This Report provides an overview of the major events of the Judiciary in 2021. This is also the first annual report of the Judiciary after my appointment as the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal.

2021 has been a challenging but eventful year for the Judiciary.

As mentioned in my speech at the Opening of the Legal Year in January this year, a judiciary can only be as good as the judges that man its courts.

Taking into account the eight judicial appointments made at different levels of court in 2021, there are 160 substantive judges and judicial officers serving in the Judiciary. Following the legislative amendments to extend the statutory retirement ages of judges and judicial officers, a vast majority of judges and judicial officers eligible to opt to transfer to the new retirement age arrangements have exercised their options to serve till the extended retirement ages.

In response to public concerns over the Judiciary’s handling of complaints against judicial conduct particularly in relation to some high profile cases, the Judiciary has fully reviewed the complaint handling mechanism with a view to enhancing its transparency and accountability while ensuring no undermining of judicial independence. An enhanced mechanism with a two-tier structure involving the establishment of an advisory committee under my chairmanship has come into operation since August 2021.

To help enhance judicial education and professional qualities of our judges, the Judiciary organised various new and additional judicial training and exchange programmes for judges and judicial officers in 2021. We will continue to do so this year.

On the operational front, despite the evolving public health situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Judiciary has been endeavouring to handle the maximum possible volume of court business as efficiently and safely as circumstances permit through timely adjustments to court capacity and social distancing measures. The total number of cases filed and disposed of in 2021 have generally returned to the level in 2019 before the pandemic.

We have been dedicating extra and priority attention to coping with the unprecedented challenges posed by the many cases arising from the events in 2019 as well as national security cases, many of which involve large numbers of defendants and lengthy trials. All this is on top of the thousands of non-refoulement cases that are before our courts. The Judiciary has been expediting the processing of these cases through the engagement of additional judicial manpower, pro-active case management, enhancement of the capacity of courtrooms, and provision of additional court facilities. We will continue with such efforts in the coming few years. To cater for our longer-term accommodation needs, we have been working towards consulting the Legislative Council and seeking their funding approval in 2022 for the new District Court building project which is expected to be completed in around five years’ time.

In line with our mission to remain a professional and efficient judiciary that moves with the times, we have been making a quicker and wider use of technology for enhancing the efficiency of our court operations in various areas. These include remote hearings for civil proceedings, e-bundles at court hearings, e-appointment system, digital evidence and exhibits handling system. Following the passage of the enabling legislation in 2021, we have been proceeding at full steam in preparation for the first phase of implementation of electronic filing in civil cases at the District Court in the first half of 2022. We are also planning to introduce legislative amendments in 2022 to enable remote hearings in criminal proceedings to be conducted where appropriate.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank members of the community, the Government and the Legislative Council for their invaluable support for the work of the Judiciary. I would also like to express my gratitude to my fellow judges and judicial officers, as well as the staff in the Judiciary for their dedication and professionalism in meeting the challenges now and ahead.

Andrew CHEUNG
Chief Justice

Review of 2021


The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal on 11 January 2021. At the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year on the same day, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG indicated that the Opening of the Legal Year was an important occasion for the Judiciary as well as the community, as it focused public attention on the administration of justice and the rule of law, and in particular the challenges we faced.

In his first Opening of the Legal Year as Chief Justice, he explained the three fundamentals that the Judiciary are committed to: first, the Judiciary must be and must remain an independent and impartial judiciary because an independent judiciary is essential to the rule of law in Hong Kong and the due administration of justice; second, the Judiciary must comprise judges who are upright and who are prepared to uphold rights because a judiciary can only be as good as the judges that man its courts; and lastly, the Judiciary must remain a professional and efficient judiciary that moves with the times.

The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG remarked that independence did not mean a lack of accountability. Subject to the overriding consideration that there can be no undermining of judicial independence, he agreed that there was still room for further enhancement of the transparency and accountability of the complaint handling mechanism against judges and mentioned that a review of the existing mechanism would be undertaken for this purpose. He also mentioned that efforts would be made to strengthen continuing judicial education for our judges and our exchanges with the judiciaries and judges in other common law jurisdictions as well as our counterparts on the Mainland.

The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG remarked that a modern judiciary must be an efficient judiciary. He outlined the measures that would be taken to enhance the efficiency of the Judiciary in view of the increasing number of leave applications for judicial review relating to non-refoulement claim cases and the large number of criminal cases arising from the social events in 2019. He also provided an update on the Judiciary’s efforts in making greater use of technology to support and facilitate the conduct of court business.

The Chief Justice emphasized that the Judiciary was committed to the rule of law and to administering justice in full accordance with the law without fear or favour, self-interest or deceit.

Appointment of Judges and Judicial Officers

The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal on 11 January 2021.

Besides, various judicial appointments took effect in the year of 2021. The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal on 30 July 2021.

The Right Hon Lord Patrick HODGE was sworn in as a Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal on 22 November 2021.

The Hon Madam Justice Maggie POON, the Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM and the Hon Mr Justice Anderson CHOW, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, were appointed as Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court on 9 June 2021.

The Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, was appointed as a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court on 16 August 2021.

The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, was appointed as the President of the Competition Tribunal for a term of three years on 16 August 2021.

His Honour Judge Johnny CHAN, District Judge, and Miss Anna LAI Yuen-kee, SC were appointed as Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court on 26 November 2021.

Review of complaint mechanism against judicial conduct

The Judiciary conducted a review on the mechanism for handling complaints against judicial conduct for the purpose of enhancing its transparency and accountability. Arising from this review, a two-tier mechanism for handling complaints against judicial conduct was put in place as from August 2021-

(a) Tier 1: A Panel of Judges (the first-tier) comprising more than one High Court judge will investigate pursuable complaints against judicial conduct which are serious or complex, or have aroused wide public attention;
(b) Tier 2: All cases investigated by the Panel of judges in Tier 1 will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Complaints against Judicial Conduct (“Advisory Committee”) formed to monitor and advise on handling of complaints against judicial conduct. It is chaired by the Chief Justice and comprises senior judges and members from the community with expertise and experience in judicial / professional / public services.

All pursuable complaints directly related to judicial conduct of judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Court Leaders will also be handled under the two-tier system, irrespective of whether they are of a serious or minor nature.

The 2021 Annual Report of the Advisory Committee is available at the Judiciary website.

Judicial training

In 2021, our judges and judicial officers continued to participate in various judicial training activities organized by the Hong Kong Judicial Institute and webinars organized by other organisations. The Hong Kong Judicial Institute organized a new series of seminars on China law to strengthen understanding of the legal and judicial system of the Mainland. The first seminar on the constitution of the People’s Republic of China, the Basic Law and the National Security Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was conducted in April 2021 whereas the second seminar on the constitutional role of the National People’s Congress and the development of the judicial system of the People’s Republic of China was conducted in December 2021.

Exchanges with other Jurisdictions

In 2021, our judges and judicial officers continued exchanges with their counterparts in other jurisdictions. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the exchanges were conducted mainly through on-line video conferencing. A gist of these exchanges is set out below.

In March, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the third meeting of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts hosted by the Singapore Supreme Court via video conferencing.

In May, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG; the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court; and the Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, departed to Beijing to meet with the President of the Supreme People's Court, Chief Justice Zhou Qiang, and visited the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People’s Court and Beijing Internet Court, and paid courtesy calls to the General Office, the Legislative Affairs Commission and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Justice and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

In July, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG, the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, and the Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, attended and delivered speeches at the Sixth Seminar of Senior Judges of Cross-Strait and Hong Kong and Macao through video conferencing.

