· 20-AUG-1993
16:19
P.005/006
LAWYERS
Many papers quoted Bar Association Chairman Jacqueline Leong as suggesting that law firma should inform their clients the reasons should they decline to take up a case. She said this would help maintain public confidence in the legal profession. However, several papers quoted Deputy chairman of the Law Society Patrick Sherrington as saying that the proposal was not foasible. He said if a law firm declined to take up a case for reason of conflict of interest, then it would have to disclose information about another client in order to explain to one client why his case was rejected. He added that the Law Society was studying ways to solve the problem of law firms rejecting cases,
Meanwhile, Jimmy McGregor of the HK Democratře Foundation said the group was very concerned about law firms declining to take up Szeto Wah/Martin Lee's libel suit against Simon 11. He suggested that senior Chinesa officials, such as lu Ping, Chould assure HK people that the Chinese Government would support the implementation of the BL scipulation concerning the maintenance of MK's judicial independence after 1997. Ha said the group would write to Lu Ping to suggest this to help put HK people's hearts at ease,
G
FINANCE
The papers in their financiul pagos noted prominently that Cheung Kong Holdings registered a 95 per cent increase in profits in the flast half of this year,
Company chairman Li Ka-shing predicted that the profits in the socend half of the yeni would be even greator,
Many papors in their financial pages also noted in good coverage that Hang Seng Bank posted a 17.5 per cent increase in interim profit this year though lower than oxpected. chairman of the bank Sir O.W. Lee said that it was difficult for banks to maintain a high growth.
Ju an interview with the HK Economic Times, Acting Finance Secretary Donald Tsang said that the Finance Branch would take the lead in stroomlining by cutting its establishment by 15 per cent from April 1 Boxt year. He also said that the Government had contingency plans to minimise the effects if China failed in its macro-economic control. In another report, the paper quoted Mr Tsang as saying that the Government was considering extending the period for collecting stamp duty on property transactions upon the signing of a sale and purchase Agreement when it expired next January.
JOHN PURTER
The Oriental Daily News in a report filed from Washington said that US Congressman John Porter, who had heen following HK affairs closely, would visit the territory from August 24 to 28. In an interview with the panor, Mr Porter said he would listen more and speak less during his visit to HK and Guangdong.