Top judge calls for Macau-mainland judicial cooperation

The President of the Court of Final Appeal (TUI), Sam Hou Fai, has told mainland state media that there is an urgent need for enhanced cooperation between the judicial authorities of Macau and the mainland.

Talking to the mainland’s state media in Beijing, Sam said that mutual judicial assistance must be initiated as soon as possible.

Such assistance is even more urgent for the cities of the Greater Bay Area than for other mainland cities.

Sam proposed that, before both the mainland and Macau reach a consensus on the topic, the governments of the involved parties should make a special arrangement regarding judicial assistance for specific cases.

Sam’s interview is one of a series of interviews conducted by mainland China amid the 20th anniversary of the Macau handover. Sam said that the TUI and Macau’s judicial system are stabilizers in the implementation of the principles of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, ‘Macau People Governing Macau’, and a high degree of autonomy.

“It is gratifying to note that, in the past 20 years, there has not been [a need for] an interpretation of the Basic Law by the National People’s Congress due to the decision of our TUI and other judicial organs,” said Sam.

He further remarked that Macau has “sufficient litigation methods and systems to respond to cases that challenge national sovereignty, security and development interests.” JZ