In the same month, the Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, gave a speech at the First Xiamen Cross-Border Insolvency Colloquium in Xiamen via video conferencing.

In September, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered a speech at the Third China Judicial Research Summit Forum and Rule of Law Culture and Judicial Practice Seminar in the form of pre-recorded video.

In October, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the Maritime Silk Road (Quanzhou) International Forum on Judicial Cooperation via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON also delivered a speech at the Forum.

In November, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered welcome remarks at the Judicial Conference of the Fourth United Nations Commission on International Trade Law ("UNCITRAL") Asia Pacific Judicial Summit 2021. The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, also delivered a speech at the Judicial Conference.

In the same month, the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, addressed the International Criminal Law Conference via a pre-recorded video.

Besides, the Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, delivered a speech at the legal forum by the Hong Kong and Mainland Legal Professional Association entitled "Maritime Dispute Resolution in Hong Kong: Current and Future".

In addition, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered the opening address at the Rule of Law Signature Engagement Event “SEE – A Journey of Transformation for a Sustainable Future”.

Meeting challenges on caseloads

In 2021, the caseloads at the various levels of court generally returned to the levels before the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the upsurge of cases (especially those relating to social event (“SE”) and national security (“NS”)) at various court levels, and the phenomenal increase in applications for leave to apply for judicial review on non-refoulement claims and related appeals at the High Court and the Court of Final Appeal, have posed unprecedented challenges to the Judiciary.

The Judiciary has been making pro-active and dedicated efforts in coping with the challenges through a series of measures which seek to make the best possible use of available manpower and court facilities to handle the maximum volume of court business. Such measures include-

(a) engagement of additional judicial manpower. The Judiciary has launched a new round of recruitment exercises for judges and judicial officers at different levels of court, which are now in progress, with a view to maintaining sufficient judicial manpower to meet operational needs;
(b) more pro-active case management for SE and NS cases, including imposing a tight procedural timetable;
(c) using alternative means of disposal for civil proceedings (including judicial reviews) such as remote hearings and paper disposal where appropriate; and
(d) enhancing the capacity of courtrooms and providing additional court facilities.

With such pragmatic efforts, we managed to dispose of workload comparable to that in 2019 before the pandemic and generally achieve the target court waiting times for civil cases in 2021. However, owing to the need to re-schedule cases affected by adjustments to court capacity in light of the evolving public health situation, and the impact of the influx of SE and NS cases as mentioned above, the average court waiting times for some case types, mainly for criminal cases, have been affected.

Enhancement of court facilities and security

In 2021, the Judiciary continued to make dedicated efforts to enhance court facilities in support of an effective judicial system for the administration of justice. To cope with the upsurge of cases which involve multiple defendants or attract wide public and media attention, we have increased the functional capacity of courtrooms by broadcasting court proceedings in adjacent courtrooms in the Wanchai Law Courts Building and the West Kowloon Law Courts Building.

Upon completion of its renovation in September 2021, we have converted the largest courtroom in the West Kowloon Law Courts Building into a mega courtroom that can accommodate as many as 54 defendants (up from 12 previously), 100 legal representatives (up from 18 previously) and 50 family members of the defendants or members of the public.

We also recommissioned in October 2021 the Tsuen Wan Law Courts Building with four courtrooms for hearing District Court cases, so as to free up courtrooms in the District Court in Wanchai for cases that involve many court users.

The year 2021 also saw the Judiciary embarking on various temporary accommodation projects to provide additional court facilities to meet imminent needs. A total of seven courtrooms will be built at the Wanchai Tower and the Revenue Tower, including a mega courtroom which can accommodate as many as 50 defendants, 100 legal representatives and 50 family members or members of the public.

As regards court security, the Judiciary put in place security screening for the Court of Final Appeal Building in July 2021 and the West Kowloon Law Courts Building in December 2021, in addition to security screening already in operation on the court floors of the High Court and the Family Court. As part of our on-going efforts to ensure the safety of Judges, Judicial Officers, Judiciary staff and court users, this measure aims to prevent prohibited items from being brought into court premises. Where practicable and appropriate, the Judiciary would consider introducing security screening in other court premises.

With the higher number of cases which attract much public and media attention, the Judiciary has been taking appropriate crowd management and security measures, including queuing and ticketing arrangements to ensure fair allocation of seats and orderly admission of court users, as well as proportionate deployment of security manpower for keeping order and security in court premises.

Greater use of technology

The Judiciary has been making on-going efforts to make use of technology to enhance the efficiency of court operations. The impetus was substantially increased following the need for reductions in court capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, we were proceeding at full steam with the implementation of a series of key technology initiatives including e-filing under the Information Technology Strategy Plan (“ITSP”), use of e-bundles at court hearings, remote hearings, e-appointment system as well as digital evidence and exhibits handling system.

Over the past few years, under the ITSP, the Judiciary has been developing by phases an integrated court case management system (“iCMS”) across all levels of court for handling court-related documents and payments through an electronic mode.

To tie in with the forthcoming implementation of the ITSP, the Judiciary has been trying out e-bundle hearings for suitable District Court civil cases since December 2020. The feedback from users has so far been positive. Taking into account the operational experience, the Judiciary will see how best to encourage more e-bundle hearings at various court levels in the near future.

The Judiciary has been promoting the use of more remote hearings for civil proceedings since April 2020. So far, over 1 000 remote hearings (including video-conferencing and phone hearings) have been conducted and the experience has been positive. For criminal proceedings, to remove the legal impediments to remote hearings, the Judiciary is working on the necessary legislative amendments to provide the court with the flexibility to order remote hearings as it sees fit. We plan to introduce the relevant Bill into the Legislative Council as soon as practicable.

To minimize the need for court users to queue up for registry services, the Judiciary introduced an e-appointment system for selected registry services at the Probate Registry, Family Court and Lands Tribunal in early March 2021. The operating experience has been positive. We are extending the system to cover a few other court services.

The Judiciary will also continue to promote greater use of information technology and/or audio-visual facilities at court buildings so as to meet the increasing need to present and handle digital evidence and exhibits at court hearings, particularly for cases relating to SE and NS cases.

Highlights of Events in 2021


January
1 The Rt Hon Lord Patrick HODGE was appointed as a Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal for a term of three years
1 Mr Martin HUI Siu-ting, SC; Ms SIT Yat-wah, SC; and Ms Rachel LAM Yan-kay, SC, were appointed as Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a term of three years
1 Ms Winnie TAM Wan-chi, SC; and Mr Stewart WONG Kai-ming, SC, were re-appointed as Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a term of three years
6 Farewell Sitting in honour of the Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA was held in the Court of Final Appeal
8 The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA served his last working day in the Judiciary
11 The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
11 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG officiated at the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year 2021 in the Court of Final Appeal

February
1 Mr Eugene FUNG Ting-sek, SC; Mr Charles Peter MANZONI, SC; and Ms Yvonne CHENG Wai-sum, SC, were re-appointed as Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a term of three years

March
1 The terms of office of the Hon Mr Justice Murray GLEESON, the Rt Hon the Lord NEUBERGER of Abbotsbury and the Rt Hon the Lord WALKER of Gestingthorpe, Non-Permanent Judges from other common law jurisdictions of the Court of Final Appeal, were extended for a period of three years
12 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the third meeting of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts hosted by the Singapore Supreme Court via video conferencing. The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG also delivered a speech at the meeting

