- A complaint was made against Alfred Chu for a Facebook posting that is said to have referred to ‘rogue cops’
- The Department of Justice says it is satisfied with his response and he is expected to officially join the ranks of Hong Kong’s lawyers in September
A trainee lawyer accused of posting hate speech against Hong Kong police on social media can continue his career in the city, the justice department has said.
The Department of Justice had asked for a response from Alfred Chu, over a complaint that accused him of posting, "rogue cops and families go to hell", on his Facebook page.
The letter came just four days before Chu could formally be admitted as a lawyer.
"The applicant has then offered his explanation to the Department of Justice, and upon careful consideration, the department accepted his account, and have already notified the application that the department will not object to his admission" a DOJ spokesman said on Thursday.
But, according to the latest court lists, Chu's admission has been delayed until late September, a request he himself made, a source said.
The DOJ earlier wrote to Kevin Ng & Co Solicitors, who represented Chu during the admission process, and where he trained for two years before leaving in June.
In a widely circulated letter on Tuesday, the department asked Chu to respond to a complaint it had received over what was called an anti-police remark, where the justice minister was "urged to oppose the application for admission".
A legal source earlier told the Post the department had not formed any views on the matter at the time, while Chu's former employers have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
According to the firm's website, founding partner Kevin Ng is a former police officer, who served with the force for 15 years.
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In Hong Kong, a trainee can apply to the judiciary to be admitted as lawyer, and the Secretary for Justice, or the Law Society, can raise any concerns during the process. The final decision whether to accept the lawyer rests with the courts, but it is very rare for any objection to be made.
The incident comes at a time where anti-government protests are sweeping the city, and businesses have come under close scrutiny for their handling of employees' participation, and social media postings.
Some lawyers have expressed concerns privately about the incident, and wondered if the justice department had tried to disqualify Chu.
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On Thursday, legal sector lawmaker Dennis Kwok said the profession had always been self-governing, and warned any censorship would destroy the city's much-vaunted rule of law.
"If the DOJ can intervene, and decide who could become a practising lawyer only based on political views, speeches or stance, it will severely jeopardise lawyers' room for access to justice and affect the rule of law," he said.
Kwok said it was up to the Law Society to decided if Chu had crossed the line of what was acceptable.
But, the DOJ said it only contacted Chu's representatives to "offer (him) an opportunity to respond". It said the Secretary for Justice had a responsibility to assist the courts, in deciding if an applicant should be admitted.
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