Author Archives: hksar gov

     Following is a question by the Hon Dominic Lee and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):
 
Question:
 
     The 2023 Policy Address has proposed to promote the new energy transport industry, continue to test out more new energy vehicles including hydrogen double-deck buses and hydrogen street washing vehicles, formulate the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong in the first half of this year, and commence the preparatory work for the legislative amendments pertaining to the production, storage, transportation and application of hydrogen fuel. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of registered new energy vehicles and its percentage in the total number of vehicles in Hong Kong, as well as the number of new energy vehicles owned by the Government and its percentage in the total number of vehicles owned by the Government as at the end of last month;
 
(2) of the operating performance of hydrogen double-deck buses and hydrogen street washing vehicles as tested by the Government, and whether it has studied if such hydrogen-powered vehicles can be included as one of the options for new energy transport; whether the Government has drawn up a timetable for releasing the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong; and
 
(3) as there are views that the technology of electric private cars (PCs) is rather mature, whether the authorities will, for the purpose of promoting electrification of PCs, take a more aggressive approach in setting a date for the complete phasing out of fuel-propelled and hybrid PCs, and roll out more measures to encourage the use of electric PCs, so as to achieve as early as possible zero emissions from PCs?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     To align with the national “dual carbon” targets, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSARG) strives to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and reduce the total carbon emissions of Hong Kong from the 2005 level by half before 2035. It is a global trend to promote development of new energy transport to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector. The HKSARG announced the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles, Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong 2035, and Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 successively in March, June and October 2021. These blueprints and roadmap cover policy directions and future targets in various areas to promote the adoption of new energy transport technologies, so as to guide Hong Kong towards zero vehicular emissions before 2050.
 
     In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, Transport Department, and the Government Logistics Department (GLD), I would like to reply to the question raised by the Hon Lee as follows:
 
(1) As of the end of April 2024, there were 93 173 registered new energy vehicles in Hong Kong, accounting for 10.3 per cent of the total number of registered vehicles.
 
     According to the information provided by the GLD, there were a total of 7 158 vehicles in the establishment of the government fleet as at December 2023, among which 179 were electric vehicles (EVs), accounting for 2.5 per cent of the total number of vehicles in government fleet. There were a total of 1 853 saloon cars in the establishment of the government fleet, among which 159 were EVs, accounting for 8.6 per cent of the total number of government saloon cars.
 
(2) Apart from EVs, hydrogen vehicles are also a kind of new energy transportation of which the HKSARG is promoting. The Government set up the Inter-departmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel (the Working Group) in 2022 to co-ordinate preparatory work of bureaux and departments for the use of hydrogen fuel locally, as well as to promote the local adoption of hydrogen energy through trial projects so as to explore its future development potential and opportunities in Hong Kong.
 
     As at April 2024, the Working Group has successively reviewed and given agreement-in-principle to 14 applications of hydrogen energy trial projects, of which three have already commenced the trial, including the Citybus Limited’s first hydrogen bus and its hydrogen refuelling facility. This hydrogen bus started the passenger service officially in February 2024 for trial operation in three Kowloon urban routes in phases, namely 20, 22M and 20A. The Working Group is collecting the operational data of the hydrogen bus for assessing its operational performance.
 
     On the other hand, three hydrogen fuel cell street washing vehicles of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department are coming to Hong Kong successively. The statutory vehicle examination processes are underway. It is expected that their trial would be launched later this year in tandem with the trial of a public hydrogen refuelling station in Au Tau, Yuen Long set up by Sinopec (Hong Kong) Limited, so as to use the station for hydrogen fuel replenishment during the trial period. The potential applications of hydrogen energy in future can be very wide. In new energy transportation, hydrogen energy especially suits the needs of green transformation of medium to large-sized, and medium to long-haul, vehicles. This is also the reason we chose these pilot projects.
 
     The Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the HKSARG will formulate the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong (the Development Strategy) in the first half of this year. We have canvassed views from the industry and experts, and plan to publish the Development Strategy next month to make early preparation for the wider application of hydrogen energy in the future, so that Hong Kong can seize the various opportunities brought by the development of hydrogen energy.
 
