Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said he was confident that all judges and judicial officers would stand by their oaths and discharge their duties diligently after a High Court judge was told to retire early amid a plagiarism row.

Wilson Chan, from the Court of First Instance, will commence retirement this Friday after he was found to be involved in multiple instances of judicial copying.

Speaking to the press after a closed-door exchange with lawmakers, Lee acknowledged public concern over the case and high expectations for judges.

"I respect that the chief justice has taken appropriate measures to maintain public confidence in the independence and professionalism with which judges discharge their duties," he said.

"I also have confidence that judges and judicial officers at all levels will uphold their judicial oath and carry out their judicial duties diligently, independently and professionally."

Lee was also asked if a by-election would be held to fill the void left by former lawmaker William Wong, who resigned earlier this month over a drink-driving scandal.

He pointed out three major polls are already scheduled in the next 18 months – the Election Committee subsector ordinary elections in November, the chief executive election in March and the district council ordinary election before the end of 2027.

"The Electoral Affairs Commission will consider a range of factors when holding any election, including human resources, the arrangement of polling stations, and the procurement and delivery of election-related supplies," Lee said.

"If we look at the three major elections scheduled for the next 18 months, compared with a by-election to fill a single vacancy in the Legislative Council, I believe that in terms of timing, workload and relative necessity, we should prioritise running these three elections properly first."

On a separate note, Lee said he would leave it to the University of Hong Kong's governing council to find a successor for Xiang Zhang, who announced his intention to step down as president in 2028.

"I express my gratitude to president Zhang for informing the council early his wish to step down at the end of his term. This gives HKU abundant time to recruit a new president," he said.

"I believe every university has a well-functioning mechanism in this regard, and I'm confident HKU Council will do a good job and ensure the new president can lead HKU to new heights."


Edited by Tony Sabine