Amendments on surrender of fugitives will make HK safer: Security secretary
Amendments to plug loopholes in the existing ordinances concerning cooperation arrangements between Hong Kong and other jurisdictions over the extradition of fugitives were designed to protect Hong Kong people’s safety, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said on Friday.
Lee made the remarks when attending a meeting held by the Legislative Council’s Panel of Security. The amendments were tabled at the meeting and discussed by panel members.
It is understood the proposal was made with an aim to better handle serious cross-border crimes involving jurisdictions with no long-term agreements with the special administrative region on the surrender of fugitives — like the mainland and Taiwan.
Lee stressed that such amendments were made to uphold justice.
The Security Bureau aimed to introduce the amendment bill during this legislative year, he added.
The trigger for the proposal was a 2018 case where a Hong Kong resident was suspected of murdering another Hong Kong resident in Taiwan.
Law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong cannot process the request to send the suspect back to Taiwan for trial. This is because no extradition agreements exist between Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Such loopholes not only failed to uphold justice and ease the pain of bereaved family members, but also allowed serious criminals to remain in Hong Kong — threatening the safety of its residents, explained Lee.
“How can we allow a fugitive who killed, sexually assaulted children or raped outside Hong Kong to live with our people every day?” he told the meeting.
According to the proposed amendments, Hong Kong police, with the authorization of the courts, will be able to hand over fugitives requested by other places. Such arrangements will be conducted on a one-off, case-by-case basis, with prior approval from the chief executive before an application is submitted to the courts.
Former Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said it was an ideal time to plug these loopholes.
In regard to concerns about cooperation with law enforcement agencies on the mainland, Tsang said any fears were unfounded. He said extraditions would be supervised by Hong Kong courts and judges would make decisions based on clear and solid evidence.