Review of 2022

At the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year on 24 January, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG indicated that this was an important occasion which focused public attention on the administration of justice and the rule of law. It also reminded our community of the essential role played by an independent judiciary in the continued success of Hong Kong under the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement.

The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG remarked that Hong Kong was a society governed by the rule of law and the judicial independence in Hong Kong was constitutionally guaranteed by the Basic Law. He highlighted that our court hearings were open to the public, our judicial decisions were publicly announced, and the courts’ reasons were published for everyone to study. He stressed that judicial independence in Hong Kong existed as a fact.

The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG remarked that, apart from the setting up of an enhanced mechanism on handling complaints against judicial conduct in 2021, the Judiciary had reviewed the Guide to Judicial Conduct, which was first published in 2004. He believed that the new edition of the Guide, which was soon to be published, would continue to assist judges to maintain the highest standards of judicial conduct, and give the public a better understanding of our judicial work and the uncompromised standards we set for ourselves.

The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG assured the community that our judges at all levels of court were committed day in, day out to the practical administration of the law. He indicated that further judicial appointments would be made to different levels of court to provide manpower relief. He also outlined the measures that would be taken to improve judicial efficiency and provided an update on the Judiciary’s efforts in improving court facilities and making greater use of technology to support and facilitate the conduct of court business.

Appointment of Judges and Judicial Officers

Various judicial appointments took effect in the year of 2022.

The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU Fun-ling, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, was appointed as a Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court on 1 November 2022.

Ms Yvonne CHENG Wai-sum, SC, was appointed as a Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court on 5 January 2022.

Ms WONG Sze-lai, Permanent Magistrate, was appointed as a District Judge on 15 March 2022.

Ms CHEUNG Kit-yee, Permanent Magistrate, was appointed as a District Judge on 14 April 2022.

Ms Thelma KWAN Tin-man was appointed as a District Judge on 1 June 2022.

Mr Jonathan WONG was appointed as a District Judge on 11 July 2022.

Ms Elaine LIU Yuk-ling was appointed as a District Judge on 29 July 2022.

Ms Charmaine LO Hong-wai and Ms Vivian HO Wai-han were appointed as Permanent Magistrates on 15 August 2022.

Mr Philip CHAN Chee-fai and Mr TSANG Chung-yiu were appointed as Permanent Magistrates on 14 October 2022.

Miss Vivian LEE Wai-wan was appointed as a Permanent Magistrate on 15 November 2022.

Mr Dick HO Chin-pang, Principal Magistrate, was appointed as a District Judge on 6 December 2022.

Mr TSANG Hing-tung, Mr Gary CHU Man-hon and Mr LI Ngai were appointed as Permanent Magistrates on 15 December 2022.

Review of the Guide to Judicial Conduct

In May 2022, the Judiciary published the 2022 Guide to Judicial Conduct (“the Guide”), an update to the 2004 edition. The Guide has been revised to take into account the impact of the advancement in information technology, particularly the use of social media in the daily life. The guidance on recusal and apparent bias has also been updated with reference to recent case law in this area. General principles on handling cases involving public controversies, as well as guidance on behaviour in court and making comments on parties and other persons when performing judicial functions are also included.

The Guide will continue to provide useful guidance to judges and judicial officers in maintaining the highest standards of judicial conduct, and enable the public to better understand our judicial work and the uncompromised standards we set for ourselves.

The Guide can be downloaded from the Judiciary's website.

Judicial training

In 2022, our judges and judicial officers continued to participate in various judicial training activities organised by the Hong Kong Judicial Institute and webinars organised by other organisations. Starting from 2021, the Hong Kong Judicial Institute organised a series of seminars on Chinese law to strengthen understanding of the legal and judicial system of the Mainland. The third seminar on the continuation and development of the HKSAR’s legal system and the mutual legal assistance arrangements between the Mainland and the HKSAR was conducted in September 2022.

Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific

The Judiciary hosted the 18th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific on 16 and 17 November 2022. The conference is a biennial event which provides the Chief Justices from Asia and the Pacific region with a forum to discuss various issues of common interest to judiciaries. It was the second time Hong Kong was playing host to the conference, the first having been held in 2007. Organised by the Judicial Section of the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (“LAWASIA”), the conference was held in a virtual mode for the first time. It was attended by 24 Chief Justices and eight representatives of Chief Justices from jurisdictions throughout Asia and the Pacific region. The conference showcased Hong Kong’s close ties with other jurisdictions throughout Asia and the Pacific region.

Exchanges with other Jurisdictions

In 2022, our judges and judicial officers continued having exchanges with their counterparts in other jurisdictions. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the majority of the exchanges were conducted through on-line video conferencing. A gist of these exchanges is set out below.

In February, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the 7th Judicial Seminar on Commercial Litigation via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, the Hon Madam Justice Mimmie CHAN, the Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN, the Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN and the Hon Madam Justice Linda CHAN, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, spoke at the Seminar via video conferencing.

In April, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered opening remarks at the opening ceremony of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Judicial Case Seminar via a pre-recorded video. The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG, and the Hon Madam Justice Linda CHAN, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, spoke at different discussion sessions of the seminar. The Hon Madam Justice Linda CHAN also participated in a mock trial session via a pre-recorded video.

In May, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG attended the Forum on Rule of Law in Digital Economy via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, also spoke at the Forum via video conferencing.

In August, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG attended the Inaugural Meeting of Chief Justice and Judges in charge of Technology hosted by the Supreme Court of Singapore via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Tony POON, Judge of the First Instance of the High Court, also spoke at the Meeting via video conferencing.

In November, the Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered opening remarks at opening ceremony of the Rule of Law Congress: Rule of Law and Justice for All under Hong Kong Legal Week 2022.

Meeting challenges on workload

In 2022, court operations were fraught with particular challenges from the onset of the 5th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of the year which hit hard on manpower supply at all levels of court. Greater adjustments to court capacity (including a one-month general adjournment of proceedings) had to be made as a result when compared with 2021. Apart from the impact of fluctuating public health situation, the need to cope with an increasing number of complicated cases (especially those relating to the social events (“SE”) in 2019 and national security (“NS”)) at various court levels, and the continued influx of leave applications for judicial review on non-refoulement claims and related appeals at the High Court and the Court of Final Appeal, continued to pose substantial 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, with priority given to NS and SE cases as appropriate. Such measures include-

(a)	engagement of additional judicial manpower. The Judiciary has been conducting open recruitment exercises for judges and judicial officers at different levels of court from time to time with a view to maintaining sufficient judicial manpower to meet operational needs. The latest round of recruitment exercises is now in progress;
(b)	more pro-active case management for SE and NS cases, including imposing a tight procedural timetable;
(c)	longer court sitting hours and Saturday sittings as appropriate;
(d)	using alternative means of disposal for civil proceedings (including judicial reviews) such as remote hearings and paper disposal where appropriate; and
(e)	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 2022. Priority has continued to be accorded to coping with the complicated cases relating to the SE and NS. The Judiciary has already disposed of some 1 950 (or around 88%) of over 2 220 SE cases and some 130 cases (or around 79%) of about 165 NS cases brought to various levels of court. 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 continued influx of SE and NS cases (including many complex cases involving a large number of defendants, legal representatives, large volume of video recordings, and longer trials), the average court waiting times for some case types, mainly criminal cases, have inevitably been affected.

Enhancement of court facilities and security

The Judiciary continued to work with the Architectural Services Department in 2022 to build a total of seven new courtrooms at the Wanchai Tower and the Revenue Tower, including a mega courtroom which can accommodate as many as 50 defendants, 100 legal representatives and 80 family members or members of the public. These are in addition to six new courtrooms being built at the High Court Building.

As regards court security, the Judiciary put in place security screening for the court floors of the District Court in the Wanchai Law Courts Building in October 2022, in addition to security screening already in operation in the Court of Final Appeal Building and the West Kowloon Law Courts Building, as well as 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 to other court premises.

With a large number of cases attracting 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, CCTV recording to deter unruly behavior as well as proportionate deployment of security manpower for maintaining order and security in court premises. The Judiciary has also updated its advice to court users observing court proceedings to guard against unruly behaviour with a view to ensuring the solemnity and integrity of court proceedings.

