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Technical amendments to draft Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Bill
A Government spokesman denied today (Wednesday) that one of the technical amendments approved by the Governor-in-Council yesterday was to make solicitors eligible for direct appointment as judges of the Court of Final Appeal (CFA), as reported by some local newspapers today.
"The Government is proposing to introduce into the Legislative Council an amendment Bill to the existing Supreme Court Ordinance to make solicitors who have practised as such for 10 years or more in Hong Kong eligible for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court (which comprises the High Court and the Court of Appeal)," the spokesman said.
"The Government intends to consider the question of whether to make solicitors eligible for appointment as CFA judges at a later stage, after the legislation to make solicitors eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court has been considered by the Legislative Council," the spokesman added.
The spokesman also strongly refuted a suggestion that the proposal to make solicitors eligible for appointment as Supreme Court judges was part of a secret deal with the Council of the Law Society in return for its support for the draft CFA Bill.
"There is no secret deal of any kind," he said. "The two issues are quite separate."
End/Wednesday, January 25, 1995
Government intends to appeal High Court decision
In response to press enquiries, a Government spokesman confirmed today (Wednesday) that the Government intended to appeal yesterday's decision of the High Court to release the Vietnamese migrants involved in the habeas corpus action.
"The appeal will be lodged before the end of the week and pending the decision of the Court of Appeal, no further Vietnamese migrants will be released as a consequence of yesterday's High Court decision," he said.
End/Wednesday, January 25, 1995