Amid 24% judge vacancy, HK Bar chief urges 'neutral' pay reform, pointing to Singapore's ministerial salary debate
Money should not be a factor to lure talent to fill the bench in Hong Kong's judiciary, but it should be a "neutral factor" — that is neither an attraction nor a disincentive, said the special administrative region's bar association president Jose-Antonio Maurellet. The 47-year-old, who was appointed a senior counsel at the age of 37 in June 2016, made these comments in an op-ed published in China Daily on Sept 16, as the 24.2 per cent judges vacancy rate continue to strain waiting times for criminal cases in Hong Kong.But Maurellet, a Hong Kong-born Eurasian, does not think that the system or pathway for judges to be appointed is broken.Instead, he said that there is a good pool of legal talent, but no queue of these top practitioners willing to join the bench. The bar association president noted that there would always be those who look past personal costs to dispense justice and make their mark in law."They should be applauded — and indeed those who are on the bench today have all made significant personal sacrifices," Maurellet said.