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 periodic adjustments to court capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, we proceeded 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. The iCMS has been implemented in the District Court and the Magistrates’ Courts respectively from May and December 2022. So far, the electronic mode can be used for Personal Injuries Action, Tax Claim, Civil Action and Employees’ Compensation Case of the District Court, and summons cases of the Magistrates’ Courts. We target to roll out the iCMS for public use at other courts incrementally from 2024.

To tie in with the implementation of the ITSP, the Judiciary has been trying out e-bundle hearings for suitable District Court civil cases since December 2020 and implemented a new Practice Direction on the use of e-bundles for commercial cases of the Court of First Instance of the High Court since May 2022. The feedback from users has so far been positive. Taking into account operational experience, the Judiciary will see how best to encourage more e-bundle hearings in the near future.

The Judiciary has been promoting the use of more remote hearings for civil proceedings since April 2020. So far, over 1 600 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 has been working on a draft Courts (Remote Hearing) Bill to provide the court with the flexibility to order remote hearings as it sees fit, having regard to all relevant circumstances, as well as the dual requirements of open justice and fairness. We launched a three-month public consultation on the draft Bill in June 2022 and aim to introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council in 2023.

Streamlining procedures for family-related proceedings

The Judiciary has been preparing for the introduction of the Family Procedure Bill, which will provide the legal basis for making a consolidated set of self-contained and streamlined procedural rules with a view to making the family justice system more efficient, cost-effective and user-friendly. We conducted a public consultation exercise in early 2022 and received a very positive response. We aim at introducing the Bill into the Legislative Council in 2023.

Mutual legal assistance arrangements with the Mainland

Pursuant to Article 95 of the Basic Law, the HKSAR has so far signed nine arrangements with the Mainland on mutual legal assistance in civil, commercial and arbitral matters. As the “Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Civil Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” came into force in February 2022, the Judiciary promulgated a Guidance Note (PDSL 10.5) on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Mainland Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases to cover procedural matters. Separately, the Mainland Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (Reciprocal Enforcement) Bill was passed by the Legislative Council in October 2022 to give effect to the “Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”. The Judiciary will continue to work with the Government in the preparatory work for implementation of the arrangement.

Highlights of Events in 2022

January
5	Ms Yvonne CHENG, SC, was appointed as a Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
12	The term of office of the Rt Hon the Lord HOFFMANN, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
21	The Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended as an arbitrator at the Final of the 14th Edition of the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court - China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Chinese (Mainland) National Round via video conferencing
24	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG officiated at the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year 2022 in the Court of Final Appeal

February
15	His Honour Judge CHAN Chan-kok, Principal Family Court Judge, spoke at the Seminar on "New Mechanism for Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement in Matrimonial and Family Cases between the Courts of Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" co-organised by the Supreme People's Court and the Department of Justice
24-25	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the 7th Judicial Seminar on Commercial Litigation via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, the Hon Madam Justice Mimmie CHAN, the Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN, the Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN and the Hon Madam Justice Linda CHAN, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, spoke at the Seminar via video conferencing

March
15	Ms WONG Sze-lai, Permanent Magistrate, was appointed as a District Judge

April
14	The Hon Madam Justice Carlye CHU, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, met with a group of 32 Mainland judges attending the Doctor of Juridical Science Programme or the Master of Law Programme of the City University of Hong Kong through video conferencing
14	Ms CHEUNG Kit-yee, Permanent Magistrate, was appointed as a District Judge
23	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered opening remarks at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Judicial Case Seminar via a pre-recorded video. The Hon Madam Justice Queeny AU-YEUNG, and the Hon Madam Justice Linda CHAN, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, spoke at different discussion sessions of the seminar. The Hon Madam Justice Linda CHAN also participated in a mock trial session via a pre-recorded video

May
1	Miss Maggie WONG, SC; and Mr Derek CHAN, SC, were appointed as Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a term of three years
16	The 2022 Guide to Judicial Conduct was published
26	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG attended the Forum on Rule of Law in Digital Economy hosted by the Supreme People’s Court via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, spoke at the Forum via video conferencing

