The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary: 

     At the invitation of the Judiciary, members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services today (August 20) visited the West Kowloon Law Courts Building (WKLCB) and met with members of the Judiciary. Similar visits were last organised in 2017 and 2019.

     The visit started with a short meeting of Panel members with the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Andrew Cheung Kui-nung; the Chief Judge of the High Court, Mr Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor; and the Judiciary Administrator, Ms Esther Leung Yuet-yin, to exchange views on topical issues relating to administration of justice. 

     Members then were given a guided tour inside the newly renovated Mega Court at the WKLCB together with a demonstration on major initiatives on the use of technology, including remote hearing and use of e-bundles, as well as digital evidence presentation and exhibits handling at court hearings. 

     This was followed by an on-site briefing on the Judiciary's management of the increasing number of high-profile cases involving a large number of defendants and observers, including expansion of courtroom capacity, court extension and broadcasting arrangements and seating allocation, as well as anti-epidemic, security and crowd management measures. 

     Members participating in the visit included the Chairman of the LegCo Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Deputy Chairman of the Panel, Mr Martin Liao; and Panel members Ms Starry Lee, Mr Chung Kwok-pan, Dr Junius Ho, Mr Holden Chow and Ms Yung Hoi-yan.

Ends/Friday, August 20, 2021
Issued at HKT 18:10

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