LegCo passes curbs on foreign lawyers taking national security cases
立會通過限洋狀接國安案
The controversy over the interpretation of the law triggered by Jimmy Lai’s national security case ultimately led the Department of Justice to propose amendments to the Legal Practitioners Ordinance, creating multiple layers of scrutiny for overseas lawyers participating in national security cases. The Legislative Council resumed debate today. Ambrose San Keung Lam of the legal sector said the proposal did not impose a blanket ban on overseas lawyers, but instead made the Chief Executive and the Secretary for Justice the “goalkeeper” and “defender” respectively: “But Manchester United also have a defender called ‘Maimaisong’, and there is no guarantee that making a prolonged defence will not lead to mistakes.” The amendment ultimately passed its third reading by a show of hands in an anonymous vote, with no one raising a hand against it.
黎智英國安案觸發的釋法風波，律政司最終提出《法律執業者條例》修訂，設多重關卡審查海外律師參與國家安全案件。立法會今日恢復辯論，法律界林新強指方案未一刀切禁止海外律師，只是由特首和律政司分別擔任龍門及後衛，「但英國曼聯足球隊，都有個後衛叫『麥麥送』，無法擔保久守不會出錯。」修訂最終在不記名投票下，三讀舉手通過，無人舉手反對。