CE: If law group politicized, govt may cut ties with it

The Hong Kong government may consider terminating working relations with the Law Society of Hong Kong, if the group's professionalism has become overridden by politics, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday.

The remarks came before the re-election of five members of the law group's council, scheduled to take place on Aug 24.

At a regular news briefing on Tuesday, Lam said that every professional body should operate in accordance with their principles and laws. She added that the government has maintained close ties with the group, such as seeking its advice on many areas of legal work.

The group is also tasked with recommending candidates to some government bodies in charge of legal work, such as the Appointment to Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission and Legal Aid Services Council. Some statutory and advisory bodies of the government also frequently appointed candidates recommended by the group, Lam said.

Given the "profound" cooperative ties, if the group was hijacked by politics and deviated from their professionalism, these working relations must be reviewed, Lam said.

On the same day, the Law Society of Hong Kong said in a statement that as a bridge between the industry and the government, it will always remain politically neutral and communicate with relevant government departments all the time.

Meanwhile, as a self-regulatory and professional group, it aims at maintaining the professional standards and conduct of lawyers in Hong Kong and considers the interests of all involved in the industry.

During the news briefing, Lam also responded to the Civil Human Rights Front's dissolution on Sunday. She said its decision has nothing to do with the freedom of speech and assembly, refuting foreign countries' accusations.

Law noted that the group was suspected of breaching the law, thus disbanding was the "only option" for it. She added that the decision cannot help them evade legal responsibility as investigations against the group will continue.

Chloe Xu contributed to the story