Chief Executive John Lee has accepted a recommendation to appoint former New Zealand Supreme Court judge Terence Arnold to Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. The appointment still requires Legislative Council consent.
Arnold’s appointment would increase the overseas non-permanent bench from five judges to six. The Judiciary welcomed the recommendation’s acceptance and said an additional judge would give it more flexibility in handling the court’s work.
Arnold joined New Zealand’s Court of Appeal in 2006 and became a permanent judge of its Supreme Court in 2013. He retired from that role in April 2017, then served as an acting Supreme Court judge until April 2022. He later served as a judge at Fiji’s highest court and the Cook Islands’ appellate court.
The recommendation came from the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. After Legislative Council consent, the Government says it will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law and section 9 of the Court of Final Appeal Ordinance.