May
18.5-21.5 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG; the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court; and the Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, met with the President of the Supreme People’s Court and visited other courts and government authorities in Beijing
29 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG presided over the 2021 Senior Counsel Admission Ceremony
31 The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, delivered a speech at the “Why Use Hong Kong Law” webinar jointly organised by the Department of Justice and the Asian Academy of International Law

June
2 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered a speech at the launching ceremony of the “Legal Aid Department 50th Anniversary Roving Exhibition”
9 The Hon Madam Justice Maggie POON, the Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM and the Hon Mr Justice Anderson CHOW, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, were appointed as Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
16 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG spoke at the Hong Kong Association webinar
28.6-1.7 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, visited Beijing to attend the celebration activities of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China

July
5 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG attended the National Security Law Legal Forum organised by the Department of Justice
23 The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, delivered a speech at the First Xiamen Cross-Border Insolvency Colloquium in Xiamen via video conferencing
27 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG; the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court; the Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; the Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA, the Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG, JA, the Hon Mr Justice Anderson CHOW, JA, Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; His Honour Judge Justin KO, Chief District Judge; and Mr Victor SO, Chief Magistrate, attended the Sixth Seminar of Senior Judges of Cross-Strait and Hong Kong and Macao via video conferencing
30 The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
30 The term of office of the Rt Hon Madam Justice Beverley McLACHLIN, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years

August
1 The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal; the Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court; His Honour Judge Justin KO, Chief District Judge; and Mr Victor SO, Chief Magistrate, adjudicated the Bar Association Debating Competition 2021
16 The Advisory Committee on Complaints against Judicial Conduct was established
16 The Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, was appointed as a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
16 The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, was appointed as the President of the Competition Tribunal for a term of three years
20 Members of the Legislative Council Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services visited the West Kowloon Law Courts Building

September
6 Five members of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee visited the Judiciary
28 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered a speech at the Third China Judicial Research Summit Forum and Rule of Law Culture and Judicial Practice Seminar via a pre-recorded video

October
1 The term of office of the Rt Hon the Lord PHILLIPS of Worth Matravers, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
1 Mr WONG Ming-fung, SC; Mr Victor DAWES, SC; Mr Richard KHAW Wei-kiang, SC; Mr José-Antonio MAURELLET, SC; Mr Abraham CHAN Lok-shung, SC; and Mr PAO Jin-long, SC, were appointed as Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a term of three years
25 The terms of office of the Hon Mr Justice Syed Kemal Shah BOKHARY and the Hon Mr Justice Robert TANG, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judges of the Court of Final Appeal, were extended for a period of three years
26 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended via video conferencing the Maritime Silk Road (Quanzhou) International Forum on Judicial Cooperation organised by the Supreme People’s Court. The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON also delivered a speech at the Forum
27 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered a speech at the ADR in Asia Conference: Tomorrow’s Disputes Today

November
1 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered welcome remarks at the Judicial Conference of the Fourth United Nations Commission on International Trade Law ("UNCITRAL") Asia Pacific Judicial Summit 2021. The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, also delivered a speech at the Judicial Conference
2 The Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, delivered a speech at the legal forum organised by the Hong Kong and Mainland Legal Professional Association entitled "Maritime Dispute Resolution in Hong Kong: Current and Future"
2 The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, addressed the International Criminal Law Conference via a pre-recorded video
2 The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, delivered a speech at the Judicial Roundtable of the Fourth UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit 2021
5 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered the opening address at the Rule of Law Signature Engagement Event “SEE – A Journey of Transformation for a Sustainable Future”
19 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered opening remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Law Week 30th Anniversary
20 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG received the Grand Bauhinia Medal
21 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered a speech at the Hong Kong Scout 110th Anniversary – Scout Day
26 His Honour Judge Johnny CHAN, District Judge, and Miss Anna LAI Yuen-kee, SC were appointed as Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

December
3 Ms Esther LEUNG, Judiciary Administrator, and 15 staff from the Judiciary Administration attended a webinar on the use of technology in courts hosted by the Supreme People’s Court
8 The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered a speech at the Annual General Meeting of The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong

List of Judges and Judicial Officers



Serving Judges and Judicial Officers
Court of Final Appeal
- Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG, GBM
- Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal
The Hon Mr Justice R A V RIBEIRO
The Hon Mr Justice Joseph P FOK
The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM
- Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal
The Hon Mr Justice S K S BOKHARY, GBM
The Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, GBM
The Hon Mr Justice Robert TANG, GBM, SBS
The Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, GBS
The Rt Hon the Lord HOFFMANN, GBS
The Hon Mr Justice Murray GLEESON, GBS
The Rt Hon the Lord NEUBERGER of Abbotsbury, GBS
The Rt Hon the Lord WALKER of Gestingthorpe, GBS
The Rt Hon the Lord COLLINS of Mapesbury
The Rt Hon the Lord PHILLIPS of Worth Matravers
The Hon Mr Justice William GUMMOW
The Hon Mr Justice Robert FRENCH
The Rt Hon the Lord REED of Allermuir
The Rt Hon Madam Justice Beverley McLACHLIN
The Rt Hon Lord SUMPTION
The Rt Hon Lord HODGE

High Court
- Chief Judge of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice S C POON
- Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice Andrew C MACRAE, V-P
The Hon Madam Justice Susan KWAN, V-P
The Hon Mr Justice Peter CHEUNG, JA
The Hon Madam Justice Maria C YUEN, JA
The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA
The Hon Mr Justice Aarif T BARMA, JA
The Hon Mr Justice Derek PANG, JA
The Hon Mr Justice Kevin P ZERVOS, JA
The Hon Mr Justice H C AU, JA
The Hon Madam Justice Maggie POON, JA
The Hon Mr Justice Godfrey LAM, JA
The Hon Mr Justice Anderson CHOW, JA
The Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG, JA
- Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice Barnabas FUNG, GBS
The Hon Mrs Justice Judianna W L BARNES
The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan R HARRIS
The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG
The Hon Madam Justice Esther TOH
The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHAN
The Hon Madam Justice Mimmie CHAN
The Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN
The Hon Mr Justice Peter NG
The Hon Madam Justice B. CHU
The Hon Mr Justice David LOK
The Hon Mr Justice Joseph YAU
The Hon Mr Justice Albert WONG
The Hon Mrs Justice Audrey P CAMPBELL-MOFFAT
The Hon Madam Justice Susana M D'ALMADA REMEDIOS
The Hon Mr Justice Wilson CHAN
The Hon Madam Justice K Y WONG
The Hon Mr Justice S T POON
The Hon Madam Justice Marlene NG
The Hon Mr Justice W T LEE
The Hon Mr Justice Russell A COLEMAN
The Hon Mr Justice Keith YEUNG
The Hon Madam Justice C F CHAN
The Hon Mr Justice Johnny CHAN
The Hon Madam Justice Anna LAI
- Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
Mr POW Wing-nin, Jason, SC
Mr HOUGHTON Anthony Kenneth, SC
Ms TAM Wan-chi, Winnie, SBS, SC, JP
Mr WONG Kai-ming, Stewart, SC
Mr FUNG Ting-sek, Eugene, SC
Mr MANZONI Charles Peter, SC
Ms CHENG Wai-sum, Yvonne, SC
Mr HUI Siu-ting, Martin, SC
Ms SIT Yat-wah, SC
Ms LAM Yan-kay, Rachel, SC
Mr WONG Ming-fung, SC
Mr DAWES Victor, SC
Mr KHAW Wei-kiang, Richard, SC
Mr MAURELLET José-Antonio, SC
Mr CHAN Lok-shung, Abraham, SC
Mr PAO Jin-long, SC
- Registrar, High Court
Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon
- Senior Deputy Registrar, High Court
Mr HO Chi-yin, Andy

