Ousted civil servant in court challenge over HK oath

The Hight Court says it needs time to consider whether to hold a judicial review into the government’s move to force a civil servant to resign after he questioned the need to declare allegiance to the SAR.

Wong Chau-ming, a former assistant taxation officer, did eventually sign the allegiance document – introduced following the 2019 protests – but missed the deadline for handing it in by several months.

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He had earlier written to the Inland Revenue Department, asking why the declaration was necessary.

Around two weeks after Wong submitted the pledge in August 2021, he was ordered by the civil service secretary to “retire in the public interest”.

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Wong has asked the High Court for a judicial review of the secretary’s order, saying it was “tainted with procedural impropriety”, and that no reason for the move was provided.

The lawyer for the government told the court on Wednesday that Wong’s delay in pledging allegiance demonstrated his “lack of commitment to adhere to the core values of civil servants”, adding that “the government lost confidence in his suitability as a civil servant”.

Judge Russell Coleman said he will make a decision by November 17 on whether a judicial review can take place into the matter.

Wong’s age is not known but he had worked in the public sector for more than 25 years before his enforced departure.

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