https://www.scmp.com/rss/325297/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Danny Mok Danny Mok Families of victims who died in Hong Kong’s Lamma ferry disaster 13 years ago have filed an application for a judicial review against a coroner’s findings in an inquest, saying the conclusions showed irrationality and failed to weigh contradictory evidence. Four individuals lodged the application in the High Court on Wednesday. They acted without lawyers. They want the court to quash the coroner’s findings that a missing watertight door on the ill-fated Lamma IV ferry was a deliberate design... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351053/families-seek-review-coroners-findings-lamma-ferry-disaster-inquest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351053/families-seek-review-coroners-findings-lamma-ferry-disaster-inquest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:23:48 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The Hong Kong government is seeking to confiscate HK$56.5 million (US$7.2 million) from former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s bank accounts and all of the shares in his 17 companies after he was jailed for 20 years under the national security law, court documents show. The secretary for justice applied to the High Court earlier this month to seize Lai’s assets linked to three conspiracies to instigate foreign sanctions and incite public hatred towards the authorities in 2019 and 2020. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350893/hong-kong-seeks-seize-hk565-million-17-companies-jailed-jimmy-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350893/hong-kong-seeks-seize-hk565-million-17-companies-jailed-jimmy-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:35:16 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A former kindergarten administrator at Hong Kong’s biggest international school group has been sentenced to 25 months in jail for accepting more than HK$640,000 (US$81,700) in bribes from 13 parents and a middleman to tamper with the admissions system. Fatima Rumjahn, 56, earlier admitted to accepting bribes ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 from parents eager to secure enrolment for their children at the English Schools Foundation’s (ESF) Wu Kai Sha International Kindergarten. At Monday’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3350700/esf-administrator-jailed-25-months-accepting-bribes-favour-applicants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3350700/esf-administrator-jailed-25-months-accepting-bribes-favour-applicants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:43:03 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow The owner of a luxury home at a seaside estate in Hong Kong has been fined HK$110,000 (US$14,039) for building illegal structures and a swimming pool following a government crackdown triggered by a record-breaking rainstorm and an investigation by the South China Morning Post. Sunset Boulevard Company, which owns House No 76 at Redhill Peninsula, the luxury low-rise estate in Tai Tam, was sentenced at Eastern Court on Thursday. The private firm, founded in 1995, lists Hong Kong resident Marc... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350354/owner-luxury-hong-kong-home-fined-hk110000-over-illegal-structures-pool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350354/owner-luxury-hong-kong-home-fined-hk110000-over-illegal-structures-pool?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:22:38 +0000 Eugene Yim Eugene Yim In my last column discussing how Hong Kong law ensures kids’ well-being when divorced parents split locations, I explained that, in the absence of the other parent’s consent, a parent who wishes to relocate with their children to another jurisdiction will need to apply for permission from the court to do so. I have since been asked by a number of friends what would ensue if the relocating parent were to proceed with relocating the children out of Hong Kong in the face of the other parent’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350223/how-law-protects-when-parent-abducts-their-child-across-borders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350223/how-law-protects-when-parent-abducts-their-child-across-borders?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:30:16 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong retiree has been jailed for a year under the domestic national security law over seditious remarks on social media, after suggesting that last year’s Wang Fuk Court fire could trigger unrest similar to the 2019 anti-government protests. Former salesman Raymond Chong Wai-man, 61, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at West Kowloon Court to knowingly publishing 53 seditious Facebook posts that denigrated the central and local authorities between March 26, 2024 and November 29 last year. Chong, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350072/hong-kong-retiree-gets-one-year-jail-seditious-social-media-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350072/hong-kong-retiree-gets-one-year-jail-seditious-social-media-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:12:14 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong barrister faces additional charges after a second person accused him of indecent assault, joining a former pupil who levelled similar accusations over events that took place nine years ago. Prosecutors on Tuesday told Eastern Court that a second victim had come forward to file a complaint against Simon So Shun-yan, who was admitted to the bar in 2018 and founded his own chambers that same year. The 32-year-old faces two new counts of common assault and another of indecent assault, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349993/hong-kong-lawyer-faces-new-charges-after-second-victim-accuses-him-indecent-assault?