Complaints system against Hong Kong judges ‘will not be politicised’, top judiciary official says

Lay members providing advisory role for complaints regime covering judges’ conduct cannot hold political affiliations

Judiciary Administrator Esther Leung also says city’s top judge will appoint the lay members, following concern over potential politicisation of the committee

Reading Time:3 minutes

The judiciary is changing the system of handling complaints against jurists. Photo: Robert Ng

Published: 2:45pm, 14 May 2021Updated: 11:56pm, 14 May 2021

Members of the public helping to handle complaints against Hong Kong judges under a new disciplinary system will not have any political affiliations and will be appointed by the city’s top jurist, a senior official has told lawmakers.

Esther Leung Yuet-yin, head of the judiciary’s administrative wing, highlighted on Friday the importance of political neutrality in the proposed system after concerns were raised that the advisory lay positions could be filled by partisan figures.

“[The lay members] will be appointed by the chief justice on an individual basis … They will not have a political background and we hope that they will be able to offer some independent and professional advice,” Leung said, adding those selected would need to have credibility.

Leung also revealed to the Legislative Council that Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, who ushered in the judicial conduct reforms after taking up the top role in January, had already initiated the search to fill the lay posts.

He will announce the appointments in due course, according to Leung.

At Friday’s legislative session, the city’s two most prominent legal bodies, the Bar Association and the Law Society, threw their support behind the new two-tier mechanism.