Teresa Cheng (politician)

Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah GBS SC JP (Chinese: 鄭若驊; born 11 November 1958) is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel, arbitrator and politician. She has been the Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong since 6 January 2018. She was also the chairperson of the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) and vice-president of the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA).

The Honourable

Teresa Cheng

GBS SC JP
鄭若驊
4th Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong
Assumed office
6 January 2018
Appointed byCarrie Lam
Preceded byRimsky Yuen
Personal details
Born (1958-11-11) 11 November 1958
Hong Kong
Spouse(s)
Herman Li Hong-wah
​
(
m. 1987; div. 2010)

Otto Poon Lok-to
(
m. 2016)
ResidenceVilla De Mer, Tuen Mun
Alma materKing's College London (BSc)
University of London (LLB)
ProfessionArbitrator, barrister, engineer, politician
Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah
Traditional Chinese鄭若驊
Simplified Chinese郑若骅

Cheng graduated from the King's College London with the Bachelor of Science in Engineering and the University of London with the Bachelor of Laws. She was called to the Bar in England and Wales and Hong Kong in 1987 and in New South Wales, Australia in 1990, before Singapore in 1995. She was called to the Hong Kong Inner Bar in 2000.[1] Prior to her appointment as Secretary for Justice, Cheng practiced at Des Voeux Chambers, specialising in construction, international commercial transactions, joint venture contracts and investment arbitration, international arbitration and mediation.[1] She has also sat as a Deputy Judge in the Court of First Instance of the High Court of Hong Kong.[2]

Cheng also holds several academic positions. She is a Fellow of King's College London, previously an honorary and visiting professor of the China University of Political Science and Law and the course director of the International Arbitration and Dispute Settlement Course at the School of Law, Tsinghua University and Adjunct Professor with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Cheng co-authored numerous books and articles, including "Construction Law and Practice in Hong Kong" and "Arbitration in Hong Kong: A Practical Guide", published by Sweet & Maxwell, and papers in the "International Council for Commercial Arbitration Congress Series", published by Kluwer Law International.[3]

Public career

She has been appointed in various positions, previously serving as the chairperson for the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission, Transport Advisory Committee, Town Planning Appeal Board, Environmental Impact Assessment Appeal Board Panel, the Appeal Tribunal (Buildings) Panel and the Copyright Tribunal among others. She is the current chairperson of the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre and Air Transport Licensing Authority and a member of the Construction Industry Council and two Working Groups on Mediation in Hong Kong.[2]

She is also the chairperson of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) and vice-president of the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA). She was the first Asian woman to be elected as president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). In 2006 and 2011, she was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star and Gold Bauhinia Star by the Chief executive Donald Tsang in recognition of her public service.[2]

On 5 January 2018, Chief executive Carrie Lam announced her appointment as the Secretary for Justice with effect from the following day, succeeding the retiring Rimsky Yuen.[4]

On 3 July 2020, the Chinese official media, Xinhua news agent, stated that the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was formally established. There were 10 members of the committee. As the Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong, Cheng was a member of the committee. [5]

U.S. sanction

In August 2020, Cheng and ten other officials were sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury under Executive Order 13936 by President Trump for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy.[6][7][8]

Teresa Cheng holds a 63.48% stake in Analogue Holdings Limited (ATAL; 1977) as the "spouse interest" of the wife of its chairman, Poon Lok-Tao. ATAL announced on August that it had paid US$1.4 million (approximately HK$10.92 million) at "cost" to Mark Gregorio, the chairman of Transel Elevator & Electric Inc. (TEI), to sold back 2% of shares in order to reduce ATAL's shareholding from 51% to 49% to try to avoid the sanction against Teresa Cheng[9].

Illegal structures controversy

Ming Pao and Apple Daily revealed on 5 January 2018, just before Cheng was due to take office, that there was an extra staircase seemingly leading to illegal structures in her residence at Villa de Mer, Siu Lam, Tuen Mun. She apologised for the "inconvenience caused" by the illegal structures, admitting it was illegal but arguing that the basements and rooftop structures in question on both properties existed before she bought the residence.[10] Lawrence Lok Ying-kam SC asked Cheng to consider her resignation.[11] Further reports, confirmed by Buildings Department inspectors, revealed that there were ten unauthorised extensions, including the basements and the rooftop structures, on Cheng's residence and an adjacent property belonging to her husband, Otto Poon Lok-to. It emerged in the media reports in the following days that a mortgage deed Cheng signed with the bank for the house did not mention the basement.[12]

In December 2018, the Buildings Department announced three units with problematic structures of the Cheng's properties "had been corrected" and Cheng would not be prosecuted over illegal structures but they would only charge Cheng’s engineer husband Otto Poon over suspected unauthorised structures at their homes in Tuen Mun.[13]

