Hong Kong justice secretary tries to have prosecution of policeman who shot protester thrown out by ‘assuming conduct’ of case
- Letters from the Department of Justice to the courts request an early date for a hearing to withdraw summonses in the private prosecution
- Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui, who initiated the case, said the move ‘blatantly overrides the rule of law’
Hong Kong’s justice minister appears to have personally stepped in to seek the cancellation of a private prosecution against a police officer who shot a protester during an anti-government demonstration last year, drawing criticisms that her move overrode the rule of law.
Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who filed the legal bid against the policeman, said he was furious at Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah’s move, and was considering applying for a judicial review over her “intervention”.
Hui said she had invoked her powers to take control of the proceedings with the aim of having the summons withdrawn.
His party released copies of letters sent to the courts from the Department of Justice saying “the SJ [Secretary for Justice] has intervened and assumed the conduct” of the proceedings under the Magistrates Ordinance.
“We write to request for an early mention date … before August 31, 2020 for the prosecution to withdraw the summonses,” one letter reads, adding that the department does not require the attendance of the defendant.
