LEGISLATOR Simon Ip Sik-on is to write to the Attorney-General for an explanation of why a case against a drug trafficker was dealt with in closed court.
Wong Chi-keung pleaded guilty to a drugs charge or charges and was sentenced behind a veil of secrecy on Monday by Deputy Judge Jones. This has never been done in Hong Kong before, and it is believed to be unprecedented in Britain.
Last night, the Attorney-General, Jeremy Mathews, and the Director of Public Prosecutions, John Wood, confirmed that they had not been aware their representative in court was seeking to have the case dealt with in camera prior to the hearing.
However, the department stood firm behind Crown counsel Alan Lucas' decision to make a joint application with the defence to have the case conducted totally behind closed doors.
''The department would do everything to ensure that all cases are heard in open court unless there is a very good reason not to, which was the case in this incident,'' a spokesman said.
The department would not take any steps to make public Wong's sentence or any part of the hearing, the spokesman added.
Mr Ip, who represents the legal functional constituency, said yesterday he knew of no similar situation in which a whole case had been conducted behind closed doors and he would look into the matter, starting off with a letter to Mr Mathews, requesting information on the case.