UGL case controversy

On 12 December 2018, the Department of Justice also issued a statement claiming there was "insufficient evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction" against former Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying for any criminal offence over Leung's receipt of HK$50 million from Australian engineering firm UGL.[14] Many critics, including former Director of Public Prosecutions Grenville Cross, said he found it "very surprising" that no independent legal advice was sought on Leung’s case and urged the Secretary for Justice to explain. "For many years, this has been the invariable practice whenever a senior government official has been suspected of a criminal offence," Cross said. The Democratic Party also considered asking for a judicial review of the Department of Justice’s decision.[15]

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated against the government's decision on 23 December. Cheng, who was under fire and demanded a more detailed explanation kept silence for two weeks until Cheng returned from her leave on 26 December. She dismissed suggestions that she had been on official leave since 15 December to avoid facing the public "spurious". She also argued the issues were being "politicised".[16] She rejected the need to give further explanations on the Leung case, including of whether she was personally involved in the decision not to prosecute Leung, and also rejected the Bar Association's call to delegate prosecution decisions to the top prosecutor.[17]

Her popular ratings fell to a new low among senior officials, according to two new polls conducted by the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University of Hong Kong.[17] The opposition pro-democrats mounted a no-confidence motion, tabled by Dennis Kwok, against Cheng. Cheng survived with the no-confidence motion with the support of the pro-Beijing legislators.[17]

2019–20 Hong Kong protests

Cheng was considered a key figure in the drafting of the extradition bill that led to the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. In October 2019, Cheng's public approval ratings dropped to 14.7 points out of 100, the lowest among the top officials in Hong Kong according to a poll conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, categorizing her performance as "disastrous".[18]

Following the death of Chow Tsz-lok, Cheng was heckled and jostled by supporters of the protests in London, who called her "murderer", when she was entering Bloomsbury Square to give a lecture. She fell on the ground and injured her arm.[19]

Personal life

Cheng is married to engineer Otto Poon Lok-to, former president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. Their relationship was unknown to the public until she admitted to the public after the media widely reported the "illegal structures" of her residence next to Poon's.[20]

See also

References
  1. "Teresa Cheng GBS, SC, JP". Des Voeux Chambers.
  2. "Teresa Cheng, GBS, SC, JP" (PDF). Department of Justice.
  3. "Prof Teresa CHENG Yeuk-wah GBS, SC, JP". Financial Dispute Resolution Centre.
  4. "Teresa Cheng takes reins as Hong Kong secretary for justice as Rimsky Yuen leaves office". South China Morning Post. 5 January 2018.
  5. Liu, Mingyang (8 August 2020). "The Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is formally established with Carrie Lam as chairman". Xinhua Net. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  6. "US sanctions Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, police chief and 9 other top officials for 'undermining autonomy'". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. Macias, Amanda (7 August 2020). "U.S. sanctions Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam for carrying out Chinese 'policies of suppression'". CNBC. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  8. "Treasury Sanctions Individuals for Undermining Hong Kong's Autonomy". United States Department of the Treasury. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  9. "安樂工程減持美企2%避制裁". 明報. 12 August 2020.
  10. "Hong Kong justice secretary Teresa Cheng apologises on first day in office for controversy over 'illegal structures' in her home". South China Morning Post. 6 January 2018.
  11. "Hong Kong buildings inspectors to begin probe into suspected illegal structures at new justice chief's home". South China Morning Post. 8 January 2018.
  12. "Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam backs under-fire justice chief Teresa Cheng as mortgage deed raises new questions". South China Morning Post. 11 January 2018.
  13. "Hong Kong justice chief Teresa Cheng avoids prosecution again over illegal structures". South China Morning Post. 24 December 2018.
  14. "Former Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung cleared of any wrongdoing over HK$50 million UGL payment after four-year ICAC probe". South China Morning Post. 12 December 2018.
  15. "Democrats ponder next move after justice department ends investigation into former Hong Kong leader CY Leung". South China Morning Post. 14 December 2018.
  16. "Hong Kong justice chief Teresa Cheng under fire after rejecting calls to further explain CY Leung's UGL payment case". South China Morning Post. 26 December 2018.
  17. "Hong Kong lawmakers vote down no-confidence motion against embattled justice chief Teresa Cheng over dropped CY Leung case". South China Morning Post. 28 January 2018.
  18. Cheng, Kris (9 October 2019). "'Disastrous performance': Carrie Lam's rating plunges to lowest among any Hong Kong Chief Exec. yet". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  19. Cheng, Kris (15 November 2019). "Hong Kong Justice Sec. Teresa Cheng 'injured' in brush with London protesters". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  20. "【司長僭建】鄰居原來係老公！兩大宅暗門相通". Apple Daily (in Chinese). 6 January 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
Rimsky Yuen		 Secretary for Justice
2018–present		 Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Paul Chan
Financial Secretary		 Hong Kong order of precedence
Secretary for Justice		 Succeeded by
Andrew Leung
President of the Legislative Council
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