【禁蒙面法】李國能：法院可判法例違基本法　法工委聲明令人驚訝

高等法院原訟法庭昨日（18日）判決，裁定《緊急情況規例條例》之下訂立的《禁止蒙面規例》部份違反《基本法》規定。
全國人大常委會法制工作委員會發言人今日（19日）評論，指判詞不符合《基本法》，並強調只有全國人大常委會有權判定香港法律是否符合《基本法》。
終審法院前首席法官李國能發出英文聲明，形容法工委的說法今人驚訝及震驚。

97年以來法院一直有權判定法例違反《基本法》

李國能英文聲明表示，法工委的聲明似乎表明，香港法院無權以法律牴觸《基本法》為理由，將香港的法律判定為無效。如果屬實，事情令人驚訝及震驚。

李國能表示，自1997年以來，香港的法院一直擁有上述權力，而同時亦完全接受人大常委會香港法律的解釋有約束力。人大常委會在1999年及之後的釋法之中，並無提出其他意見。

李國能希望這不是法工委聲明的原意，「或者，這項聲明只是意味着任何人大常委會釋法都具有約束力，而香港的法院會完全接受人大釋法」。

李國能強調，人大解釋《基本法》的權力只應在特殊情況下行使，在法院做出判決之後亦應避免再釋法，以避免人們對香港司法獨立產生負面的看法。

李國能聲明原文如下：

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.