June
1	Ms Thelma KWAN was appointed as a District Judge
11	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG presided over the 2022 Senior Counsel Admission Ceremony

July
9	The Hon Mr Justice Kevin Paul ZERVOS and the Hon Madam Justice Anthea PANG, Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; the Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court; and His Honour Judge Justin KO, Chief District Judge, adjudicated the Finals of the Bar Association Debating Competition 2022
11	Mr Jonathan WONG was appointed as a District Judge
20	The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, attended the opening session of the 3rd China-ASEAN Justice Forum organised by the Supreme People’s Court via video conferencing
29	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice William GUMMOW, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
29	Ms Elaine LIU was appointed as a District Judge

August
15	Ms Charmaine LO and Ms Vivian HO were appointed as Permanent Magistrates
30	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG attended the Inaugural Meeting of Chief Justices and Judges in charge of Technology hosted by the Supreme Court of Singapore via video conferencing. The Hon Mr Justice Tony POON, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, also spoke at the Meeting via video conferencing

September
1	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice Frank STOCK, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years
21	The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the BRICS Justices Forum organised by the Supreme People’s Court via video conferencing

October
14	Mr Philip CHAN and Mr TSANG Chung-yiu were appointed as Permanent Magistrates
20-21	The Hon Mr Justice Joseph Paul FOK, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal; and the Hon Mr Justice Jonathan Russell HARRIS, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the fourth meeting of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Court in Sydney, Australia. The Hon Mr Justice Anthony CHAN and the Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN, Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, also participated in the Meeting online
21	The term of office of the Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years

November
1	The Hon Madam Justice Carlye Chu, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, was appointed as a Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
9	The Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, spoke at the Hong Kong Mediation Lecture 2022 on Confidentiality and Privilege in Court-Annexed and Court-Based Mediations
11	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered opening remarks at the opening ceremony of the Rule of Law Congress: Rule of Law and Justice for All under Hong Kong Legal Week 2022. The Hon Mr Justice Robert TANG, Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, also spoke as a panellist at one of the panel sessions
15	Miss Vivian LEE was appointed as a Permanent Magistrate
16-17	The Judiciary hosted the 18th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific via video conferencing. It was attended by 24 Chief Justices and eight representatives of Chief Justices from jurisdictions throughout Asia and the Pacific region

December
1	The Hon Mr Justice Russell Adam COLEMAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, spoke as a panellist at one of the education programmes of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) Annual Meeting 2022 held in Marrakech, Morocco
6	Mr Dick HO, Principal Magistrate, was appointed as a District Judge
7	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG and the Hon Mr Justice Tony POON, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the 65th Annual General Meeting of the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong
12	The Hon Chief Justice Andrew CHEUNG delivered opening remarks at the Law Society of Hong Kong’s Pro Bono and Community Service Award Presentation Ceremony 2022
15	Mr TSANG Hing-tung, Mr Gary CHU and Mr LI Ngai were appointed as Permanent Magistrates
18	The term of office of the Rt Hon Lord Jonathan SUMPTION, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years

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, GBM

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 Madam Justice Beverley McLACHLIN

The Rt Hon Lord SUMPTION

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 Madam Justice Carlye CHU, V-P

The Hon Mr Justice Peter CHEUNG, JA

The Hon Madam Justice Maria C YUEN, 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 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

The Hon Madam Justice Yvonne CHENG

- Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

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

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

Miss WONG Pui-kei, Maggie, SC

Mr CHAN Ching-lung, Derek, 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

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

Her Honour Judge Amanda J WOODCOCK

His Honour Judge K H HUI

His Honour Judge Jack WONG

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 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

Her Honour Judge S L WONG

Her Honour Judge K Y CHEUNG

Her Honour Judge Thelma KWAN

His Honour Judge Jonathan WONG

Her Honour Judge Elaine LIU

His Honour Judge Dick HO

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

Mr LAW Tak-chuen, Peter

Mr LUI Kin-man, Simon

Miss YIM Shun-yee, Ada

Mr SO Man-lung, Don

Miss CHUI Yee-mei, Ivy

- Magistrates

Mr MAK Kwok-cheung

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 Tin-ngan, June

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

Ms LO Hong-wai, Charmaine

Ms HO Wai-han, Vivian

Mr CHAN Chee-fai, Philip

Mr TSANG Chung-yiu

Miss LEE Wai-wan, Vivian

Mr TSANG Hing-tung

Mr CHU Man-hon, Gary

Mr LI Ngai

Judges and Judicial Officers who retired/left the Judiciary in 2022

- Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal

The Rt Hon the Lord REED of Allermuir (Left service in 2022)

