【禁蒙面法】李国能：法院可判法例违基本法　法工委声明令人惊讶

高等法院原讼法庭昨日（18日）判决，裁定《紧急情况规例条例》之下订立的《禁止蒙面规例》部份违反《基本法》规定。
全国人大常委会法制工作委员会发言人今日（19日）评论，指判词不符合《基本法》，并强调只有全国人大常委会有权判定香港法律是否符合《基本法》。
终审法院前首席法官李国能发出英文声明，形容法工委的说法今人惊讶及震惊。

97年以来法院一直有权判定法例违反《基本法》

李国能英文声明表示，法工委的声明似乎表明，香港法院无权以法律抵触《基本法》为理由，将香港的法律判定为无效。如果属实，事情令人惊讶及震惊。

李国能表示，自1997年以来，香港的法院一直拥有上述权力，而同时亦完全接受人大常委会香港法律的解释有约束力。人大常委会在1999年及之后的释法之中，并无提出其他意见。

李国能希望这不是法工委声明的原意，“或者，这项声明只是意味着任何人大常委会释法都具有约束力，而香港的法院会完全接受人大释法”。

李国能强调，人大解释《基本法》的权力只应在特殊情况下行使，在法院做出判决之后亦应避免再释法，以避免人们对香港司法独立产生负面的看法。

李国能声明原文如下：

The statement appears to suggest that the HK courts have no power to hold HK legislation to be invalid on the ground of inconsistency with the BL. If this is what was meant, it is surprising and alarming. Since 1997, our courts have held that they have such power, whilst fully accepting that any interpretation by the NPCSC would be binding in HK. The NPCSC in its 1999 and subsequent Interpretations did not suggest otherwise.

I hope this is not what the statement meant. Maybe, it meant that any NPCSC Interpretation would be binding which our courts have fully accepted.

As I have previously stated, the NPCSC’s power to interpret the BL should only be exercised in exceptional circumstances. It should refrain from doing so after a court judgment as that would have an adverse impact on at least the perception of judicial independence in HK.