HONG KONG – Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) on the appointment of Sir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction to the Court of Final Appeal (CFA).

In a statement issued on Thursday, a government spokesperson said Lee will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law and section 9 of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance and will seek the endorsement of the Legislative Council.

“I am pleased to accept the JORC’s recommendation on the appointment of Sir William Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal,” the CE was quoted as saying in the statement.

“Sir William Young retired from the judicial office of Permanent Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, New Zealand’s final court of appeal, in April 2022. He is a judge of eminent standing and reputation. I am confident that he will contribute substantively to the Court of Final Appeal,” he added.

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Lee pointed out that with Young’s appointment, the list of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions will consist of six eminent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

“The presence of these esteemed overseas jurists as non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal is a manifestation of the independence of the Judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as protected by the Basic Law,” the CE stressed.

Expressing his confidence that these distinguished jurists from overseas with profound experience will remain as a unique strength of the HKSAR’s judicial system, Lee said their participation demonstrated a high degree of confidence in the city’s judicial system, and enabled Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions.

In a separate statement, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung welcomed the acceptance by the CE of the JORC’s recommendation on Young’s appointment and noted that the government would seek LegCo’s endorsement.

Young’s appointment will provide greater flexibility in dealing with the caseload of the CFA, according to the statement.