Legco Rejects Motion To Summon Teresa Cheng

The Legislative Council on Thursday rejected an opposition motion to summons Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng to the council and for her to release papers related to the government's decision not to follow up on the UGL affair.

The motion by opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok came after legal experts criticised the way Cheng handled the case involving former Chief Executive CY Leung, saying on earlier occasions like this independent advice was sought to ensure fairness and transparency.

Before the motion was put to a vote, Cheng told the lawmakers there had been past occasions where a decision not to prosecute a senior official was made without seeking outside opinion.

But Cheng did not say which senior officials she had in mind, insisting only that it is not a necessity to seek external advice in all such cases.

She also said it would be unconstitutional for her to explain publicly the reasons behind the decision on Leung, as the Basic Law states that criminal prosecutions are to be decided by her department, free from any interference.