Rule of law vital to Hong Kong’s ingrained resistance to bribery: minister

Hong Kong’s justice minister has underscored the importance of the rule of law in ensuring the city’s ingrained resistance to bribery, while a top judge has called attempts to sanction members of the judiciary “a form of reverse corruption”.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok and Andrew Colin Macrae, vice-president of the city’s Court of Appeal, made the remarks on Tuesday at a forum attended by about 100 lawyers and regulatory veterans to discuss anti-corruption practices and relevant laws.

“I would venture to suggest that anti-corruption has already become an integral part of the ‘genetic make-up’ of the Hong Kong people,” Lam said.

The forum was organised by the Hong Kong Bar Association and the World Justice Project, a global organisation that releases annual rankings covering the rule of law in 142 jurisdictions. The latest index was published last October.

Lam said comprehensive legislation, strong and independent law enforcement, and independent trials had quickly turned Hong Kong’s corrupt society of decades ago into one that stood strong against such activities.

Macrae, meanwhile, highlighted the city’s judicial independence and slammed attempts by foreign powers to sanction local judges.