Legal aid chief denies stricter vetting as aid for policy challenges hits decade low

Hong Kong authorities approved only two legal aid applications for judicial review challenges against government policies and decisions last year, the fewest in the past decade, although its director has dismissed claims of tightened scrutiny or diminished access to justice.

The Legal Aid Department received 110 applications concerning judicial reviews of government policies and related organisations’ decisions last year, an almost 60 per cent drop from 2016, its annual reports show.

The department last year approved two legal aid certificates for such applications, down by almost 90 per cent from 2016.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post on Tuesday, Director of Legal Aid Chan Chak-ming denied that the department had adopted a more stringent approach in vetting applications, following past criticisms of overly lenient approvals.