(3) The Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles sets out in a concrete manner the long-term policy objectives and plans to promote the adoption of EVs and their associated supporting facilities. Major initiatives include setting a target to cease new registration of fuel-propelled private cars (PCs) in 2035 or earlier, promoting the use of electric private cars (e-PCs), expanding the EV charging network, and creating an environment with support facilities that is conducive for the popularisation of EVs. Sufficient time will be provided for stakeholders to prepare for the transition to EVs. In particular, on the provision of a comprehensive public and private charging network to support the popularisation of e-PCs, the Chief Executive set a target in the 2023 Policy Address to increase the total number of public and private parking spaces with charging infrastructure in Hong Kong to about 200 000 by mid-2027.
 
     The HKSARG has made notable progress in promoting the popularisation of EVs. In terms of e-PCs, the percentage of EVs among newly registered PCs in Hong Kong has soared significantly in recent years, increasing from 6.3 per cent in 2019 to 64.6 per cent in 2023. The HKSARG will continue to expand the charging network and supporting facilities on multiple fronts to provide a good environment and conducive conditions to encourage car owners to switch to EVs. 
 
     Although the technology of e-PCs is increasingly mature, there are still hundreds of thousands of fuel-propelled and hybrid private cars on the road in Hong Kong. Time is required for car owners to switch to e-PCs. On the other hand, EV manufacturers also need time to build up the types and models of their products. The choice of e-PC types and models in the current market is not as wide as those of conventional petrol PCs. Even though e-PCs have a huge fuel cost advantage over conventional petrol private cars, there is still a considerable number of users who choose conventional petrol PCs for various reasons. Therefore, it is not yet the time now to decide on a more aggressive date for complete phasing-out of fuel-propelled and hybrid PCs. The HKSARG will closely monitor the supply of e-PCs in the market and the progress of the popularisation of e-PCs, and review from time to time whether the target to cease new registration of fuel-propelled and hybrid PCs in 2035 can be further advanced.
 
     Thank you, President. read more

     A Water Supplies Department (WSD)’s registered consumer of a subdivided flat in Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, was convicted today (May 22) of overcharging her subdivided unit (SDU) tenant for water, in contravention of regulation 47 of the Waterworks Regulations. The registered consumer pleaded guilty to four counts of offences at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts.

     â€‹This is the 18th similar conviction case since the first conviction in June 2022, with associated fines ranging from $1,000 to $6,500. This is also the second case convicted in the same month.

     A spokesman for the WSD said that the Waterworks (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (the amended WWO) came into operation on April 19, 2024, which strengthened the power of the Water Authority in evidence collection and information disclosure during the investigation of suspected cases of overcharging for water. The Water Authority can request the landlords and their agents, etc, to provide the tenancy agreement and receipt or payment record for charges for water. Failure to comply with such a request can be an offence and the offender is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $10,000 and a further fine of maximum $1,000 for each day the offence continues. It is anticipated that there will be more prosecution cases. The maximum penalty for overcharging SDU tenants for water has been raised to $25,000 so as to deter this illegal act. Moreover, providing false or misleading information to the Water Authority is also an offence with a maximum penalty of a $25,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment. 

     The WSD spokesman strongly appealed to landlords to apply for installation of separate water meters for their SDUs, which can greatly reduce the risk of contravening the amended WWO. The water fee deposit and the charge for providing a meter for each separate water meter installed under the Scheme for Installation of Separate Water Meters for Subdivided Units will be waived. Individual water bills will be provided for each water meter account. The first 12 cubic metres of water are free at four-month intervals. SDU tenants can contact the WSD to raise their request for separate water meters. Upon receiving such requests, the WSD will contact their landlords for installation of the separate meters. If the landlords refuse, the WSD may require landlords to provide information on the recovery of water charges from their tenants for suspected overcharging cases. Details of the scheme can be obtained from the WSD website (www.wsd.gov.hk/en/customer-services/application-for-water-supply/pilot-scheme-for-installation-of-separate-water-me/index.html).

