New director pledges legal openness

THE first Chinese Director of Public Prosecutions, Peter Nguyen, promised open proceedings in the Legal Department when he began his job yesterday.

''I think transparency is in line with the Government's policy of open government,'' Mr Nguyen said.

However, he added cautiously that more openness had to be achieved within the law.

The call for more openness was heightened as the Attorney-General, Jeremy Mathews, was urged to explain why the Director of Public Prosecutions decided to drop charges against Cathay Pacific pilot Ian Wilkinson, who was accused of wounding his estranged wife Ann.

Mr Nguyen's predecessor, John Wood, said yesterday the Legal Department would not give explanations in every case over decisions to prosecute or not. But how much information should be released was considered a policy matter Mr Mathews had to deal with.

''The Legal Department is much more transparent now than it used to be. We have got the book on prosecution policy, we give a lot of lectures so the public know quite a lot now that they didn't use to know. No doubt it will continue like that. There is a limit to what one can know,'' Mr Wood said.