New committee tasked with advising Hong Kong judiciary on complaints will have 4 non-judges as members

In first for city, laypeople will advise judiciary on how to handle complaints against judges following revamp of system

New nine-member committee could contribute to ‘more palatable’ conclusions in disciplinary cases, former top prosecutor says

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A committee advising the judiciary on disciplinary matters will include lay members for the first time starting later this month. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:10pm, 2 Aug 2021Updated: 12:01am, 3 Aug 2021

A new nine-member committee comprising five senior judges, a lawyer and three laypeople will begin advising the judiciary on how to handle complaints starting later this month in a revamp aimed at giving the public more of a voice in disciplinary matters.

The four non-judges on the new committee are a senior counsel, a property tycoon, a former ombudsman and an academic active in public service – a line-up one legal sector observer said could contribute to “more palatable” conclusions in disciplinary cases, and another hoped would preserve judicial independence by nixing complaints with “vicious intentions”.

Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung first announced a review of the existing mechanism more than seven months ago following a steep surge in complaints against judges as courts began hearing more cases stemming from 2019’s polarising anti-government protests.

Chief Justice Andrew Cheung will chair the new complaints advisory committee. Photo: Felix Wong

The addition of laypeople to the mechanism, proposed by authorities in May, had sparked concerns in the field, with some warning that their number should be limited to avoid “outsiders judging the judges”.

But Cheung, who chairs the committee, said the members possessed “a good and balanced mix of profound expertise and experience in judicial, professional and public services”.