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The Government announced today (August 9) that the Chief Executive, on the recommendation of the Chief Justice, has appointed three Panel Judges and the Commissioner on Interception of Communications and Surveillance (the Commissioner) under the newly enacted Interception of Communications and Surveillance Ordinance (the Ordinance).
Under the Ordinance, there should be three to six Panel Judges to consider applications for authorisations of interception and Type 1 surveillance and for device retrieval warrants. Three Panel Judges have been appointed. They are -
(a) Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee
Mr Justice Pang was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1978, the Hong Kong Bar in 1979 and the Bar of the State of Victoria, Australia, in 1983. He was in private practice before joining the Judiciary as Magistrate in May, 1985. He was appointed District Judge in August, 1987, and Judge of the High Court in January, 1997. Mr Justice Pang is the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Post-service Employment of Civil Servants and the Advisory Committee on Post-Office Employment for Principal Officials. He is also the Chairman of the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong, and provides valuable service to the legal education field.
(b) Mr Justice Suffiad Azizul Rahman
Mr Justice Suffiad was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1975. He was in private practice from 1975 to 1998. He sat as a Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court from August, 1997, to February, 1998, and was appointed Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court in March, 1998. Mr Justice Suffiad is a member of the Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training.
(c) Mr Justice Andrew Chung On-tak
Mr Justice Chung was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1984. He served in the then Legal Department of Hong Kong from 1984 to 1987 and was in private practice from 1987 to 1995. He joined the Judiciary as a District Judge in 1996, and was appointed Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court in 1999. Mr Justice Chung is the Chairman of the Costs Committee.
The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, said the three judges were senior judges with a wealth of experience. "I am pleased that they have taken up this important task," he said.
Under the Ordinance, the Commissioner performs the role of an independent oversight authority to ensure the law enforcement departments' compliance with the requirements of the Ordinance. Mr Justice Woo Kwok-hing, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, has been appointed the Commissioner.
Mr Justice Woo was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1969 and the Hong Kong Bar in 1970. He became a Member of the New York State Bar in 1986 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1987. He was in private practice from 1970 to 1992 before joining the Judiciary as Judge of the High Court in 1992. Mr Justice Woo was appointed Justice of Appeal of the High Court in 2000 and elevated to be a Vice-President of that Court in 2004. Mr Justice Woo has a long history of public service. He was the Commissioner of the Inquiry into the Garley Building Fire from 1996 to 1997. He served as the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on the New Airport from 1998 to 1999. He has been supervising Hong Kong elections for 13 years in the capacity of Chairman of the then Boundary and Election Commission between 1993 and June, 1997, and of the Electoral Affairs Commission from September, 1997. For his contribution to electoral work, he was awarded the honours of CBE in 1996 and GBS in 2002.
"Mr Justice Woo is a highly experienced judge, and has made significant contribution to public service, particularly in ensuring that public elections in Hong Kong are open, fair and honest. I have every confidence that he will be able to perform his important new task most capably," the Chief Executive said.
The new Ordinance provides a comprehensive statutory framework for regulating the carrying out of interception and covert surveillance by law enforcement departments. "It is a fine example of striking a balance between protecting the rights of the community to law and order and the privacy rights of the individual. The Government is committed to ensuring its smooth implementation," Mr Tsang said.
The appointment of the Panel Judges takes immediate effect. To allow Mr Justice Woo to complete hearing the cases already assigned to him in the month of August, the Commissioner's appointment will take effect from August 17, 2006. The term of appointments of the panel judges as well as the Commissioner are all for a period of three years.
Ends/Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Issued at HKT 10:28
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