2012年7月10日星期二

法官容易做?

香港司法機構以前任命法官,不設induction course來教導怎樣審案,新委任的法官,審案只依據執業時見慣的做法,依樣畫葫蘆,有板有眼地做起法官來。近年這方面有所改善,既有induction course,也教授遇到上訴時怎樣寫裁斷陳述書(statement of findings)。儘管如此,統領分佈全港的7個裁判法院、3個審裁處及死因庭的總裁判官,工作艱鉅。又要聘用暫委的裁判官,管理的工作做得不理想的話,很容易會在正式委任時,請錯了人。好的法官明察秋毫,斷案快而準;不好的法官錯漏百出,胡裡胡塗;更差的法官,為逃避犯錯,於是審案少,採取拉布政策,拖長審訊,或者不斷押後,譬如中午可以審結的案件,刻意押後到下午3、4時裁決,於是手頭其他未審的案件,便可以名正言順交其他法官處理。我這種講法並非憑空虛構,走進裁判法院看看就會知道。考勤做得不好,就會出現這種問題。對暫委裁判官的監察雖然不易,卻事在人為,否則便製造出不公平的現象。有些人默默耕耘,一味老牛墾荒,躹躬盡瘁;有些人卻輕鬆自在,扮成忙得不可開交,經常跟上司打球喝酒,博取歡心。管理不善,用人唯親,就衍生這些問題。
標少去年評過升官制度 ,不想在此贅述,只因昨日看了向終審法院申請上訴許可的HKSAR and Wong Kam Fung (黃金鳳)FAMC10/2012產生一些感慨。感慨來自判辭中的obiter dictum。
判辭這樣寫

As for the magistrate’s statement of findings, Mr Martin Lee SC for the applicant is of course correct that the magistrate’s course of referring to the notice of appeal and responding to it, which he did under a heading worded as “My response is as follows”, is to be deprecated.

李柱銘資深大律師代表上訴人應該是義助性質(pro bono),否則拾荒婦怎花得起這律師費。話雖如此,上訴許可申請毫無理據,義助上訴也浪費法庭時間(可從判辭右下角Appeal History按 連結來看高院原判辭)。李柱銘在枝節方面(side issue)對原審裁判官的批評反而有理。原審裁判官在撰寫裁斷陳述書時,絕對不應該針對上訴理據作出回應,這是根本的錯誤;另外從高院判辭所見,原審裁判官語文運用欠缺嚴謹,既文白參半,又帶廣東口語,不倫不類,難登大雅之堂,判辭寫法,應該好好向潘敏琦法官學習。牛津畢業的潘法官中文判辭寫得清晰伶俐,堪稱同儕典範。

3 則留言:

  1. 最奇的是終院司法常務官沒有運用香港終審法院規則第7條,要申請人黃金鳳書面 show cause before the Appeal Committee,免大老爺開庭的麻煩。常務官是大細超!

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    1. Star Chamber,

      I am ignorant about the CFA procedure. I suppose disparity in treatment is a norm. When there is a big gun, there is always face giving.

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    2. Star Chamber,

      I have a look at the CFA Rules. It would be difficult for the Registrar to ask Martin Lee to show cause as to why the application for leave should not be dismissed. Rule 7, I suppose, aims at halting the frivolous grounds. It would be very bold for the Registrar to say the SC has put forward no reasonable ground for appeal. A SC is prima facie holding the entry ticket to CFA and will be heard though some of them speak rhetorical nonsense in embellished language.

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