The Rt Hon Lord HODGE (Left service in 2022)

- Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

The Hon Madam Justice Marlene NG, SBS (Retired in 2022)

- Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

Mr POW Wing-nin, Jason, SC (Term of appointment expired on 28.2.2022)

Mr HOUGHTON Anthony Kenneth, SC (Term of appointment expired on 28.2.2022)

- District Judges

Her Honour Judge Sharon D MELLOY (Left service in 2022)

His Honour Judge David J DUFTON (Retired in 2022)

Her Honour Judge Katherine LO (Retired in 2022)

His Honour Judge Timothy H CASEWELL (Retired in 2022)

- Principal Magistrates

Ms CHAINRAI Bina (Retired in 2022)

- Magistrates

Mr TO Ho-shing (Retired in 2022)

- Special Magistrates

Mr YU Chun-pong (Left service in 2022)

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Court of Final Appeal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Applications for leave to appeal
Criminal	53	35	58	60 (42)	69 (47)	29 (20)
Civil	289	564	670	314 (261)	539 (497)	574 (538)
Total	342	599	728	374	608	603
Substantive appeals
Criminal	2	10	4	6	10	4
Civil	11	6	14	15	6	7
Total	13	16	18	21	16	11
Miscellaneous proceedings	1	0	0	1	0	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

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
Applications for leave to appeal
From notice of hearing to hearing
Criminal	45	42	34	37
Civil	35	31	34	30
Substantive appeals
From notice of hearing to hearing
Criminal	100	98	82	99
Civil	120	93	88	95

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

High Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE HIGH COURT

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Court of Appeal
Appellate
Criminal
Appeals from the Court of First Instance	79	83	75	122	112	87
Appeals from the District Court	146	212	161	148	165	159
Sub-total	225	295	236	270	277	246
Civil
Appeals from the Court of First Instance	611	559	466	361	730	479
Appeals from the District Court	14	15	18	6	15	7
Miscellaneous Appeals	28	25	17	20	22	27
Sub-total	653	599	501	387	767	513
Review of Sentences
Criminal
Reviews from the Court of First Instance	0	3	3	0	0	2
Reviews from the District Court	2	9	8	3	4	8
Reviews from the Magistrates' Courts	14	9	2	9	12	5
Sub-total	16	21	13	12	16	15
Total	894	915	750	669	1 060	774
Miscellaneous Proceedings	263	602	556	217	449	534

*	Case disposal refers to appeals/reviews which have been allowed, dismissed, withdrawn, discontinued or abandoned with or without court order

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Court of First Instance Appellate
Criminal
Appeals from Magistrates' Courts	428	608	460	444	443	614
Civil
Appeals from Labour Tribunal	23	18	18	23	23	21
Appeals from Small Claims Tribunal	48	53	42	26	41	55
Appeals from Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board	2	0	4	2	1	3
Miscellaneous Appeals	5	1	7	2	5	2
Sub-total	78	72	71	53	70	81
Total	506	680	531	497	513	695
First Instance
Criminal Jurisdiction
Criminal Cases	366	256	223	241	320	237
Confidential Miscellaneous Proceedings	440	545	883	440	545	883
Application for Discharge	0	0	0	0	0	0
Miscellaneous Proceedings (Criminal)	772	724	637	763	686	581
Sub-total	1 578	1 525	1 743	1 444	1 551	1 701
Civil Jurisdiction
High Court Actions	2 200	1 960	1 858	1 266	1 254	1 048
Miscellaneous Proceedings	2 378	2 233	2 208	1 397	1 571	1 535
Bankruptcy & Companies Winding-up+	9 831	8 169	7 860	8 021	8 844	7 982
Personal Injuries Actions	540	428	341	506	512	427
Other cases#	2 957	2 218	2 074	1 497	1 806	1 716
Sub-total	17 906	15 008	14 341	12 687	13 987	12 708
Total	19 484	16 533	16 084	14 131	15 538	14 409
Masters Chambers
Interlocutory hearings**	22 997	24 416	19 114	16 607	23 450	15 621
Taxation bills	561	592	475	429(1)	476(1)	422(1)
Probate
Applications~	16 521	21 978	23 006	16 592(2)	20 390(2)	21 890(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