District Court
- Chief District Judge
His Honour Judge Justin KO
- Principal Family Court Judge
His Honour Judge C K CHAN
- District Judges
His Honour Judge Michael WONG
His Honour Judge Stanley CHAN
His Honour Judge C M LEUNG
Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY
His Honour Judge Eddie YIP
Her Honour Judge Katina LEVY
His Honour Judge Frankie YIU
His Honour Judge K W WONG
His Honour Judge Douglas YAU
His Honour Judge W K KWOK
His Honour Judge Josiah LAM
His Honour Judge Anthony KWOK
His Honour Judge David J DUFTON
Her Honour Judge Amanda J WOODCOCK
His Honour Judge K H HUI
His Honour Judge Jack WONG
Her Honour Judge Katherine LO
His Honour Judge Gary LAM
His Honour Judge Andrew LI
His Honour Judge Herbert AU-YEUNG
His Honour Judge Harold LEONG
His Honour Judge Kent YEE
His Honour Judge C P PANG
His Honour Judge Timothy H CASEWELL
His Honour Judge Simon LO
His Honour Judge S L TAM
Her Honour Judge Angela KOT
His Honour Judge Reuden LAI
His Honour Judge George OWN
Her Honour Judge Y F CHAN
His Honour Judge L W WONG
His Honour Judge M K LIU
His Honour Judge Edmond LEE
Her Honour Judge Winnie TSUI
His Honour Judge Clement LEE
His Honour Judge Ernest M LIN
Her Honour Judge Adriana N TSE CHING
His Honour Judge K K PANG
His Honour Judge K C CHAN
Her Honour Judge Phoebe MAN

Lands Tribunal
- Members, Lands Tribunal
Mr PANG Ho-chuen, Lawrence 
Mr NG Siu-lam, Alex 

Magistrates' Courts and other Tribunals
- Chief Magistrate
Mr SO Wai-tak
- Principal Magistrates
Ms CHAINRAI Bina
Mr LAW Tak-chuen, Peter
Mr LUI Kin-man, Simon
Mr HO Chin-pang, Dick
Miss YIM Shun-yee, Ada
Mr SO Man-lung, Don
Miss CHUI Yee-mei, Ivy
- Magistrates
Mr MAK Kwok-cheung
Mr TO Ho-shing
Mr CHEANG Kei-hong
Mr WONG Kwok-fai, Raymond
Ms CHAN Wai-mun
Miss CHOW Pok-fun, Josephine
Mr YIP Sue-pui, Lawrence
Mr WAN Siu-ming, Jason
Mr LI Chi-ho
Ms WONG Susan
Ms LAU Yee-wan, Winnie
Mr TANG Siu-hung, Daniel
Mr CHEUNG Chi-wai, David
Mr CHENG Lim-chi
Ms LAM Mei-sze, Michelle
Mr CHUM Yau-fong, David
Mr SHUM Kei-leong, Timon
Mr KO Wai-hung
Miss HO Wai-yang
Ms CHEUNG Kit-yee
Ms CHEUNG Tin-ngan, June
Ms WONG Sze-lai
Miss NG Chung-yee, Debbie
Ms HEUNG Shuk-han, Veronica
Ms TO Kit-ling, Doris
Ms SHUI Kelly
Ms CHENG Kam-lin, Catherine
Mr CHAN Ping-chau, Kenneth
Mr LEE Siu-ho
Mr CHOW Chi-wei, Raymund
Ms CHU Yuen-yee
Mr CHAN David
Ms WONG Nga-yan, Peony
Mr WONG Sze-cheung, Colin
Ms SO Ka-yin, Rita
Miss LEE Kar-lok, Jacqueline
Mr HO Chun-yiu
Ms SOONG Wing-sum
Ms LEUNG Ka-kie
Ms TSUI May-har, Stephanie
Ms LEUNG Siu-ling
Mr IP Kai-leung, Jacky
Mr PANG Leung-ting
Ms CHUNG Ming-sun, May
Miss CHAN Lo-yee, Louise
Mr WONG Ching-yu, Edward
Mr LAM Tsz-kan
Mr LEUNG Man-liang, Matthew
Miss LAU Suk-han
Mr MOK Tze-chung, Andrew
Miss LEUNG Nga-yan, Frances
Mr LAM Hei-wei, Arthur
Ms CHOW Wai-choo, Monica
Ms CHAK Kwok-yee
Mr LAM Chak-ming
Ms YEUNG Yee-na, Eleanor
Miss SIU Chi-wan, Jo
Mr LUNG Gwun-ting
Miss WAT Lai-man, Minnie
Mr YU Chun-cheung, Peter
Mr SZE Cho-yiu, Jeffrey
Mr PUN Wang-hon, Dominic
- Special Magistrate
Mr YU Chun-pong


Judges and Judicial Officers who retired/left the Judiciary in 2021
- Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA, GBM
(Retired in 2021)
- Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal
The Rt Hon the Lord MILLETT, GBS
(It is with great sadness that The Rt Hon the Lord MILLETT, GBS passed away on 27.5.2021)
The Rt Hon the Baroness HALE of Richmond
(Term of appointment expired on 29.7.2021)
- Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice Wally YEUNG, GBS, V-P
(Retired in 2021)
The Hon Mr Justice Ian C McWALTERS, GBS, JA
(Retired in 2021)
- District Judges
His Honour Judge S M SHAM
(Retired in 2021)
His Honour Judge Roy YU
(Retired in 2021)

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Court of Final Appeal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Applications for leave to appeal            
Criminal
67 53 35 41
(22)		 60
(42)		 69
(47)
Civil
426 289 564 133
(110)		 314
(261)		 539
(497)
Total 493 342 599 174 374 608
Substantive appeals            
Criminal
8 2 10 15 6 10
Civil
8 11 6 7 15 6
Total 16 13 16 22 21 16
Miscellaneous proceedings 0 1 0 0 1 0
* Case disposal refers to applications for leave to appeal/appeals which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, abandoned or discontinued
  The figures in brackets indicate the number of applications dismissed under Rule 7 of the Court of Final Appeal Rules, Cap. 484A

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
Applications for leave to appeal        
From notice of hearing to hearing        
Criminal
45 44 42 34
Civil
35 34 31 34
Substantive appeals        
From notice of hearing to hearing        
Criminal
100 98 98 82
Civil
120 113 93 88