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349993/hong-kong-lawyer-faces-new-charges-after-second-victim-accuses-him-indecent-assault?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:51:13 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A mainland Chinese woman has been acquitted of submitting false academic qualifications in her application for Hong Kong’s talent scheme, with the judge saying she could have been defrauded by her agent during the process. Xu Lina, 36, was cleared of the charge at Sha Tin Court on Monday after Magistrate Raymond Wong Kwok-fai said the defendant might have been negligent in failing to check her application form before submitting it to the Immigration Department, but her actions did not amount to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349890/hong-kong-court-clears-woman-forging-qualifications-talent-scheme-application?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349890/hong-kong-court-clears-woman-forging-qualifications-talent-scheme-application?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:24:53 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying A mentally ill Hongkonger has been sentenced to an indefinite period at a psychiatric hospital for killing his mother and hiding her body under a bed believing she was a “monster lizard”. The High Court on Monday accepted recommendations from two psychiatrists and imposed a hospital order on Wong Chun-kit on one count of manslaughter based on diminished responsibility and another count of preventing the lawful burial of a body. Mr Justice Wilson Chan Ka-shun said the case was a “tragic one” and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349888/mentally-ill-son-who-killed-mother-detained-indefinitely-psychiatric-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349888/mentally-ill-son-who-killed-mother-detained-indefinitely-psychiatric-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:21:22 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong authorities have been urged to toughen penalties for child abuse as a proposal to review protection laws for minors, which were last updated in 1995, has remained stalled for seven years. A check by the South China Morning Post found that over more than 20 years, only one of 13 serious child abuse cases involving ill-treatment or neglect of a child or young person resulted in a jail term close to the maximum of 10 years. Lawmakers earlier this month called for increasing the 10-year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349760/time-act-stalled-proposal-toughening-child-abuse-penalties-lawmakers-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349760/time-act-stalled-proposal-toughening-child-abuse-penalties-lawmakers-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong independent bookstore owner has been fined HK$32,000 (US$4,085) for holding a Spanish class in his shop after a court ruled the course took place at an unregistered school. Pong Yat-ming, 52, was convicted on Friday of violating the Education Ordinance by organising a Spanish course in April last year at Book Punch, a bookstore he founded in Sham Shui Po in 2020. Kowloon City Court earlier heard Pong’s defence at his trial, where he testified that he held the basic language course to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349656/hong-kong-bookstore-owner-fined-hk32000-using-shop-unregistered-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349656/hong-kong-bookstore-owner-fined-hk32000-using-shop-unregistered-school?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:39:23 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong man has been jailed for 11 months and fined HK$4,500 (US$574) for selling his digital wallet, which a crime syndicate then used to receive HK$25,500 defrauded from donors who believed the money would be used to help victims of the Tai Po fire. West Kowloon Court heard on Thursday that Cham Shu-shing, a 32-year-old cook, sold his Alipay account to an unknown group of scammers last year for HK$3,800, knowing it would be used for illegal purposes. A police investigation revealed the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349493/man-jailed-11-months-giving-over-account-used-defraud-tai-po-fire-donors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349493/man-jailed-11-months-giving-over-account-used-defraud-tai-po-fire-donors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:39:54 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong authorities are proceeding with legal action to confiscate property linked to crimes committed by former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, with a hearing on the matter set to be held in three months. According to a court document seen by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s property after he was sentenced to 20 years in jail for national security offences. A 60-minute hearing is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349371/court-hearing-set-july-confiscating-jimmy-lais-properties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349371/court-hearing-set-july-confiscating-jimmy-lais-properties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:24:42 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan The sentencing of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has been cited by several Western officials and media outlets as further evidence that Hong Kong’s legal system is in decline. Lai, the founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, faced multiple charges, including two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications. He was convicted last December and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in February. That same month, however, the Court of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348705/dont-let-geopolitical-rivalry-skew-debate-over-jimmy-lais-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348705/dont-let-geopolitical-rivalry-skew-debate-over-jimmy-lais-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Bernard