Hong Kong protests: city leader Carrie Lam warns against politicising legal aid system, but concedes it may need reviewing

Speaking at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Legal Aid Department, Lam says baseless criticism will only ‘prevent justice from being done’

Scrutiny of the department has been growing among pro-establishment political heavyweights who say it has been abused by anti-government protesters

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam told pro-establishment lawmakers on Wednesday that a review of the Legal Aid Department could be necessary. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 4:17pm, 2 Jun 2021Updated: 11:09pm, 2 Jun 2021

Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday cautioned against politicising the city’s legal aid system, warning of the potential damage to its credibility amid mounting allegations that it had been abused by protesters.

But Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also conceded a review of the publicly funded Legal Aid Department may be necessary, saying that the body should change with the times.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the department’s 50th anniversary, Lam said polarisation in society had resulted in attacks on the body, just as it had for the judiciary, with people criticising its decisions to grant subsidies to defendants and litigants.

But, Lam warned: “Any allegations without factual basis will only undermine the credibility of the Legal Aid Department, preventing justice from being done.”

Members of the pro-establishment camp in particular have been sharply critical of the department’s decisions to grant subsidies to opposition figures seeking to lodge judicial challenges against the government.

They have also seized on the case of a protester who sustained an eye injury in a high-profile 2019 incident, ramping up calls for the Legal Aid Department to explain its decision to grant her financial support.