that the soon-to-be-established Legco legal panel might interfere with the working of the Legal Department's prosecutions division.
If Exco and Legco were going to look at public prosecutions there was a risk the issue would become politicised, he said.
Mr Wong was speaking at a meeting between legislators and Attorney-General, Jeremy Mathews on the setting up of a panel to monitor the Legal Department.
Legislators hoped the Legal Department could become more accountable to Legco.
They wanted the Attorney-General to disclose more information so they could be sure the Legal Department's decisions and advice were free of outside influence, such as political pressure.
