Ex-prosecutor resigned before being named as US sanctions target, Hong Kong justice department says
Hong Kong Free Press
A former Hong Kong prosecutor resigned from her position before being named as a target of US sanctions last November, the city’s Department of Justice (DoJ) has said.
“The DoJ usually does not comment on movement of individual officers, however, in order to set the record straight, the DoJ would like to point out that the officer concerned had submitted the resignation in September last year,” a statement issued on Saturday read.
Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Alice Chan, the prosecutor in question, was named last November in a bill to sanction 49 Hong Kong judges, prosecutors, and government officials “accountable for human rights violations.”
The department’s statement was issued after American lawyer Samuel Bickett – who was jailed in 2021 over assaulting a police officer during the 2019 extradition bill protests and unrest – said on social media site X that Chan had resigned from the DoJ.
Bickett on Friday cited a “DoJ departure email seen by Hong Kong activists,” adding that it was possible Chan had given her notice prior to being named on the list.
The DoJ “noticed a piece of news circulating on social media” about Chan’s resignation that “deliberately” mentioned her appearance on the sanctions list in November, according to the Saturday statement.
“DoJ reiterates that all colleagues will continue to perform their duties without fear and uphold the rule of law in Hong Kong. Foreign politicians’ threats of sanctions against DoJ colleagues, which are in violation of the international law, will only make colleagues all the more determined to discharge their obligations and responsibilities in safeguarding national security,” the statement read.
The 49 judges, prosecutors, and officials named in the Hong Kong Sanctions Act
- Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice.
- Sonny Au, Secretary General of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
- Raymond Siu, Police Commissioner.
- Esther Toh, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Amanda Woodcock, Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Victor So, Chief Magistrate.
- Peter Law, Principal Magistrate.
- Stanley Chan, District Judge.
- Adriana Noelle Tse Ching, District Judge.
- Kwok Wai-kin, District Judge.
- Amy Chan, Deputy District Judge.
- Cheng Lim-chi, Magistrate, Court No. 1.
- Johnny Chan, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Patrick Chan, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal.
- Wilson Chan, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Andrew Chan, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal.
- Anderson Chow, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court.
- Susana Remedios, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Joseph Fok, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal.
- Veronica Heung, Magistrate.
- Susan Kwan, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court.
- Johnson Lam, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal.
- Alex Lee, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
- Anthea Pang, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court.
- Derek Pang Wai-cheong, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court.
- Jeremy Poon, Chief Judge of the High Court
- Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal.
- Don So, Principal Magistrate.
- Frank Stock, Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal.
- Ada Yim, Principal Magistrate.
- Wally Yeung, former Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; current Commissioner on Interception of Communications and Surveillance.
- Maggie Yang, Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Anthony Chau, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (III).
- Jonathan Man, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (I).
- Alice Chan, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Derek Lai, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Laura Ng, Acting Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (Special Duties).
- William Siu, Acting Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (Special Duties).
- Andy Lo, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (Special Duties).
- Ivan Cheung, Acting Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (Special Duties).
- Crystal Chan, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Cherry Chong, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Wilson Lam, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Edward Lau, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Vincent Lee, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Karen Ng, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Jennifer Tsui, Senior Public Prosecutor.
- Memi Ng, private lawyer, fiat counsel appointed by the Hong Kong Government to serve as prosecutor.
Chan acted as the prosecution in former Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting’s appeal against his conviction for disclosing the identity of a police superintendent under investigation by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog for his alleged role in a Yuen Long mob attack in 2019.
In February, High Court Judge Douglas Yau ruled that Lam had not breached the law over disclosing the identity of a police officer under investigation by the city’s anti-graft watchdog. The government has sought to appeal Lam’s acquittal.
Bickett, who was deported from the city after serving his sentence, called Chan a “relatively minor participant” in what he described as Hong Kong’s “ongoing persecution of political dissidents.”
See also: American lawyer released from prison, says ‘banned’ from Hong Kong after multi-year legal saga
“There is a compelling argument for removing her name from the list of sanctions targets,” he wrote on X.
Removing Chan’s name would “send the message that if you resign and separate yourself from these ongoing abuses, you reduce the risk of becoming a target,” Bickett added.
Since the imposition of a national security law in June 2020 by Beijing, which has seen dozens of pro-democracy figures detained, Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly defended the impartiality of the courts amid accusations from Western countries that the city’s rule of law is under threat.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.