Report On Judiciary Attacks Baseless: Teresa Cheng

The Secretary for Justice, Teresa Cheng, on Friday hit out at a Reuters news report which said the independence of Hong Kong’s judicial system is under assault from the Communist Party leadership in Beijing, labelling it as “misleading”.

She urged people to read carefully a statement issued by top judge Geoffrey Ma on Wednesday, which said "since taking office in 2010, the Chief Justice has not at any stage encountered or experienced any form of interference by the mainland authorities with judicial independence in Hong Kong, including the appointment of judges. Judicial independence is guaranteed under the Basic Law and is a main component of the rule of law in Hong Kong."

“Nothing gives better than the direct evidence of the Chief Justice himself telling us there isn’t such interference,” Cheng said.

Ma’s statement came in response to a Reuters news report which cited people close to him as saying he is forced to contend with Communist Party officials pushing Beijing's view that Hong Kong's rule of law is just a tool to preserve one-party rule.

The special report, published on Tuesday, cited three of Hong Kong's most senior judges – who were left unnamed – as saying that the city’s independent judiciary is “in a fight for its survival.”

The report also said more than two dozen interviews were conducted with local judges, prominent lawyers and diplomats, to back up its conclusion that there has been a “multi-pronged” effort by Beijing to “hobble the judiciary”.

Cheng dismissed the report, saying it is not supported on facts.

“I’d like to stress that no one should make speculations without any factual basis. I believe a responsible media organisation should confirm the facts before reporting,” she said.

"We hope everyone, together with the Department of Justice as well as the legal sector, will be clear that judicial independence is our cornerstone. We shouldn't be misled casually," she said.

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