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The Government is studying the judgment handed down this morning (July 12) by the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) in respect of the temporary validity of the present regime regulating the interception of communications and covert surveillance, a spokesman for the Security Bureau said.
The CFA allowed the appeal and the temporary validity order was set aside. In its place, to allow the enactment of corrective legislation, the CFA substituted suspension of the declarations of unconstitutionality so as to postpone their coming into operation, such postponement to be for six months from the date of the judgment of the Court of First Instance on February 9, 2006.
"The fact that a temporary suspension of the earlier declaration on the unconstitutionality of the present regime is granted by the CFA allows our law enforcement agencies to continue to conduct interception and/or covert surveillance up to August 8," the spokesman said.
"A Legislative Council Bills Committee has already completed the clause-by-clause examination of the Interception of Communications and Surveillance Bill and the Committee Stage Amendments proposed by the Administration," he said.
"The President of the Legislative Council has agreed to convene an additional council meeting on August 2 for the purpose of resuming the debate on the second reading of the Bill. Our aim is to put in place the new legislation before the expiry of the suspension on August 8," he said.
Ends/Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:52
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