A Hong Kong judge who earlier permitted a legal challenge against a government decision to approve an environmental study on the San Tin Technopole project has slammed the Legal Aid Department for dragging its feet on whether it would cover the applicant’s fees.
Social worker Eddie Tse Sai-kit had requested last month for a stay of proceedings, asking Coleman to give the applicants’ side more time, as the department had not decided on whether the cost for the judicial challenge would be covered by the government.
On Wednesday, the judge said that “whilst it was not for me to tell the Director of Legal Aid what to do or when to do it, this case is of sufficient public interest that the legal aid application should be progressed as fast as possible, and a determination on it reached one way or the other.”
He dismissed Tse’s application for stay of proceedings and ordered that he did not have to pay for the cost of this hearing.
Senior counsel Nigel Kat, representing Tse on a pro bono basis, told Coleman at a hearing on Monday that he had pressed the department repeatedly to come to a decision.
