Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, meets with the President of the Supreme Court of the Portuguese Republic, Mr António Silva Henriques Gaspar, at the Santa Sancha.
Judicial independence – a widely recognised value in Macao – has been and will continue to be the cornerstone for the city’s development, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On. The Government respects the spirit of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, as stipulated in the Basic Law. The Government also strives to provide the resources necessary to sustain the effective operation of Macao’s judiciary. Mr Chui made the comments in a meeting at Santa Sancha Palace on Monday (23 May) with the President of the Supreme Court of the Portuguese Republic, Mr António Gaspar. Mr Chui said the visit of the President of the Supreme Court had great significance: bringing further cooperation opportunities for the judiciary in Macao and Portugal, based on the foundations that have already been laid. The Chief Executive also expressed his gratitude for the support of Portugal’s judiciary regarding Macao’s judicial system. He noted that such support had been made available since the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region in 1999. Mr Gaspar said the Supreme Court of the Portuguese Republic had reached some agreements with Macao’s Court of Final Appeal during the current visit to Macao. Judicial cooperation would be extended in the future in a manner deemed appropriate to the competencies and functions of each judicial body, he added. Strengthening cooperation with Macao would bring mutual benefits and would help maintain Macao’s special judicial system within China’s judicial system, said Mr Gaspar. Portugal-Macao cooperation also helped reinforce the fundamental judicial principles of Macao. Macao was an important platform to facilitate exchanges between judicial bodies in Portugal and in China, Mr Gaspar added. Mr Chui said the Government was glad to facilitate exchanges between judicial bodies in Portugal and in China. Macao officials present at the meeting included: the President of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Sam Hou Fai; the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan; the Public Prosecutor-General of the Public Prosecutions Office, Mr Ip Son Sang; Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Viriato Lima; and the Acting Chief-of-Cabinet of the Court of Final Appeal, Ms Chan Iok Lin. Portugal’s representatives at Monday’s meeting included: the Consul-General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong, Mr Vítor Sereno; the Vice President of the Supreme Court, José Fernando Abrantes; the Chairman of the Fifth Section (Criminal) of the Supreme Court, Mr José Vaz dos Santos Carvalho; the Chairman of the Second Section (Civil) of the Supreme Court, Mr Carlos Bettencourt de Faria; the Chairman of the Fourth Section (Social) of the Supreme Court, Mr Manuel Pinto Hespanhol; and the Chief of Cabinet of the Supreme Court, Mr Luís Filipe Lameiras.