Quotes from Lord Millett, GBS
Lord Millett GBS,
Non-Permanent Judge of the CFA, said:
“I have sat on the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong for 14 years and have never experienced any political interference from China or anywhere else in all that time. All my colleagues have at all times conducted themselves exactly as English judges would in England. The local Permanent Judges are professionals to their fingertips. At no time in our discussions have I heard any of them express the slightest interest in what Beijing might think of our decisions. If I believed that the Court was susceptible to outside influence I would not be prepared to be a member of it, and nor would any of my overseas colleagues. I am proud to be a member of one of the strongest appellate courts in the common law world. The presence of such eminent jurists as Sir Anthony Mason, Lord Neuberger, Lord Hoffmann, Lord Walker and Lord Phillips is a guarantee of its total independence of Chinese influence, but the guarantee is unnecessary as I have found the local Permanent Judges as independently minded as are English and Australian judges.”
Non-Permanent Judge of the CFA, said:
“I have sat on the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong for 14 years and have never experienced any political interference from China or anywhere else in all that time. All my colleagues have at all times conducted themselves exactly as English judges would in England. The local Permanent Judges are professionals to their fingertips. At no time in our discussions have I heard any of them express the slightest interest in what Beijing might think of our decisions. If I believed that the Court was susceptible to outside influence I would not be prepared to be a member of it, and nor would any of my overseas colleagues. I am proud to be a member of one of the strongest appellate courts in the common law world. The presence of such eminent jurists as Sir Anthony Mason, Lord Neuberger, Lord Hoffmann, Lord Walker and Lord Phillips is a guarantee of its total independence of Chinese influence, but the guarantee is unnecessary as I have found the local Permanent Judges as independently minded as are English and Australian judges.”