     The WSD encourages the public to report any illegal act of overcharging SDU tenants for water for follow-up and investigation by the department. The public can call the WSD Hotline 3468 4963 or WhatsApp 5665 5517 to apply for installation of separate water meters for SDUs. The WhatsApp hotline also handles matters relating to water overcharging in SDUs. Alternatively, the public can call the WSD Customer Enquiry Hotline 2824 5000 to report water overcharge cases. After calling the hotline and choosing a language, they can press “7” for reporting to staff directly. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a written reply by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):
 
Question:
 
     Regarding the Office of Former Chief Executives (FCEO), will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the person who decided to rent the office unit in Pacific Place, Admiralty as FCEO;
 
(2) given that a Former Chief Executive indicated in response to media enquiries earlier on that the policies and practical arrangements of FCEO were formulated and implemented by the Government with the approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, and it is learnt that the relevant arrangement was that the Government would set up FCEO in government premises, of the justifications for renting a private premise with public funds as FCEO;
 
(3) given that in the reply to my question on October 26, 2022, the Government indicated that the net rent of FCEO in Pacific Place was about $377,000 per month, and in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2024-2025, the Government indicated that the rent and related expenses of the office in 2023-2024 amounted to $5.67 million (i.e. $472,500 per month on average), of the reasons for the discrepancy between the two;
 
(4) as there are views pointing out that the rental of office buildings in core business districts (CBD) is high, and it may be necessary to set up offices for more Former Chief Executives in the long run, whether the Government will study identifying suitable premises in existing government properties to set up a larger office for use by a number of Former Chief Executives upon the expiry of the lease of FCEO in Pacific Place, so as to save rent and administrative costs while facilitating the meeting of guests with a number of Former Chief Executives; if no suitable premises are available in existing government properties, whether the Government will, having regard to the principle of the proper use of public funds, consider purchasing premises which meet the necessary requirements of ancillary facilities and security in a strategically located non-CBD (e.g. Wan Chai North), so as to set up a larger FCEO; if not, of the reasons for that; and
 
(5) given that after I raised a question on reviewing the FCEO mechanism on October 26, 2022, it is learnt that the public is still very concerned about the relevant use of public funds, whether the Government will consider afresh reviewing the relevant mechanism so that it will set up FCEO only for the last three Former Chief Executives at 28 Kennedy Road, so as to ensure the sustainability of the mechanism and the proper use of public funds; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Michael Tien is as follows:
 
     In April 2005, the Government appointed the Independent Commission on Remuneration Package and Post-office Arrangements for the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (the Independent Commission) to consider and make recommendations on the remuneration package and post-office arrangements for the Chief Executive (CE). The Independent Commission completed its study and submitted its report to the Government in June 2005. The recommendations in the report included the provision of support and other life-long benefits for all former CEs. The Government accepted the recommendations of the report and presented related recommendations as well as the financial arrangements for implementing the recommendations to the Finance Committee (FC) of the Legislative Council in November 2005. Since then, the Government has been providing support and other life-long benefits, including office accommodation and administrative support, for all former CEs to support them in performing promotional and protocol-related functions for Hong Kong after leaving office.
 
     The Government set up The Office of Former Chief Executives of the HKSAR (FCEO) at 28 Kennedy Road in 2007. The premises can only accommodate three former CEs at most and no space was available to set up an office for the fourth former CE. Taking into account that the new office has to be commensurate with the status of a former CE, coupled with the operational requirements including the location, transport, facilitation for meeting people from different sectors, and security, etc., the Central and Admiralty districts were considered suitable for setting up the office in question. As there were no suitable and available government premises in the districts at the time, a leasable office unit was identified at Pacific Place as FCEO for a tenancy period of three years starting from May 2022. In the written reply to Special Meetings of the FC to examine the estimates of expenditure 2024-25, the Government has pointed out that the rent and related expenses of the Office in 2023-24 were $5.67 million. The figure included, apart from the rent, management fee, cleaning service and electricity expenses. We will consider at the suitable juncture the arrangement after the expiry of the lease.
 
     The Government will continue to provide support and other life-long benefits to all former CEs according to the recommendations set out in the Independent Commission’s report, including appropriate office accommodation and administrative support, to facilitate their performance of promotional and protocol-related functions for Hong Kong. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Robert Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):
 
Question:
 
     In March this year, Hong Kong staged the first ever LIV Golf Tour, an international golf mega event, which featured not only the golf tournament but also concerts and a range of entertainments. There are views pointing out that Middle East countries have been actively developing sports in recent years, including hosting football matches, Formula 1 Races, snooker tournaments, and the aforesaid professional golf tour is also backed by a sovereign wealth fund from the Middle East. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it will strengthen co-operation with Middle East countries to host more international sports mega events in Hong Kong that are sponsored or organised by Middle East countries;
 
