Judge to rule on fraud charges against businesswoman
The fate of businesswoman Lily Chiang Lai-lei could be decided by a judge alone after the Court of First Instance yesterday quashed her bid for a jury trial.
Chiang, 46, former chairwoman of the General Chamber of Commerce, argued that the Secretary for Justice gave insufficient reasons for sending her case to the District Court.
But the Justice Department had considered her arguments, and then stuck to its decision, the court said in a written ruling.
'To have expected [the Secretary for Justice] to have dealt with each contention and each point put forward is simply unrealistic in the context of this matter,' said the decision written by Mr Justice Alan Wright.
Cases of white-collar crime were generally heard by judges in the District Court. Defendants did not have the automatic right to choose a jury or judge-alone trial. That decision rested with prosecutors, a point that was 'clear and unambiguous', Mr Justice Wright noted.
