Geoffrey Ma denies mainland interference in judicial independence

The Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, said in a statement today since taking office in 2010, he has not at any stage encountered or experienced any form of interference by the mainland authorities with judicial independence in Hong Kong, including the appointment of judges.

Judicial independence is guaranteed under the Basic Law and is a main component of the rule of law in Hong Kong, Ma added.

Reuters reported yesterday, citing senior judges, that the independence of Hong Kong’s judicial system is under assault from the Communist Party leadership in Beijing, posing the gravest threat to the rule of law since the city returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Three of Hong Kong’s most senior judges told the news agency that the independent judiciary, the cornerstone of the city’s broad freedoms, is in a fight for its survival.

Beijing’s effort to hobble the judiciary is multi-pronged, according to more than two dozen interviews with judges, leading lawyers and diplomats in Hong Kong. The state-controlled press on the mainland has warned Hong Kong judges not to "absolve" protesters arrested during last year’s demonstrations.

Judges and lawyers said there are signs Beijing is trying to limit the authority of Hong Kong courts to rule on core constitutional matters. And people close to Ma said he has to contend with Communist Party officials pushing Beijing’s view that the rule of law ultimately must be a tool to preserve one-party rule.