Hong Kong's highest court has agreed to hear an appeal by a former RTHK producer over her conviction on making false statements in obtaining car registration information for her investigation into an organized attack in Yuen Long on people involved in a protest during social unrest in 2019.
Bao Choy Yuk-ling, 39, was fined HK$6,000 at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in April 2021 after her conviction of two counts of making false statements to obtain vehicle ownership records for journalistic purposes rather than transport-related issues as she had declared.
She filed an appeal over her conviction in August 2021. But the High Court upheld the original verdict in November last year, ruling that Choy's reasons for obtaining records was not valid and constituted a false statement.
Choy then went to the SAR's highest court, and yesterday three Court of Final Appeal justices - Roberto Ribeiro, Joseph Fok and Johnson Lam Man-hon - approved her application for leave to appeal. A hearing was set for May 3.
The court has approved arguments on three points of contention raised by Choy: whether the commissioner for transport could reject anyone's plate-search application that is not related to traffic and transport matters, the definition of traffic and transport-related issues, and whether her journalistic investigation fell within that definition. Speaking outside the Court of Final Appeal yesterday, Choy said she will go into the final appeal with a calm attitude.
"In relation to this case I think the public has already reached their own judgment," she said.
"The Court of Final Appeal has approved my application for leave to appeal, meaning it agrees that legally there are arguable points which involve great public interest in my case."
She filed an appeal over her conviction in August 2021. But the High Court upheld the original verdict in November last year, ruling that Choy's reasons for obtaining records was not valid and constituted a false statement.
Choy then went to the SAR's highest court, and yesterday three Court of Final Appeal justices - Roberto Ribeiro, Joseph Fok and Johnson Lam Man-hon - approved her application for leave to appeal. A hearing was set for May 3.
The court has approved arguments on three points of contention raised by Choy: whether the commissioner for transport could reject anyone's plate-search application that is not related to traffic and transport matters, the definition of traffic and transport-related issues, and whether her journalistic investigation fell within that definition. Speaking outside the Court of Final Appeal yesterday, Choy said she will go into the final appeal with a calm attitude.
"In relation to this case I think the public has already reached their own judgment," she said.
"The Court of Final Appeal has approved my application for leave to appeal, meaning it agrees that legally there are arguable points which involve great public interest in my case."