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



High Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE HIGH COURT

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Court of Appeal
Appellate
Criminal
Appeals from the Court of First Instance
165 79 83 146 122 112
Appeals from the District Court
206 146 212 230 148 165
Sub-total 371 225 295 376 270 277
Civil
Appeals from the Court of First Instance
560 611 559 526 361 730
Appeals from the District Court
12 14 15 13 6 15
Miscellaneous Appeals
25 28 25 21 20 22
Sub-total 597 653 599 560 387 767
Review of Sentences
Criminal
Reviews from the Court of First Instance
0 0 3 0 0 0
Reviews from the District Court
4 2 9 4 3 4
Reviews from the Magistrates' Courts
1 14 9 1 9 12
Sub-total 5 16 21 5 12 16
Total 973 894 915 941 669 1 060
Miscellaneous Proceedings 321 263 602 203 217 449
* Case disposal refers to appeals/reviews which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, discontinued or abandoned with or without court order
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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Court of First Instance
Appellate
Criminal
Appeals from Magistrates' Courts 603 428 608 585 444 443
Civil
Appeals from Labour Tribunal 23 23 18 21 23 23
Appeals from Small Claims Tribunal 45 48 53 43 26 41
Appeals from Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board 4 2 0 5 2 1
Miscellaneous Appeals 4 5 1 2 2 5
Sub-total 76 78 72 71 53 70
Total 679 506 680 656 497 513
First Instance
Criminal Jurisdiction
Criminal Cases 424 366 256 446 241 320
Confidential Miscellaneous Proceedings 340 440 545 340 440 545
Application for Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Proceedings (Criminal) 684 772 724 655 763 686
Sub-total 1 448 1 578 1 525 1 441 1 444 1 551
Civil Jurisdiction
High Court Actions 2 431 2 200 1 960 1 519 1 266 1 254
Miscellaneous Proceedings 2 385 2 378 2 233 1 430 1 397 1 571
Bankruptcy & Companies Winding-up+ 9 272 9 831 8 169 9 227 8 021 8 844
Personal Injuries Actions 506 540 428 1 335 506 512
Other cases# 4 380 2 957 2 218 1 096 1 497 1 806
Sub-total 18 974 17 906 15 008 14 607 12 687 13 987
Total 20 422 19 484 16 533 16 048 14 131 15 538
Masters Chambers
Interlocutory hearings** 25 382 22 997 24 416 24 099 16 607 23 450
Taxation bills 547 561 592 418(1) 429(1) 476(1)
Probate
Applications~ 21 005 16 521 21 978 20 503(2) 16 592(2) 20 390(2)
* Case disposal refers to appeals which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, discontinued or abandoned with or without court order; criminal cases where defendants have been convicted or acquitted; and civil cases where claims have been successfully made or dismissed
+ Cases include Bankruptcy Proceedings, Companies Winding-up Proceedings, Applications for Interim Order (Bankruptcy) and Applications to Set Aside Statutory Demands
# Other cases include Constitutional and Administrative Law Proceedings, Admiralty Actions, Adoptions, Bill of Sale Registrations, Book Debt Registrations, Commercial Actions, Construction and Arbitration Cases, Matrimonial Causes, Applications under the Mental Health Ordinance, Probate Actions, Stop Notices, Confidential Miscellaneous Proceedings (Civil) and Intellectual Property (a new case type created to capture intellectual property matters before the Court of First Instance with effect from 6 May 2019. Its caseload was formerly subsumed under High Court Actions or High Court Miscellaneous Proceedings and categorized under civil jurisdiction of the Court of First Instance)
~ With effect from 1 January 2020, figure to include resealing application received
** The caseload figure represents the number of interlocutory applications listed with hearings, and the disposal figure represents the number of the interlocutory applications heard in the reporting period
  Note (1) : Case disposal refers to taxation bills processed
  Note (2) : Case disposal refers to grants issued/grants resealed/estates administration completed by the Official Administrator in summary manner


AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE HIGH COURT

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* A new Practice Direction on criminal proceedings in the Court of First Instance of the High Court was promulgated in June 2017 to enhance management of criminal proceedings. Having regard to the new procedures under the Practice Direction, consideration is being given to review how the average waiting time for the Criminal Fixture List should be measured. In addition, the Criminal Expedited List has replaced the Criminal Running List. The way to measure the average waiting time of the Criminal Expedited List and the setting of its target are being considered in the light of the operation of the new measures

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



Competition Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE COMPETITION TRIBUNAL

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Application for Review
0 0 0 0 0 0
Enforcement Action
1 3 2 0 3 1
Action
0 0 0 0 0 2
Miscellaneous Proceedings
0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 3 2 0 3 3
* Case disposal refers to applications / claims which have been successfully made or dismissed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE COMPETITION TRIBUNAL

As there are only five cases being set down for trial/substantive hearing in the Competition Tribunal, the waiting time is inapplicable. The target average waiting time will be considered when more cases are set down for trial/substantive hearing at the Tribunal

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



District Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE DISTRICT COURT

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Criminal Jurisdiction
Criminal Cases 961 1 119 1 171 1 201 774 1 001
Civil Jurisdiction
Civil 7 053 7 037 5 956 4 977 4 810 5 033
Tax Claim 1 564 778 735 1 281 858 493
Distress for Rent 4 783 4 923 4 492 4 650 4 660 4 300
Employee's Compensation 3 046 2 659 2 760 2 869 2 542 2 892
Other civil cases + 9 496 8 756 8 884 4 792 3 990 4 955
Sub-total 25 942 24 153 22 827 18 569 16 860 17 673
Family Jurisdiction
           
Matrimonial Causes 15 393 12 363 13 344 15 223 11 023 12 142
Joint Applications 6 681 4 939 4 430 5 934 4 997 4 550
Miscellaneous Proceedings 262 215 277 236 204 258
Adoption Applications 50 68 81 45 52 55
Sub-total 22 386 17 585 18 132 21 438(1) 16 276(1) 17 005(1)
Total (Civil) 48 328 41 738 40 959 40 007 33 136 34 678
Total 49 289 42 857 42 130 41 208 33 910 35 679
Masters Chambers
           
Interlocutory hearings** 10 382 9 744 10 534 7 988 6 283 8 299
Taxation bills
           
Divorce 823 611 885 766 603 903
Others 525 450 466 370 277 251
Sub-total 1 348 1 061 1 351 1 136(2) 880(2) 1 154(2)
Total 11 730 10 805 11 885 9 124 7 163 9 453
* Case disposal refers to those where defendants have been convicted or acquitted and those where claims have been successfully made or dismissed
+ Other civil cases include Miscellaneous Proceedings, Stamp Duty (Ordinance) Appeals, Equal Opportunities Actions, Personal Injuries Cases, Occupational Deafness (Compensation) Appeals, Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Appeals, Estate Agents Appeals and Stop Notice Cases
** The caseload figure represents the number of interlocutory applications listed with hearings, and the disposal figure represents the number of the interlocutory applications heard in the reporting period
  Note (1) : Case disposal refers to Decree Absolute granted and Adoption Orders made
  Note (2) : Case disposal refers to taxation bills processed


AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE DISTRICT COURT

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
Criminal - from first appearance of
defendants in District Court to hearing		 100 191 210 287
Civil Fixture List - from date of listing to hearing 120 95 105 108
Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing 30 21 28 20
Dissolution of marriage - from setting down of a case to hearing        
Special Procedure List
35 35 35 35
Defended List (all hearings)
110 89 69 59
Financial applications - from setting down of a case to hearing
110-140 81 85 74

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



Lands Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LANDS TRIBUNAL

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Appeal cases
1 472 789 910 493 759 1 202
Compensation cases
1 2 6 15 9 7
Building management cases
298 203 232 209 222 338
Tenancy cases
3 910 3 391 3 193 3 164 3 941 4 158
Lands compulsory sale applications
37 36 16 22 27 36
Miscellaneous proceedings applications
3 11 1 2 2 4
Total 5 721 4 432 4 358 3 905 4 960 5 745
* Case disposal refers to appeals which have been allowed or dismissed and trials or hearings which have been concluded