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
Court of Appeal
Criminal - from setting down of a case to hearing	50	55	48	48
Civil - from application to fix date to hearing	90	85	86	81
Court of First Instance
Criminal Fixture List - from filing of indictment to hearing*	-	349	383	323
Civil Fixture List - from application to fix date to hearing	180	166	176	178
Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing	30	28	16	15
Appeals from Magistrates' Courts - from lodging of Notice of Appeal to hearing	90	128	168	160

*

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

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Application for Review	0	0	0	0	0	0
Enforcement Action	3	2	3	3	1	1
Action	0	0	0	0	2	0
Miscellaneous Proceedings	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3	2	3	3	3	1

*	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 six 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

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Criminal Jurisdiction
Criminal Cases	1 119	1 171	1 193	774	1 001	862
Civil Jurisdiction
Civil	7 037	5 956	5 252	4 810	5 033	3 738
Tax Claim	778	735	719	858	493	707
Distress for Rent	4 923	4 492	3 222	4 660	4 300	3 041
Employee's Compensation	2 659	2 760	2 687	2 542	2 892	2 530
Other civil cases +	8 756	8 884	9 497	3 990	4 955	4 989
Sub-total	24 153	22 827	21 377	16 860	17 673	15 005
Family Jurisdiction
Matrimonial Causes	12 363	13 344	12 802	11 023	12 142	9 448
Joint Applications	4 939	4 430	3 711	4 997	4 550	3 578
Miscellaneous Proceedings	215	277	234	204	258	214
Adoption Applications	68	81	54	52	55	48
Reciprocal Enforcement Proceedings^	-	-	1	-	-	0
Sub-total	17 585	18 132	16 802	16 276(1)	17 005(1)	13 288(1)
Total (Civil)	41 738	40 959	38 179	33 136	34 678	28 293
Total	42 857	42 130	39 372	33 910	35 679	29 155
Masters Chambers
Interlocutory hearings**	9 744	10 534	10 160	6 283	8 299	6 723
Taxation bills
Divorce	611	885	571	603	903	541
Others	450	466	417	277	251	152
Sub-total	1 061	1 351	988	880(2)	1 154(2)	693(2)
Total	10 805	11 885	11 148	7 163	9 453	7 416

*	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
^	New case type came into effect on 15 February 2022
**	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

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
Criminal - from first appearance of defendants in District Court to hearing	100	210	287	350
Civil Fixture List - from date of listing to hearing	120	105	108	116
Civil Running List - from not-to-be-warned date to hearing	30	28	20	18
Dissolution of marriage - from setting down of a case to hearing
Special Procedure List	35	35	35	35
Defended List (all hearings)	110	69	59	58
Financial applications - from setting down of a case to hearing	110-140	85	74	49

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Lands Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LANDS TRIBUNAL

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Appeal cases	789	910	591	759	1 202	818
Compensation cases	2	6	5	9	7	4
Building management cases	203	232	214	222	338	145
Tenancy cases	3 391	3 193	3 161	3 941	4 158	3 120
Lands compulsory sale applications	36	16	22	27	36	34
Miscellaneous proceedings applications	11	1	5	2	4	0
Total	4 432	4 358	3 998	4 960	5 745	4 121

*	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

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
From setting down of a case to hearing
Appeal cases	90	39	-*	-*
Compensation cases	90	29	64	45
Building management cases	90	31	25	20
Tenancy cases	50	24	16	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