(2) given that in the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker recently held in Saudi Arabia, a new rule was specifically set for the matches to increase their attractiveness, whether the Government will, in holding various kinds of sports mega events, draw reference from such creative practice and add new rules specially for Hong Kong-staged events so as to accentuate their uniqueness; if not, of the reasons for that; and
 
(3) of the measures in place to promote exchanges between Hong Kong and Middle East countries in sports development and foster the development of professionalised and commercialised sports in Hong Kong by drawing reference from the successful experience of these countries?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government’s sports policy is to promote the development of sports through a five-pronged approach, namely, by promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports, promoting Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhancing professionalism and developing sports as an industry. Hosting major international sports events in Hong Kong promotes sports development in Hong Kong and showcases Hong Kong’s capability to host world-class sports events. It also enriches the experience of tourists coming to Hong Kong and presents Hong Kong’s characteristics and charm to overseas athletes, on-site spectators and online viewers of the events, thereby bringing in more overseas visitors and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as a centre for major international sports events.
 
     My reply to the question raised by the Hon Robert Lee is as follows:

(1) The Government is committed to promoting Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events. In 2004, the “M” Mark System for major sports events was introduced to support the hosting of major international sports events in Hong Kong through provision of matching fund and direct grants. To encourage the staging of more major international sports events in Hong Kong, the Government launched various measures in April 2023 to enhance the “M” Mark System. These include increasing the funding ceiling for each event to $15 million, abolishing the quota of two “M” Mark events that can be organised by the same applicant each year, and relaxing the eligibility of applicants to cover events organised by sports associations and other private or non-governmental organisations. The enhancement measures have been effective since their introduction. In the 2023-24 financial year, a record high of 18 major international sports events supported under the “M” Mark System were held in Hong Kong. Among these events are the Aramco Team Series Hong Kong (women’s golf), FIA World Rallycross Championship, the WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series, LIV Golf Hong Kong and World Triathlon Cup, which were staged in Hong Kong for the very first time. We expect that more than 20 major international sports events will be supported under the “M” Mark System this financial year, with an estimated funding allocation of about $200 million.

     The Government will continue to encourage and facilitate “national sports associations” and other private or non-governmental organisations to collaborate with relevant institutions in different countries (including those in the Middle East) or regions with a view to bringing more suitable mega events to Hong Kong, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong’s status as a centre for major international sports events. For example, the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China, sponsored by a company in Saudi Arabi, brought the Aramco Team Series Hong Kong (women’s golf) to Hong Kong for the first time last year.
 
(2) At present, some exhibition matches have already taken into account the situation of Hong Kong and devise different competition content in order to enhance the attractiveness of the event. For example, the International Tennis Challenge held in 2022 included a wheelchair exhibition match, of which international tennis players were invited to play with local wheelchair players. As for other major international sports competitions, they have to follow the competition rules formulated by the relevant international sports organisations in general. That said, organisers may formulate different rules according to the circumstances of Hong Kong so as to enhance the attractiveness of the competition upon obtaining acknowledgement or consent of the relevant international sports organisations.

(3) At present, the Government provides annual funding to the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) through the Elite Athletes Development Fund to nurture local elite athletes, and support their training and participation in sports events held in Hong Kong and around the world. In 2024-25, the HKSI expects that athletes from around 11 “Tier A” elite sports will undergo training or participate in competitions countries in the Middle East, enabling Hong Kong to make reference to their work on elite sports development and athlete training, as well as fostering exchanges with countries in the Middle East on elite sports.Looking ahead, the Government will continue to explore opportunities for enhanced co-operation with other countries (including those in the Middle East) in the area of sports development. The Government will also maintain its support for the development of professional leagues and local clubs and encourage their participation in major sports competitions on the Mainland and in the region, thereby further enhancing sports professionalism and developing sports as an industry. read more

     Following is the keynote address by the Acting Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, at the 8th ICAC Symposium “Charting a New Path to Combat Corruption” today (May 22):

Commissioner Woo (ICAC Commissioner, Mr Woo Ying-ming), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     It is my honour today to deliver a keynote address at this symposium, alongside all the distinguished speakers.

     In the following time, I would like to highlight the work of the Department of Justice (DoJ) in combating corruption by upholding rule of law at both local and international levels.