Man Bernard Man A major feature of Hong Kong’s legal profession is the division between barristers and solicitors. Barristers specialise in court work and legal advice relating to litigation, and can generally only be engaged through a solicitor. Solicitors provide a broader range of legal services, covering both contentious and non-contentious matters. Some solicitors also focus on courtroom advocacy and are accredited as solicitor-advocates. The “split” profession is not common to all legal systems. In fact,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348692/split-legal-profession-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348692/split-legal-profession-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:30:16 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has sentenced 13 parents and a middleman to up to 14 months in jail for offering bribes ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 (US$2,600 to US$25,600) to a kindergarten administrator at the city’s biggest international school group in exchange for enrolments. In earlier mitigation, some of the defendants pinned the blame on Fatima Rumjahn, accusing the former English Schools Foundation (ESF) employee of “taking advantage of the parents’ eagerness to get their children into... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348521/13-parents-merchant-get-14-months-jail-bribing-esf-employee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348521/13-parents-merchant-get-14-months-jail-bribing-esf-employee?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 08:12:41 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A former Hong Kong truck driver who caused the death of a pregnant woman was sentenced to 22 months in prison on Tuesday, with the judge saying the man had made “continuous” wrong decisions in his driving. District Judge Josiah Lam Wai-kuen also pushed back on the defence’s mitigation argument that the accident had occurred because of a momentary lapse of judgment. “He had acted out of convenience for himself. This is not a lapse in judgment, but driving with bad judgment,” he said in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348491/hong-kong-man-gets-22-months-jail-pregnant-womans-death-truck-accident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348491/hong-kong-man-gets-22-months-jail-pregnant-womans-death-truck-accident?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:51:06 +0000 Chen Xiaofeng Chen Xiaofeng On March 23, Hong Kong’s government brought into force amended implementation rules for Article 43 of the national security law. This is not a new power grab or an expansion of authority. It is a technical, evidence-based refinement of the 2020 implementation rules that have governed national security enforcement since the law took effect. Rooted in common law principle and aligned with global legislative practice, the amendments clarify operational gaps, strengthen procedural certainty and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347880/lets-be-clear-national-security-law-update-not-power-grab?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347880/lets-be-clear-national-security-law-update-not-power-grab?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The traumatic memories of Hong Kong’s deadliest high-rise inferno are being revived as an independent review of the November tragedy gets down to business. The harrowing details of the blaze presented in the first few public hearing sessions are disturbing as are the contributing human factors and systemic failures identified. The rigorous fact-finding process should continue with full support from all parties concerned so that lessons are learned and reforms are undertaken to tackle an array of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348139/time-confront-uncomfortable-truths-about-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348139/time-confront-uncomfortable-truths-about-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:15:20 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has remanded in custody another 10 people in connection with the HK$1.6 billion (US$205.8 million) in JPEX cryptocurrency scandal, bringing the number prosecuted in the city’s largest alleged financial fraud in recent years to 26. The latest development came nearly three years after the scandal broke out in 2023, when police revealed that more than 2,700 people had fallen victim to the alleged scam involving losses of more than HK$1.6 billion. Twenty-three counts of money... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348180/10-defendants-remanded-custody-jpex-cryptocurrency-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348180/10-defendants-remanded-custody-jpex-cryptocurrency-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:18:26 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has dropped a charge against the former financial chief of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s flagship media company after he testified for the prosecution against his ex-employer in a fraud trial. The ruling came after the Court of Appeal last week quashed Lai’s fraud conviction for operating a consultancy office from the premises of his now-defunct tabloid newspaper, Apple Daily, finding that the prosecution had failed to prove that the media mogul had made a “false representation” or was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348102/charge-dropped-against-ex-apple-daily-executive-who-turned-prosecution-witness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348102/charge-dropped-against-ex-apple-daily-executive-who-turned-prosecution-witness?