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE LANDS TRIBUNAL

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
From setting down of a case to hearing        
Appeal cases
90 35 39 -*
Compensation cases
90 38 29 64
Building management cases
90 21 31 25
Tenancy cases
50 17 24 16
* As there is no appeal cases filed, the waiting time is inapplicable

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



Magistrates' Courts

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

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Caseload Disposal*
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Charge Cases
25 798 22 436 22 471 25 405 21 354 22 252
Hawker Cases
1 216 1 192 1 245 1 204 1 189 1 232
Departmental & Private Summonses
170 156 144 040 172 756 170 625 135 466 174 207
Driving-Offence Points Summonses
2 277 1 631 2 307 2 218 1 611 2 233
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Traffic)
468 480 704 526 412 734
Fixed Penalty Summonses
(Public Cleanliness and Obstruction)
97 89 83 96 83 86
Fixed Penalty Summonses
(Smoking Offences)
21 11 17 21 20 12
Fixed Penalty Summonses
(Vehicle Idling)
0 0 0 0 0 0
Fixed Penalty Summonses
(Mandatory Window Inspection)
21 27 16 19 22 21
Fixed Penalty Summonses
(Plastic Shopping Bag)
0 0 0 0 0 0
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Gathering Offence)#
- 108 424 - 39 423
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Mask Not Worn)+
- - 235 - - 146
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Compulsory Testing)~
- - 1 - - 0
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Premises Direction)^
- - 1 - - 0
Miscellaneous Proceedings
10 869 9 131 10 509 10 650 9 240 10 341
Departmental Notice
636 655 617 654 614 623
Fixed Penalty Notice (Traffic)
117 497 133 975 156 017 129 843 121 068 160 379
Fixed Penalty Notice
(Public Cleanliness and Obstruction)
2 542 2 402 2 760 2 610 2 355 2 802
Fixed Penalty Notice (Smoking Offences)
723 514 423 698 564 404
Fixed Penalty Notice (Vehicle Idling)
0 0 0 0 0 0
Fixed Penalty Notice (Mandatory Window Inspection)
425 236 202 417 251 214
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Plastic Shopping Bag)
0 2 0 0 2 0
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Gathering Offence)#
- 175 1 133 - 130 942
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Mask Not Worn)+
- - 530 - - 454
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Compulsory Testing)~
- - 0 - - 0
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Premises Direction)^
- - 5 - - 4
Total 332 746 317 104 372 456 344 986 294 420 377 509
* Case disposal refers to cases where defendants have been convicted or acquitted after trial or hearing, pre-hearing payments of all penalties and costs, and applications which have been granted, refused, withdrawn or struck out
# New case types pursuant to section 6(1) of the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation, Cap. 599G came into effect on 29 March 2020
+ New case types pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation, Cap. 599I came into effect on 15 July 2020
~ New case types pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation, Cap. 599J came into effect on 15 November 2020
^ New case types pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation, Cap. 599F came into effect on 29 April 2021

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
Summonses - from plea to date of trial 50 67 75 79
Charge cases except for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial        
For defendants in custody
30-45 41 45 48
For defendants on bail
45-60 51 67 70
Charge cases for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial
For defendants in custody
30-45 30 13 56
For defendants on bail
45-60 58 60 74

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



Labour Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Claims
4 323 3 533 4 278 4 143 2 990 4 166
Reviews
78 56 72 81 65 60
Restore claims
71 62 68 59 55 60
Set-aside awards
131 80 96 113 62 93
Total 4 603 3 731 4 514 4 396 3 172 4 379
* Case disposal refers to claims which have been concluded, including claims awarded, dismissed, settled, withdrawn and transferred

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
From appointment to filing of a case
30 29 61 25
From filing of a case to first hearing
30 25 23 22

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



Small Claims Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

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Caseload Disposal*
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Claims
55 879 39 821 45 649 55 304 39 518 46 827
Reviews
189 162 207 170 175 219
Total 56 068 39 983 45 856 55 474 39 693 47 046
* Case disposal refers to claims which have been made successfully or dismissed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
From filing of a case to first hearing
60 36 41 39

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels



Obscene Articles Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE OBSCENE ARTICLES TRIBUNAL

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Articles for determination
21 081 14 024 0 21 081 14 024 0
Articles for classification
82 107 38 81 108 38
Articles for review
0 0 0 0 0 0
Articles for reconsideration
0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 21 163 14 131 38 21 162 14 132 38
* Case disposal refers to those articles which have been determined or classified; those in respect of which determination or classification is not required with consent of both parties; and those in respect of which determination or classification has been reviewed or reconsidered


AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE OBSCENE ARTICLES TRIBUNAL

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
From referral by a magistrate to determination
21 15 10 -#
From receipt of application to classification
5 2 3 2
From receipt of application to review
35 -^ -^ -^
From receipt of application to reconsideration
35 -* -* -*
# As there is no application for determination filed, the waiting time is inapplicable
^ As there is no application for review filed, the waiting time is inapplicable
* As there is no application for reconsideration filed, the waiting time is inapplicable

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Coroner's Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE CORONER'S COURT

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Caseload Disposal *
2019 2020 2021 2019 2020 2021
Death inquests with jury
106 86 140 114 63 150
Death inquests without jury
11 12 14 16 10 13
Total 117 98 154 130 73 163
  • * Case disposal refers to death inquests concluded


AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE CORONER'S COURT

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Average Waiting Time (days)
Target 2019 2020 2021
From date of listing to hearing
42 61 70 64

Membership List of the Advisory Committee on Complaints against Judicial Conduct


- Chairman The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG, GBM
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
- Members The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM
Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
The Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, GBM
Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON
Chief Judge of the High Court
The Hon Madam Justice Susan KWAN, V-P
Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
Dr Christopher CHENG Wai-chee, GBS, JP
Mr Patrick FUNG Pak-tung, BBS, SC
Ms Connie LAU Yin-hing, SBS, JP
Professor LEE Chack-fan, GBS, SBS, JP

Membership List of the Working Party on Mediation


- Chairman The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM
Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
- Members The Hon Mr Justice Barnabas FUNG, GBS
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice David LOK
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Madam Justice K Y WONG
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon
Registrar, High Court
His Honour Judge Justin KO
Chief District Judge
His Honour Judge C K CHAN
Principal Family Court Judge
Mr Clifford TAVARES
Department of Justice
Mr Chris CHONG
Legal Aid Department
Ms Elaine LIU
Mrs Cecilia WONG
Mr CHAN Bing-woon, SBS, JP
Professor LEUNG Hing-fung
- In Attendance Ms Wendy CHEUNG
Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
Ms April LAM
Chief Judiciary Executive (Mediation Affairs)
- Secretary Mr Ernest TSANG
Mediation Co-ordinator

Membership List of the Court Users' Committees


Civil Court Users' Committee
- Chairman The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
- Members The Hon Madam Justice Mimmie CHAN
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice Russell A COLEMAN
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon
Registrar, High Court
His Honour Judge Justin KO
Chief District Judge
Ms Leona CHEUNG
Department of Justice
Mr Ben LI
Legal Aid Department
Ms Ophelia LOK
Official Receiver's Office
Mr Paul SHIEH, SC
Mr Brian W. GILCHRIST
Dr Anna YIP
- In Attendance Ms Wendy CHEUNG
Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
Ms Terri TANG
Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)2
- Secretary Ms Winifred CHAN
Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)