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal*
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Charge Cases	22 436	22 471	21 036	21 354	22 252	20 477
Hawker Cases	1 192	1 245	1 420	1 189	1 232	1 410
Departmental & Private Summonses	144 040	172 756	171 082	135 466	174 207	160 377
Driving-Offence Points Summonses	1 631	2 307	1 938	1 611	2 233	2 014
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Traffic)	480	704	707	412	734	630
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction)	89	83	73	83	86	65
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Smoking Offences)	11	17	11	20	12	14
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Vehicle Idling)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Mandatory Window Inspection)	27	16	21	22	21	21
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Plastic Shopping Bag)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Gathering Offence)#	108	424	101	39	423	119
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Mask Not Worn)+	-	235	351	-	146	278
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Compulsory Testing)~	-	1	0	-	0	1
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Premises Direction)^	-	1	41	-	0	16
Fixed Penalty Summonses (Vaccine Pass)»	-	-	0	-	-	0
Miscellaneous Proceedings	9 131	10 509	10 196	9 240	10 341	9 989
Departmental Notice	655	617	556	614	623	555
Fixed Penalty Notice (Traffic)	133 975	156 017	170 379	121 068	160 379	166 199
Fixed Penalty Notice (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction)	2 402	2 760	2 462	2 355	2 802	2 391
Fixed Penalty Notice (Smoking Offences)	514	423	326	564	404	376
Fixed Penalty Notice (Vehicle Idling)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fixed Penalty Notice (Mandatory Window Inspection)	236	202	231	251	214	204
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Plastic Shopping Bag)	2	0	0	2	0	0
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Gathering Offence)#	175	1 133	813	130	942	877
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Mask Not Worn)+	-	530	1 182	-	454	796
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Compulsory Testing)~	-	0	0	-	0	0
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Premises Direction)^	-	5	580	-	4	401
Fixed Penalty Recovery Order (Vaccine Pass)»	-	-	6	-	-	5
Total	317 104	372 456	383 512	294 420	377 509	367 215

*	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 the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation, Cap. 599G¹ came into effect on 29 March 2020 ¹ (The title of Cap. 599G was amended from "Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation" to "Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Gathering) Regulation" with effect from 10 February 2022)
+	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
»	New case types pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) Regulation, Cap. 599L came into effect on 10 February 2022

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE MAGISTRATES' COURTS

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
Summonses - from plea to date of trial	50	75	79	101
Charge cases except for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial
For defendants in custody	30-45	45	48	62
For defendants on bail	45-60	67	70	82
Charge cases for Juvenile Court - from plea to date of trial
For defendants in custody	30-45	13	56	94
For defendants on bail	45-60	60	74	89

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Labour Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Claims	3 533	4 278	3 378	2 990	4 166	3 807
Reviews	56	72	84	65	60	76
Restore claims	62	68	64	55	60	79
Set-aside awards	80	96	77	62	93	101
Total	3 731	4 514	3 603	3 172	4 379	4 063

*	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

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
From appointment to filing of a case	30	61	25	28
From filing of a case to first hearing	30	23	22	24

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Small Claims Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal*
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Claims	39 821	45 649	41 514	39 518	46 827	40 800
Reviews	162	207	183	175	219	137
Total	39 983	45 856	41 697	39 693	47 046	40 937

*	Case disposal refers to claims which have been made successfully or dismissed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
From filing of a case to first hearing	60	41	39	37

Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

Obscene Articles Tribunal

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE OBSCENE ARTICLES TRIBUNAL

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Articles for determination	14 024	0	0	14 024	0	0
Articles for classification	107	38	34	108	38	34
Articles for review	0	0	0	0	0	0
Articles for reconsideration	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	14 131	38	34	14 132	38	34

*	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

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
From referral by a magistrate to determination	21	10	-#	-#
From receipt of application to classification	5	3	2	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

scroll to view full table

	Caseload			Disposal *
	2020	2021	2022	2020	2021	2022
Death inquests with jury	86	140	115	63	150	122
Death inquests without jury	12	14	16	10	13	17
Total	98	154	131	73	163	139

• * Case disposal refers to death inquests concluded

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE CORONER'S COURT

scroll to view full table

	Average Waiting Time (days)
	Target	2020	2021	2022
From date of listing to hearing	42	70	64	42