Bar Association challenges Margaret Ng disciplinary acquittal
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
The Hong Kong Bar Association has applied to the High Court for a judicial review seeking to overturn its own disciplinary tribunal’s decision clearing former barrister and ex-lawmaker Margaret Ng of misconduct . The move follows a June ruling by the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal that found a complaint against Ng, linked to her 2021 protest-related conviction, was unsubstantiated .
Key Points
- Local media reported that the Hong Kong Bar Association filed the judicial review application at the High Court on Friday .
- The disciplinary complaint arose from Ng’s conviction over an unauthorised assembly on August 18, 2019, during mass protests against alleged police brutality .
- Ng and six other activists were convicted in April 2021 after pleading not guilty, while she was separately cleared in 2023 of organising the demonstration .
- Ng, who has retired from legal practice, received a 12-month jail term suspended for two years after the 2021 trial .
- In its court filing, the Bar Association argued Ng’s conviction should itself have established the complaint and cited the trial judge’s criticism of the defendants .
Why It Matters
The case reopens scrutiny of how criminal convictions tied to the 2019 protests may affect professional discipline within Hong Kong’s legal sector . It also puts the Bar Association in the unusual position of asking the court to overturn a decision made by its own disciplinary board .