Criminal Court Users' Committee
- Chairman The Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG, JA
Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
(up to 31.10.2021)
The Hon Mrs Justice Judianna W L BARNES
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
(w.e.f. 1.11.2021)
- Members The Hon Mr Justice Albert WONG
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice Keith YEUNG
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon
Registrar, High Court
His Honour Judge Justin KO
Chief District Judge
Mr SO Wai-tak
Chief Magistrate
Mr Paul HO
Department of Justice
(up to 26.8.2021)
Ms Vinci LAM, SC
Department of Justice
(w.e.f. 27.8.2021)
Ms MO Yuk-wah
Legal Aid Department
Ms Grace WONG
The Duty Lawyer Service
Mr CHOI Shu-keung
Independent Commission Against Corruption
Ms TSANG Yim-sheung
Hong Kong Police Force
(up to 27.9.2021)
Ms YU Hoi-kwan
Hong Kong Police Force
(w.e.f. 28.9.2021)
Mr NG Chiu-kok
Correctional Services Department
(up to 31.8.2021)
Dr. LEUNG Kin-ip
Correctional Services Department
(w.e.f. 1.9.2021)
Mr Graham HARRIS, SC
Mr Kenneth NG
Mr Rex SHAM
- In Attendance Ms Wendy CHEUNG
Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
Ms Pauline KWOK
Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judge)3
- Secretary Ms Winifred CHAN
Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)


Family Proceedings Court Users' Committee
- Chairman The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM
Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
- Members The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
The Hon Madam Justice B. CHU
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
Mr KWANG Cheok-weung, Simon
Registrar, High Court
His Honour Judge C K CHAN
Principal Family Court Judge
His Honour Judge Ivan WONG
Family Court Judge
Mr Simon LUI
Registrar, District Court
Ms PANG Kit-ling
Social Welfare Department
(up to 23.10.2021)
Ms CHAU Fung-mui, Wendy
Social Welfare Department
(w.e.f. 24.10.2021)
Miss CHAN Dao-kit, Doreen
Legal Aid Department
Mr CHAN Mau-kwan, Jason
Official Solicitor's Office
Mr Eugene YIM
Mr Dennis HO
Ms Karen LAM
- In Attendance Ms Wendy CHEUNG
Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
Ms Jolly LAM
Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
(up to 14.3.2021)
Miss Wendy SHUM
Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
(w.e.f. 15.3.2021)
- Secretary Ms Winifred CHAN
Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)

Membership List of the Governing Body of the Hong Kong Judicial Institute


- Chairman The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG, GBM
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
- Members The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON
Chief Judge of the High Court
The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, JA
Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
The Hon Mr Justice Tony POON
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court with special responsibility for the Executive Body of the Hong Kong Judicial Institute
His Honour Judge Justin KO
Chief District Judge
Mr SO Wai-tak
Chief Magistrate
Ms Esther LEUNG
Judiciary Administrator

Judiciary Administration


The Judiciary Administration is headed by the Judiciary Administrator, who assists the Chief Justice in the overall administration of the Judiciary. It provides support to the courts in the administration of justice and their operations.

Judiciary Administration
Ms Esther LEUNG, Judiciary Administrator

Chief Justice's Private Office
Ms Patricia SO, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Policy Support) cum
Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice
 
Chief Justice’s Private Office Mr Dominic CHOW Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Policy Support) 2 cum Deputy Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice

Planning and Development Division
Ms Winky SO, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Planning and Development)
 
(a) Planning and Development Division Ms Winnie WONG Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Planning and Development)
(b) Accommodation Section Mr. Francis CHENG Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Accommodation)
Mr Jonathan MAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Accommodation)1
Ms Katy YAM Chief Judiciary Executive (Accommodation)2
Mr Gary LAU Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Security)
Ms Ruby KONG Senior Architect
(c) Information Technology Office (Technical) Ms Candy CHAN Chief Systems Manager (Information Technology)
Mr Patrick LAI Senior Systems Manager (1)
Mr Jones TAM Senior Systems Manager (2)
Mr Alex LEE Senior Systems Manager (3)
Mr Alex TAI Senior Systems Manager (4)
(d) Information Technology Office (Operational) Ms Terie TAM Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Quality and Information Technology)
Mr Brian CHIU Chief Judiciary Executive (Information Technology Office)
(e) Digital Audio Recording and Transcription Services Section Ms Peggy LAI Chief Judiciary Executive (Digital Audio Recording and Transcription Services)
(f) Management Review and Information Section Ms Prudence CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Management Review and Information)
(g) Complaints Office Ms Winnie LEE Senior Judiciary Executive (Complaints)

Policy Support Division
Ms Patricia SO, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Policy Support) cum
Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice
 
(a) Policy Support Office Mr. David LAU Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Policy Support) 1
(b) Secretariat for Complaints against Judicial Conduct Ms Vivian WAH Chief Judiciary Executive (Secretariat for Complaints against Judicial Conduct)
(c) Press & Public Relations Office Ms Daisy KWOK Chief Information Officer (Judiciary)

Operations Division
Ms Wendy CHEUNG, Deputy Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
 
(a) Operations Division Ms Nancy MAK Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Operations)
Ms Winifred CHAN Chief Judiciary Executive (Operations)
(b) Support to Judges Section Ms Hedy WU Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)1
Ms Terri TANG Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)2
Ms Pauline KWOK Chief Judiciary Executive (Support to Judges)3
(c) Clerk of Court's Office Ms Twinky LO Clerk of Court
(d) Court of Final Appeal Registry Ms Jo CHOW Senior Judicial Clerk I (Court of Final Appeal)
(e) High Court Registry Ms Carol FUNG Chief Judicial Clerk (High Court Registry)
(f) Competition Tribunal Registry Ms Priscilla WONG Senior Judicial Clerk I (Competition Tribunal)
(g) District Court Ms Anny TAM Chief Judicial Clerk (Registry, District Court)
Ms Clare TSANG Chief Judicial Clerk (Courts, District Court)
(h) Family Court Registry Ms Wendy SHUM Chief Judicial Clerk (Family Court)
(i) Lands Tribunal Registry Ms Amy LEUNG Chief Judicial Clerk (Lands Tribunal)
(j) Magistrates' Courts General Office Mr Jack SUEN Senior Judiciary Executive (Magistracies)
(k) Probate Registry Ms Jolly LAM Chief Probate Officer
(l) Labour Tribunal Registry Ms Elizabeth LEE Registrar (Labour Tribunal)
(m) Small Claims Tribunal Registry Ms Wendy CHUI Chief Judicial Clerk (Small Claims Tribunal)
(n) Court Language Section Ms Vivien WONG Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)1
Mr Brian YAU Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)2
Ms Barbara WONG Chief Judiciary Executive (Court Language)3
(o) Bailiff Section Ms FL CHIM Chief Bailiff (Administration and Admiralty)
Mr T S YU Chief Bailiff (Operations)
(p) Mediation Section Ms April LAM Chief Judiciary Executive (Mediation Affairs)
Mr Ernest TSANG Mediation Coordinator

Corporate Services Division
Mr Jock TAM, Assistant Judiciary Administrator (Corporate Services)
 