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 06:33:33 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A City University (CityU) professor has been sentenced to 4½ months in prison for offering a HK$1,000 (US$128) bribe to a Hong Kong property agent, after a magistrate dismissed the defendant’s claims that the situation arose from “cultural differences”. Du Du, 48, an associate professor at the university’s economics and finance department, was granted bail on Wednesday to appeal against his conviction for offering an advantage to the agent in an attempt to avoid paying HK$16,000 for breaching a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347878/cityu-professor-gets-4-1/2-months-prison-offering-hk1000-bribe-agent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347878/cityu-professor-gets-4-1/2-months-prison-offering-hk1000-bribe-agent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:23:28 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has granted further leniency to a senior Immigration Department assistant, placing him on a one-year probation order after he was convicted of repeatedly choking his wife and young son during domestic disputes. Kowloon City Court heard on Wednesday that the 49-year-old defendant, identified as “ATK”, preferred probation to community service because he would lose his job and the substantial pension accumulated over more than 30 years in the disciplined services. He earlier... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347818/leniency-shown-hong-kong-immigration-worker-who-repeatedly-assaulted-wife-and-son?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347818/leniency-shown-hong-kong-immigration-worker-who-repeatedly-assaulted-wife-and-son?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:17:45 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Threats to national security around the world have become more complex and varied amid heightened geopolitical tensions and technological advances. Laws designed to guard against such threats and the rules governing their implementation need to keep pace with developments. On Monday, Hong Kong introduced a raft of changes to regulations on the enforcement of the city’s national security law, passed by Beijing in 2020. It is the first time, except for a minor technical amendment in 2023, that the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3347749/rule-changes-will-help-hong-kong-better-combat-national-security-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3347749/rule-changes-will-help-hong-kong-better-combat-national-security-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A former Hong Kong civil servant has been jailed for 12 months for threatening to burn down the newsrooms of the South China Morning Post and five other media outlets if they refused to publish seditious material he had created to frame the husband of his former girlfriend. West Kowloon Court on Tuesday heard the guilty pleas from Tse Chun-pan, 43, who had set up a website selling merchandise themed around the 2019 anti-government protests and demanded that six local media publish screenshots of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347751/jealous-hongkonger-who-threatened-burn-6-media-newsrooms-jailed-1-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347751/jealous-hongkonger-who-threatened-burn-6-media-newsrooms-jailed-1-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:44:07 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Swedish businessman convicted of raping his domestic helper has failed to clear his name and has been sent back to prison after a Hong Kong court dismissed his appeal. The Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Patrik Tobias Ekstrom, who was unanimously found guilty by a jury two years ago and sentenced to seven years in prison for raping his helper in his bedroom on October 27, 2022. The Swedish national, in his late thirties, who was granted bail pending appeal on one count of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347732/swedish-businessman-hong-kong-loses-appeal-over-rape-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347732/swedish-businessman-hong-kong-loses-appeal-over-rape-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:39:01 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong barrister turned activist on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has accused Beijing of undermining the nation’s constitutional order by entrenching one-party rule, describing the move as a regression. Chow Hang-tung told West Kowloon Court on Monday that mainland China took a step backwards in 2018 by amending the constitution to enshrine the Communist Party’s leadership in its main text at a time when the country was gradually heading towards constitutional democracy. She... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347577/anti-china-activist-trial-subversion-calls-one-party-rule-regression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347577/anti-china-activist-trial-subversion-calls-one-party-rule-regression?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:49:47 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong police have charged two men with a fresh terrorism offence under the national security law over an alleged bomb plot dating back three years. Prosecutors on Monday applied to Eastern Court to amend the charges against Ng Tsz-kit, 36, and Ho Chi-hang, 35, ahead of the case being transferred to the High Court for trial. The pair now face a conspiracy charge of committing terrorist acts for allegedly attempting to coerce central and local authorities or to intimidate the public through... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347564/hong-kong-police-file-fresh-terrorism-charge-against-pair-over-alleged-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347564/hong-kong-police-file-fresh-terrorism-charge-against-pair-over-alleged-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:42:32 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A former assistant principal in an elite Hong Kong secondary school has avoided a criminal conviction for stealing more than HK$3,000 (US$380) worth of food and drinks from a supermarket last year, and has been given a bind-over order instead. Eastern Court Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai on Monday sentenced Ng Ka-yun, 47, to be bound over for 36 months with a payment of HK$2,000. “The defendant should treasure this chance,” he said. “The bind-over period is 36 months as the amount... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347562/ex-assistant-principal-given-36-month-bind-over-stealing-groceries-sogo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347562/ex-assistant-principal-given-36-month-bind-over-stealing-groceries-sogo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:34:37 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The role of foreign judges on Hong Kong’s top court has become controversial in recent years, amid geopolitical tensions and criticism in the West of the city’s national security law. A wave of departures, with some judges citing political concerns, has depleted their number. Now, there are only six, down from 15 in 2020. Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung warned last year that appointing judges of the right stature and experience “may be less straightforward than it once was”. The death of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3347440/masons-legacy-lies-reputation-he-helped-forge-hong-kongs-final-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3347440/masons-legacy-lies-reputation-he-helped-forge-hong-kongs-final-court?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:33:53 +0000 Victor Dawes Victor Dawes Sir Anthony Mason, one of Hong Kong’s first and greatest justices to sit on our Court of Final Appeal, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 100. Not only was he a towering jurist in the common law world, but his contribution to Hong Kong’s legal system, particularly in its formative post-1997 years, was both profound and enduring. Sir Anthony served on the High Court of Australia for 23 years, with the final eight years (1987 to 1995) as its chief justice. He was perhaps best known to the Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347173/tribute-towering-jurist-how-late-sir-anthony-mason-shaped-hong-kong-courts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347173/tribute-towering-jurist-how-late-sir-anthony-mason-shaped-hong-kong-courts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:49:41 +0000 Ronny Tong Ronny Tong In my experience, most people misunderstand the concept of “separation of powers”, and so I would not be at all surprised if most people also misunderstand the term “executive-led government”. In the case of separation of powers, the confusion usually arises from the use of the word “separation”. It connotes a meaning of absolute independence or alienation. A better word would have been “division”. The concept of separation of powers focuses on the division of power in a government and how that... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346623/heres-what-executive-led-government-really-means-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346623/heres-what-executive-led-government-really-means-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A Hong Kong campsite operator has been convicted of murdering his live-in girlfriend and sentenced to life imprisonment after telling police he believed she was an alien, with the judge describing the killing as a “vicious, brutal and savage attack and murder”. A High Court jury of four men and three women on Wednesday unanimously found Tang Lung-fai, 56, guilty of causing the death of Fok Sin-yee, 38, who was also known as Maggie, on or about April 14, 2022. Madam Justice Susana D’Almada... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347068/hong-kong-campsite-operator-who-murdered-alien-girlfriend-jailed-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347068/hong-kong-campsite-operator-who-murdered-alien-girlfriend-jailed-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:20:04 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong lawmaker on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has denied abetting criminal activity by supporting mainland Chinese dissidents, accusing Beijing of levelling false charges against them. Prosecutors on Wednesday challenged Lee Cheuk-yan’s claim that he had no intention to incite others to overthrow the mainland’s communist rule when he called for an end to “one-party dictatorship” as former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347061/former-hong-kong-lawmaker-denies-abetting-criminal-activity-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347061/former-hong-kong-lawmaker-denies-abetting-criminal-activity-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:57 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Former Australian chief justice Anthony Mason, who was one of the first non-permanent judges to join the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and oversaw many of its early key constitutional cases, has died at the age of 100. Tributes from current and former city officials poured in for the late jurist on Wednesday, just a day after he died. Mason is widely considered to have been pivotal in establishing the court’s role under Hong Kong’s new constitutional order following the city’s return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346996/anthony-mason-who-helped-put-top-hong-kong-court-map-dies-age-100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346996/anthony-mason-who-helped-put-top-hong-kong-court-map-dies-age-100?