Hong Kong passes law barring foreign lawyers from security cases

HONG Kong legislators have granted the city’s leader the power to veto foreign lawyers from national security cases, which will put a decision handed down from Beijing last year onto the finance hub’s law books.

The city’s courts will have to obtain a certificate from the Chief Executive, John Lee, in order to allow a foreign lawyer to participate in such a case under the Legal Practitioners bill, which was amended by the opposition-free legislature on Wednesday (May 10). The bill now heads to Lee’s desk for signing.

Previously, foreign lawyers were allowed to practice on an ad hoc basis, provided they were qualified in their own jurisdiction.

Last year, Lee asked Beijing to decide whether overseas lawyers could take part in national security law trials, after the city’s highest court affirmed media mogul Jimmy Lai’s right to hire a UK-based lawyer.

China’s legislature ruled that Hong Kong courts must get approval from the city’s chief executive before allowing an overseas-based lawyer to participate. Wednesday’s decision effectively codifies that response into Hong Kong law.

Lai, the septuagenarian founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is charged with colluding with foreign forces by seeking international sanctions against Hong Kong and China. His trial is scheduled to start on Sep 25. BLOOMBERG