Rule of law in Hong Kong

     The notion of rule of law is widely believed to be important for the development of society. Why is it so? Let us look at what the United Nations say. The Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations calls for actions to, among others, “promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all”, and “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms”.

     It is no exaggeration to say that the rule of law based on our common law system is one of the bedrocks of Hong Kong’s success and prosperity.

     As reflected from various international indices, Hong Kong’s rule of law has improved substantially since 1997. Our percentile rank for rule of law in the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators has increased from below 70 points in 1996 to around 88 in 2023, ranking third in Asia.

     In the 2023 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Hong Kong ranks the sixth in East Asia and the Pacific, and attains 23rd out of 142 countries and jurisdictions, ahead of quite a few western countries.

     Credits to the excellent work of the ICAC, Hong Kong is also regarded as one of the least corrupt places under the Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 issued by Transparency International. Hong Kong has consistently remained in the top 20 since the launch of the Index, demonstrating that Hong Kong’s anti-corruption efforts by the ICAC have been widely recognised.

Strong legal infrastructure

     Hong Kong’s success in upholding the rule of law is built on our strong legal infrastructure.

Independent judicial power

     It is constitutionally guaranteed that judicial power shall be exercised independently by the courts, free from any interference. Judges are appointed solely on the basis of their judicial and professional qualities by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of an independent commission with their tenure secured under the Basic Law.

     One remarkable feature of Hong Kong’s judicial system is that our final appellate court may invite eminent foreign judges to sit as non-permanent judges. Including the recently recommended appointment, there will be an increase from nine to 10 foreign non-permanent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, who are highly regarded in their own jurisdictions and bring with them international judicial experience that enrich Hong Kong’s jurisprudence.

Protection of human rights

     The Basic Law also guarantees that everyone, regardless of status, profession or political belief, shall be equal before the law.

     All prosecutorial decisions shall be made by the DoJ independently free from any interference, based on the law, the evidence and the published Prosecution Code.

     The right to fair trial is guaranteed in the Basic Law. Court hearings are open to the public. Judicial decisions with detailed reasons are available online.

     We also ensure equal access to justice. In Hong Kong, there is no ceiling on legal aid expenditure covering a wide range of civil and criminal cases. Once the statutory means and merits tests are satisfied, legal aid funding will be made available.

Legal profession

     With a robust infrastructure in place, we need human talent to make it work effectively. Hong Kong is home to a deep pool of legal professionals comprising solicitors and barristers who are self-regulated respectively by the Law Society and the Bar Association of Hong Kong. We have also attracted a substantial number of overseas lawyers to provide professional services in Hong Kong.

     These local and overseas legal professionals are multilingual and highly regarded internationally in terms of their expertise and strong integrity.

Promotion of the rule of law at all fronts

     Fully recognising its importance, the DoJ spares no efforts in the promotion of rule of law.

     We launched the ROLE Stars Train-the-Leaders Programme in November 2023 which aims at enhancing the trainees’ ability and effectiveness in disseminating proper messages on the rule of law in their roles and capacities in the community. After the successful conclusion of its Phase I last year, we are actively planning to launch the second phase in Q3 this year.

     The DoJ also actively collaborates with other stakeholders, including the Law Society and the Bar Association, in promoting rule of law to different sectors of the community. For example, we have put in place interactive drama performances on the rule of law for primary schools.

     Speaking of stakeholders, we are most grateful for the ICAC’s dedicated efforts on public education, adopting an “Ethics for All” approach to devise preventive education programmes for different sectors of the community, e.g. the iTeen Leadership Programme and ICAC Ambassador Programme for senior secondary and tertiary students. In the past years, the DoJ helped organise interesting rule of law journeys for the iTeen Leaders and ICAC Ambassadors. And this year, we are planning to send our Rule of Law Education Leaders to visit the ICAC so as to further deepen our trainees’ understanding of the important role of the ICAC in upholding the rule of law. I hope that through such these exchanges, we could create synergy in our joint efforts on the promotion of rule of law.

Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy

     Furthermore, the DoJ has set up an internal working group responsible for taking forward the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy. As mentioned in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address, this year, the DoJ will set up a dedicated office and an expert group to take forward the establishment of the Academy. Capitalising on Hong Kong’s strengths under the rule of law, bilingual common law system and international status, the Academy will plan, organise and launch training programmes focusing on legal practices and procedures based on the DoJ’s existing training and capacity building programmes, further consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region. In developing Hong Kong as a national capacity-building centre for foreign-related rule of law personnel, we are better safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Other local measures

     The constitutional guarantee of prosecutorial independence in Hong Kong under the Basic Law is a linchpin of our rule of law.

