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Judge is asked to step down from trial

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A District Court judge was asked yesterday to step down from a conspiracy trial involving HK$72 million because he was previously a government prosecutor and had been involved in a case linked to the one he is now overseeing.

The request to Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi came from Martin Lee Chu-ming SC, who is defending one of three people accused of conspiring with concert promoter Abba Chan Tat-chee to misappropriate company funds.

Mr Lee, for Hon Ming-kong, 41, the chairman of Hong Kong-listed China Science Conservational Power (CSCP), said Judge Chan was at risk of possible accusations of bias because of his involvement as a prosecutor in the corruption trial of Chan Kau-tai, father of Canto-pop star Eason Chan Yik-shun, which had links to the present case.

The judge adjourned the case to Monday, saying he would prepare a statement relating to his involvement in the previous case for all counsel.

The trial began on April 8 with Abba Chan Tat-chee, the key prosecution witness, testifying for only a day because of several adjournments.

Making his application for Judge Chan to withdraw, Mr Lee said the judge, as a former senior assistant director of public prosecutions, was the advising counsel for the prosecution against Chan Kau-tai in 2002.

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