Top judge: Justice affirms judicial independence, fairness

Macau’s top judge, Song Man Lei, has emphasized the judiciary’s commitment to maintaining judicial independence and fairness since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty 25 years ago.

In a recent media interview, Song, the chief justice of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR), highlighted the significant growth in public understanding and trust in the region’s judicial system.

“Judicial independence has been strengthened, with judges and prosecutors performing their duties without any interference, ensuring judicial fairness and the authority of the law,” said Song.

Song, who has served as a prosecutor since 1996, noted that the public’s understanding and trust in the judiciary has grown considerably over the past quarter-century.

During this time, the number of judges in Macau has more than doubled, from 23 in 1999 to 52 today.

Highlighting the positive interaction between the judiciary, executive, and legislative branches, Song pointed to the Portuguese-Chinese composition of the bench for national security cases as an example of the courts’ commitment to the ‘One country, two systems’ principle.

“It does not violate the principle of natural jurisdiction and ensures the accurate application of the national security law in specific cases,” she explained, noting that an amendment would be proposed to the legislature to establish new regulations regarding criminal jurisdiction under special circumstances.

Looking ahead, Song said the courts would continue to promote multi-party cooperation, including bolstering cross-border enforcement linkage mechanisms and deepening judicial cooperation, to further strengthen Macau’s legal system and maintain its economic and political stability.  Victoria Chan