     Corruption undermines social fairness and justice, hinders economic co-operation and development, as well as affects government credibility and the rule of law. As the Court of Appeal forewarned us in HKSAR v Chan Sze-ting & Anor, (unreported), HCMA 106/1997, “If corruption was not destroyed, it would destroy society.” It is against this background that the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance was enacted and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the ICAC, was established.

     Combatting corruption and upholding the rule of law are essential for a fair and just society. This involves enforcing strict regulations, promoting transparency, empowering independent judicial systems, and fostering a culture of accountability among both citizens and public officers.

     The setting up of the ICAC in Hong Kong equipped with a comprehensive regime of anti-corruption offences and investigatory powers signify our determination to hit hard at the root of the social evil of corruption.

     Technology has enabled crimes today to transcend jurisdictional boundaries. In charting a new path to combat corruption, closer cross-jurisdictional co-operation between law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies is more vital than ever. Joint collaborative efforts comprises the sharing of information among countries to investigate and prosecute cross-border corruption cases. The importance of experience sharing sessions cannot be overlooked.

     The 11th IAP Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors is an example of our endeavour in global co-operation initiatives. The Conference will be hosted by the Prosecutions Division of our department in November this year in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event will be attended by around 200 prosecutors, including the Attorney General and heads of prosecutorial agencies, from different jurisdictions in the Asia Pacific Region and across the globe. The Conference, with the theme of “Effective Prosecution Service in the Technological Age”, will focus on combatting crime in the technological age and the use of technology in the criminal justice system. It is certain that much insights and perspectives can be gained through such a meaningful forum where legal knowledge and experience is shared on a global level.

International co-operation

     Hong Kong is not doing all these alone. The HKSAR has always been committed to playing a proactive role in international co-operation in law enforcement. We have an ongoing initiative to establish and expand legal co-operation with other jurisdictions across the globe. Over the years, we have regularly and successfully rendered international co-operation and legal assistance in criminal matters to many other jurisdictions pursuant to applicable arrangements and multilateral conventions including the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which has been applied to Hong Kong since 2006.

     Domestically, the Fugitive Offenders (Corruption) Order, the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (Corruption) Order, the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance contain detailed provisions, covering the creation, investigation and prosecution of relevant offences of bribery, corruption and money laundering; and the arrangements on surrender of fugitive offenders and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, including provision and obtaining of evidence, as well as restraining, confiscating and repatriation of proceeds of crime.

     The HKSAR has always maintained a high standard in processing requests for mutual legal assistance, the quality of which has been fully recognised and highly regarded worldwide, such as in the Mutual Evaluation Report published by the Financial Action Task Force in 2019.

     The HKSAR has fulfilled its important role in the fight against cross-border crimes. In particular, the HKSAR has been fully supportive of the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Legal experts from the DoJ have taken an active part as members of the delegation of the People’s Republic of China in participating a wide range of UNODC-related events, including the Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC, the Implementation Review Group of the UNCAC, the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Asset Recovery and the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Meeting to Enhance International Cooperation.

     In the last decade, the DoJ has processed over 1 000 mutual legal assistance requests and more than 30 surrender cases that concern offences covered by the UNCAC. In the same period, over HK$270 million of proceeds of crime had been restrained, of which over HK$170 million was ordered by the Court to be confiscated. There are many successful cases of sharing of confiscated assets with other jurisdictions.

     Moreover, I am also pleased to share with you the good news that China, the HKSAR and Macao SAR have recently been admitted as full members of the South East Asia Justice Network (SEAJust). This network aims to promote international co-operation and intelligence sharing in the combat against all forms of serious and organised crimes. The HKSAR’s participation in SEAJust will complement conventional formal legal co-operation among member jurisdictions and enable us to further consolidate our effectiveness in international law enforcement co-operation and to cope with new challenges in the combat against cross border crimes.

     Last but not least, I wish to express my best wishes to the success of this symposium. I am sure that the insights shared during these three days would go beyond the event, so that we could continue to fight against corruption with confidence.
 
     Thank you very much. read more