(a) Finance Section Mr Desmond LAM Chief Treasury Accountant
(b) Judges and Judicial Officers Section Ms Queenie LEUNG Chief Judiciary Executive (Judges and Judicial Officers)
(c) Support Staff Section Mr Kelvin SIU Chief Judiciary Executive (Support Staff)
(d) Legal Reference and Library Section Ms Miranda FUNG Senior Judiciary Executive (Legal Reference and Library)


Judicial Training


Local Judicial Training Activities Organised by the Hong Kong Judicial Institute
Date Activity
4.1, 20.1 & 22.1.2021 iCMS Training for District Judges and Masters
8.1.2021 Seminar on Industrial Accidents - Falling from Heights
12.1, 13.1 & 14.1.2021 iCMS Training for District Court Masters
22.1, 23.2, 21.4, 26.5, 5.8, 31.8 & 29.12.2021 Induction Briefings for Deputy Magistrates / Adjudicators
26.3 & 30.4.2021 Sentencing Workshop for Magistrates
24.4.2021 Seminar on the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, the Basic Law and the National Security Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
19.6.2021 Induction Course for District Judges and Magistrates
29.6.2021 Training on e-hearing for District Judges (Civil)
30.7.2021 Case Management Sharing Session
4.8.2021 Training on e-hearing for PI Judges and Masters
9.8 & 27.10.2021 Training on e-hearing for Family Judges
26.8.2021 Demonstration on Digital Evidence and Exhibit Handling for Magistrates
9.9 & 14.9.2021 Training on e-hearing for District Judges (Criminal)
30.9.2021 Training on Legal Research
23.10.2021 Seminar on Industrial Accidents – Electrocution
11.12.2021 Seminar on the Constitutional Role of the National People’s Congress and the Development of the Judicial System of the People’s Republic of China


Other Local Judicial Training Activities Attended by Judges and Judicial Officers
Date Activity
9.4.2021 Webinar entitled “Gross Negligence Manslaughter: Should it apply to healthcare practitioners?”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
3.5.2021 Webinar entitled “Foreign Judges on Domestic Courts: Joint Keynote presentation”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
31.5.2021 Webinar entitled “Digital Assets in Hong Kong: What are they and how are they taxed”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
1.6.2021 Webinar entitled “Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law ("HCCH") 1970 Evidence Convention and Remote Taking of Evidence by Video-link”, co-organised by Asian Business Law Institute and Permanent Bureau of the HCCH
11.6.2021 Webinar entitled “Conflicting Limitation Periods - A Comparison between Hong Kong and Mainland China”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
15.6.2021 Webinar entitled “Non Fungible Tokens: What's Beyond the Hype?”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
22.6.2021 Webinar entitled “Statutory Adjudication For The Construction Industry - Its Role And Effectiveness In National Dispute Resolution”, organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators
2.7.2021 Webinar entitled “Justice, the courts and Covid-19: the need for the judiciary to innovate”, organised by the International Bar Association
29.7.2021 Webinar entitled “Overview and Latest Development of Shipping Law in Hong Kong”, organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators
4.10.2021 Webinar entitled “Law on Mental Capacity”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
6.10.2021 Webinar entitled “Non-fungible Tokens and Digital Art: what are they and what do you get if you buy one?”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
7.10.2021 Webinar entitled “The Recognition and Enforcement of International Mediated Settlement Agreements”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
8.10.2021 Webinar entitled “New Empirical Study of Typologies of Animal Cruelty in Hong Kong”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
15.10.2021 Webinar entitled “Gross Negligence Manslaughter: Lessons Learnt from HKSAR v Chow Heung Wing, Stephen, Chan Kwun Chung & Mak Wan Ling”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
26.10.2021 Webinar entitled “A tale of Two Regions: the Dichotomy between Chinese and Hong Kong Data Privacy Regime”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong
27.10.2021 Webinar entitled “Artificial Intelligence: Privacy and Ethics”, organised by the University of Hong Kong
28.10.2021 Webinar entitled “Res Judicata in International Arbitration”, organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators
17.12.2021 Webinar entitled “Anti-suit Injunctions and FRAND Litigation in China”, organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Expenditure and Revenue of the Judiciary in 2020-21



Recurrent Expenditure
2020-2021 ($' 000)
- Personal Emoluments 1,397,605
- Departmental Expenses 701,255
- Other Charges 9,232
Total 2,108,092

Revenue*
2020-2021 ($' 000)
- Fees & Charges 215,417
- Fines 267,446
- Forfeitures & Others 298,152
Total 781,015

* Revenue collected by the Judiciary forms part of the Government's General Revenue

Complaints against Judges and Judicial Officers


For 2021, a total of 2 205 complaints were disposed of, including 1 994 pursuable complaints against judicial conduct and 204 non-pursuable complaints that were mainly related to judicial decisions. In accordance with the principle of judicial independence, complaints against judicial decisions cannot and will not be dealt with under the complaint handling mechanism. Any dissatisfaction with judicial decisions can only be dealt with by way of appeal or review through existing legal procedures. Among these complaints, 1 943 were related to mass complaints concerning two social event court cases. There was no justified or partially justified pursuable complaint in 2021.

Complaints related to judicial conduct are broadly classified according to their nature. Among pursuable complaints against judicial conduct, 23 cases were related to attitude and behavior in court, 1 961 cases (involving 1 943 mass complaints concerning two social event court cases) were related to the handling of the actual proceedings in court, 1 case was related to conduct not directly related to court work and 9 cases were of a mixed nature.

Information regarding the complaints disposed of is summarised below.

Number of Complaints Disposed of 2021
Total
a) Pursuable complaints against judicial conduct 1 994
  • pursuable complaints comprising a large number of similar complaints and drawing wide public attention
 1 9431
  • other pursuable complaints against judicial conduct
 512
b) Non-pursuable complaints
(judicial/statutory decisions or frivolous/vexatious complaints) 		2043
c) Review cases on Court Leaders’ findings 74
Total 2 2055

1. These 1 943 complaints were related to mass complaints relating to two court cases. The complaints which were dealt with after commencement of the enhanced mechanism have been reviewed by the Advisory Committee.
2. Those pursuable complaints that were or are dealt with after commencement of the enhanced mechanism have been or will be regularly and summarily reported to the Advisory Committee.
3. Non-pursuable complaints that were or are dealt with after commencement of the enhanced mechanism have been or will be regularly and summarily reported to the Advisory Committee.
4. Prior to commencement of the enhanced mechanism, complaints regarding dissatisfaction with Court Leaders’ findings of the original complaints were reviewed by the Chief Justice. As from 16 August 2021, under the new arrangement of the enhanced mechanism, the investigation findings of all pursuable complaints are to be reviewed either by the Advisory Committee (for complaints which are serious/complex/drawing wide public attention or directly related to judicial conduct of specific judges) or by High Court judges (for other pursuable complaints) before disposal. In addition, the disposal of other pursuable complaints and non-pursuable complaints is to be regularly and summarily reported to the Advisory Committee.
5. For those identical or similar complaints against a judge / judicial officer involving more than one court case, the number of complaints will only be reported in the above table upon full disposal of complaints of all court cases involved. The number of complaints disposed of only includes complaints with the provision of the mandatory information (correspondence addresses and names).

Complaints against the Judiciary Administration



Nature of Complaints 2021*
- Complaints about procedures 6
- Complaints about facilities 9
- Complaints about the judicial support services 118
- Complaints against staff of the Judiciary Administration 58
Total 191

* Oral complaints included

Last Update Date : 09-01-2023