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:09:21 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong actor Gregory Wong Chung-yiu has lost an appeal against his conviction and jail sentence of six years and two months for abetting a riot at the Legislative Council Complex during the 2019 anti-government protests. In a written judgment delivered on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal also dismissed the complaints by six others convicted in the high-profile case. The appellants had argued their jail terms of at least four years and 7½ months were manifestly excessive. Wong was among 14... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346982/hong-kong-actor-gregory-wong-loses-appeal-against-2019-legco-storming-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346982/hong-kong-actor-gregory-wong-loses-appeal-against-2019-legco-storming-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:40:30 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong opposition politician has argued that China’s one-party rule system is incompatible with the country’s constitution and fails to safeguard people’s fundamental rights, as he defended his calls to end “dictatorship” in a high-profile subversion trial. Ex-lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, a former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, argued on Tuesday that calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346900/tiananmen-vigil-activist-trial-says-one-party-rule-contradicts-countrys-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346900/tiananmen-vigil-activist-trial-says-one-party-rule-contradicts-countrys-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:36:25 +0000 Cui Jianchun Cui Jianchun On February 10, China’s State Council Information Office released a white paper titled “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems”. This is the third white paper issued by the Chinese central government on Hong Kong-related affairs since 2014. It reviews Hong Kong’s efforts in safeguarding national security, elaborates on the central government’s stance on Hong Kong’s role in maintaining national security and summarises the experience and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346515/how-national-security-and-one-country-two-systems-go-hand-hand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346515/how-national-security-and-one-country-two-systems-go-hand-hand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A senior Hong Kong police officer has denied molesting a government clerk at the force’s headquarters more than a year ago. Senior Superintendent Ian Chow Ngai-kong, 50, on Monday stood trial at Eastern Court on three counts of indecent assault over the alleged incidents at police headquarters in Wan Chai on June 19 and November 1, 2024. The court heard the complainant, a senior clerical officer from the Civil Service Bureau, was seconded to the police force to provide administrative support... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346750/hong-kong-policeman-denies-molesting-clerk-headquarters-indecent-assault-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346750/hong-kong-policeman-denies-molesting-clerk-headquarters-indecent-assault-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:15:03 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Two former leaders of a now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have a case to answer in a high-profile trial after judges ruled the evidence supported prosecutors’ allegations that the activists incited others to overthrow the Communist Party of China leadership. Three High Court judges on Friday found that the evidence appeared to suggest Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung committed a subversion offence as leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:16:52 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Careless driving without causing damage or injuries is hardly news, except when public figures or people in positions of authority are involved. The incident where Hong Kong legislator Judy Chan Kapui drove against traffic early this year continues to draw public attention as it concerns not just the rule of law but also the conduct of lawmakers under the revamped “all-patriots” governance approach. So far, the case is being handled in accordance with the law and procedures, and rightly so. As... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3346314/judy-chan-careless-driving-case-reminder-high-expectations-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3346314/judy-chan-careless-driving-case-reminder-high-expectations-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet The Hong Kong Bar Association was founded in 1949. To properly recognise barristers who have made a lasting and very significant contribution, members are able to nominate such giants for Life Membership. It is bestowed on those who “have rendered outstanding service to the Bar … or to the administration of justice in Hong Kong”. Over the years, only a handful of our members have been elected as Life Members. Nominees must be proposed by 20 members, including no fewer than 10 senior counsel, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346149/graham-harris-giant-hong-kong-bar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346149/graham-harris-giant-hong-kong-bar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong opposition district councillor has been jailed for three years and nine months for handling HK$590,000 (US$75,409) in telephone scam proceeds on behalf of a fraud syndicate, saying he wanted to earn quick cash to repay his gambling debts and cover his father’s medical expenses. Sheep Wong Chun-yeung, 31, had initially insisted that he was secretly gathering evidence against what he believed to be a triad-run debt collection ring when he received money from six elderly victims... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346209/former-hong-kong-councillor-jailed-laundering-hk590000-phone-scam-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346209/former-hong-kong-councillor-jailed-laundering-hk590000-phone-scam-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 08:01:40 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong police officer has been jailed for 16 months for trying to extort HK$60,000 (US$7,675) from a rape suspect he believed had been wrongly released by prosecutors. The District Court on Tuesday condemned Constable Ng Wai-fung for taking the law into his own hands while investigating a rape complaint lodged by a 16-year-old girl between January and April 2024. Defence lawyers said Ng, who pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office last month, was frustrated by the Department of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346086/hong-kong-policeman-gets-16-months-extorting-hk60000-rape-case-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346086/hong-kong-policeman-gets-16-months-extorting-hk60000-rape-case-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:54:36 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong court has convicted a professor of offering a HK$1,000 (US$128) bribe to a property agent in an attempt to avoid paying HK$16,000 in compensation for breaching a tenancy agreement more than three years ago. Sha Tin Court on Tuesday rejected mainland Chinese scholar Du Du’s claim that he had only intended to reimburse the agent after backing out of a provisional tenancy agreement on the same day he signed it. In finding the 48-year-old guilty of offering an advantage to an agent, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346075/cityu-professor-convicted-offering-hk1000-bribe-avoid-tenancy-payout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346075/cityu-professor-convicted-offering-hk1000-bribe-avoid-tenancy-payout?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:04:53 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong A Hong Kong Immigration Department senior assistant who repeatedly grabbed his wife and young son by their throats during disputes has been ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, with the magistrate telling the defendant he had already received significant leniency while pleading for probation. Kowloon City Court on Monday sentenced the 49-year-old defendant, identified in court as “ATK”, after he earlier admitted six counts of common assault. While the defence had pleaded for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346006/immigration-department-worker-who-repeatedly-assaulted-wife-son-spared-jail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346006/immigration-department-worker-who-repeatedly-assaulted-wife-son-spared-jail?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:06:08 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong woman who returned from Australia has been charged with carrying two laser pointers and three bottles of spray paint for alleged illegal purposes during the 2019 anti-government protests. Ami Chan Hui-ching, 21, was escorted to Eastern Court on Monday to face charges of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing an article with intent to destroy or damage property. Chan, who reportedly works as a cashier at a casino, was intercepted on September 8, 2019, on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345989/hong-kong-woman-faces-2019-protest-charges-after-returning-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345989/hong-kong-woman-faces-2019-protest-charges-after-returning-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:58:55 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong lawmaker has been fined HK$2,000 (US$256) for driving on the wrong side of a road in Wan Chai earlier this year. Eastern Court on Monday also suspended Judy Chan Kapui, 45, from driving for one month after she pleaded guilty to a count of careless driving. “I deeply regret that my careless driving affected other road users,” Chan told presiding magistrate David Ko Wai-hung, adding that she had stopped driving and would accept any legal consequences. Ko noted the defendant was issued... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345963/hong-kong-lawmaker-judy-chan-fined-hk2000-driving-against-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345963/hong-kong-lawmaker-judy-chan-fined-hk2000-driving-against-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:45:40 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The former executive editor-in-chief of Hong Kong’s defunct Apple Daily newspaper, founded by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, has lodged an appeal against his 10-year sentence imposed under the national security law. Lam Man-chung’s lawyer filed the application at the Court of Appeal on Friday, ahead of the statutory 28-day deadline for criminal appeals expiring on Monday. The 56-year-old is the second defendant to seek a reduced sentence after Fung Wai-kong, 62, managing editor of Apple Daily’s English... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345937/former-apple-daily-executive-editor-appeals-10-year-sentence-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345937/former-apple-daily-executive-editor-appeals-10-year-sentence-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:51:51 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The Hong Kong government has won an appeal against a court ruling that found a veteran teacher’s dismissal for anti-police remarks was unlawful. The Court of Appeal on Friday ruled that the secretary for the civil service was entitled to sack 27-year veteran Toffee Tam Yuk-fun and strip her of all retirement benefits for serious misconduct during the 2019 anti-government protests. Tam, who taught at the Jockey Club Government Secondary School in Kowloon Tong, previously won a judicial review... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345753/sacking-teacher-anti-police-remarks-reasonable-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345753/sacking-teacher-anti-police-remarks-reasonable-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:45:48 +0000