The Judiciary has gagged reporting of preliminary findings in the Teddy Wang estate wrangle, which has pitted his wife Nina against the missing tycoon's father. An initial ruling in the battle over the former Chinachem boss's will was released to reporters and then snatched from their hands yesterday. They were then warned not to publish any part of the judgment. Barrister and legislator Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee said she could see 'no reason for categorically making this non-publishable', unless there had been 'very good reasons'. The case, which is understood to ultimately decide who owns Teddy's assets - incumbent Chinachem chairman Nina Wang or Teddy's father, Wang Din-shin - has so far been held behind closed doors. Chinachem is one of Hong Kong's largest private property companies, with thousands of employees and a prolific presence in the SAR. A typing mistake in the court list yesterday meant that a preliminary judgment in chambers on the case was released to reporters, citing it as an open-court ruling. The error was spotted by Judiciary officials and reporters were told that no report should be made of the judgment. However, the basis of this warning - a practice direction of the Supreme Court - has been slated as contrary to the Bill of Rights, unenforceable and a blow to the concept of open justice. It is also scheduled to be thrown out altogether following the recommendations of a judicial working party headed by Mr Justice Gerald Nazareth, which described the situation as 'unsatisfactory and illogical'. A report by the working party concluded that holding hearings in private eroded open justice in Hong Kong 'purely for reasons of convenience'. The Judiciary put its full support behind the recommendations, but has yet to implement them, despite having had three years to do so. But Ms Ng says, however, that there are no legal steps which must be taken to change the situation. 'I think really the better thing to do in the interests of open justice is to say you can publish the judgment unless there's a reason for not doing so,' she said.
