香港最高法院将迎来又一变局——第五位外国法官任期将在年内结束，这将使得在任的海外法官人数进一步减少。这一举措曾被视为吸引国外企业赴亚洲金融中心进行商业活动的关键卖点。
据香港司法机构发言人透露，英国上议院成员、现任非永久法官菲利普斯爵士（具体姓名）将不会延长其于本周一到期的任期。86岁的菲利普斯爵士在其2012年就任以来，因“个人原因”提前决定卸任。
这一变化紧跟了一连串香港法院内资深法官纷纷离职的趋势：部分人士选择辞去职位，其中不乏因政治考量主动退职者。今年六月，一名前海外法官的突然辞职震动了法律界，他离开时称，由中央政府推动的国家安全法已被用于镇压异议声音。
《香港自由报》周一已报道了菲利普斯爵士的决定。目前在任的外籍法官仅剩6位，较2019年减少了九成，这是自香港回归中国以来，海外法官比例首次降至与法院成立初期相仿的水平（当时共有四位海外法官）。
司法机构发言人强调：“几乎所有当前任职及卸任的非永久法官均公开重申了对香港司法独立的信心”，并表示法院将继续寻找本地和海外合适人选进行任命。预计明年法院将有两位法官任期届满，其中一位已是90岁高龄。若没有新的委派或续约行动，则法院外国法官人数将会减少至四人——这正是1997年法院成立时的数字。
请注意，文中个别姓名因未具体提及而被统一表示为“某位”、“菲利普斯爵士”。
新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：Hong Kong Loses Fifth Foreign Judge This Year in Record Exodus
新闻日期：2024-09-30
原文摘要：
A record fifth foreign judge will leave Hong Kong’s top court this year, further thinning the ranks of overseas jurists whose presence was seen as a selling point for foreign companies looking to do business in the Asian finance hub., a member of the UK House of Lords, won’t extend his term as a non-permanent judge at the city’s Court of Final Appeal when it expires Monday, according to a spokesperson for the judiciary. Phillips, 86, cited “personal reasons” for his decision after serving since 2012, the person said.His departure comes after a spate of judges exiting the court, with some resigning due to political reasons. Former overseas judge sent shockwaves across the legal sector when he quit in June, citing a Beijing-imposed national security law that authorities have used to crush dissent.Hong Kong Free Press Phillips’ decision earlier Monday.Only six foreign judges will remain on the court after Phillips’ departure, down from 15 in 2019, a level last seen in the early years following the British colony’s return to Chinese rule.“An overwhelming majority of the serving and departed NPJs have publicly reiterated their continued confidence in judicial independence in Hong Kong,” the judicial spokesperson said of the non-permanent judges, adding the court will continue to identify suitable local and overseas candidates for appointment.Two judges’ contracts are set to expire next year, including 90-year-old . Without new appointments or term renewals, that would leave the CFA with four overseas judges, as many as it had when the court was founded in 1997.
