Second Judicial Review Sought Over Colocation Plan

The controversial joint immigration checkpoint legislation passed last week has inspired a second application for a judicial review challenging the plan to allow mainland officers to enforce mainland laws in part of the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus.

Youngspiration leader Sixtus Leung launched a bid on Thursday for a judicial review over the legislation, saying it is unconstitutional.

His application was the first legal challenge over the plan to let the mainland run part of the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus to be filed after the Legislative Council passed the required legislation last week.

Previous moves for a judicial review over the arrangements were shot down by the courts as the legislative process was not completed.

In his application to the High Court, Sixtus Leung said Legco's approval of the bill should be declared void, because Article 11 of the Basic Law states that the legislature cannot enact laws that contravene the mini-constitution.

Speaking after filing the papers, he said he thinks there is a high chance of obtaining the court's permission for a review. "If you read over the Basic Law, you can find a lot of articles that are contradicting with the bill," he said.

The Youngspiration leader also said that he will seek legal aid from the government for his move.

A few hours later, former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung also applied for a judicial review, saying the legislation contravenes Article 18 of the Basic Law, which states that national laws shall not be applied in the SAR unless they're related to defence, foreign affairs and other matters outside Hong Kong's autonomy.

Last updated: 2018-06-21 HKT 22:13