Govt condemns Patten's remarks on top court ruling

The government on Wednesday said it strongly condemned remarks made by the last governor of colonial Hong Kong regarding a recent Court of Final Appeal ruling. Chris Patten, writing in the Guardian newspaper, described the top court's decision to uphold the convictions of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and six former lawmakers for taking part in an unauthorised march in 2019, as "unjust". He also said the verdict was "made worse" because David Neuberger, a former president of Britain's supreme court, was a party to the decision. In a statement, the SAR administration said it opposed the former governor's "malicious slandering" against the verdict and his "wanton personal vilifications" against Lord Neuberger. "Patten's slandering remarks were made in blatant disregard of the detailed legal analysis by the [Court of Final Appeal] in its 76-page judgement and the factual background of the relevant case," a spokesperson said. "Such remarks were made for the sole purpose of exerting political pressure on the judges ... in an attempt to influence the judicial system of the [Hong Kong SAR], and were nothing but a despicable political manoeuvre." The spokesperson also said Patten's criticisms against Neuberger were "completely groundless and unjustified personal attacks" aimed at smearing his reputation and undermining the system of non-permanent judges. "Everyone has the right to express his or her views on court decisions within the boundaries permitted by the law, but no one can abusively criticise or slander judges, or make baseless allegations purely out of political motives," the spokesperson added.