Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today attended the 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference in Singapore, where he delivered a speech at the plenary session.

The conference, organised by the Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore, brought together officials, prosecutors and legal experts from 13 delegations to share their views on the conference's theme “Fostering Co-operation on Combating Financial Crimes”.

Addressing the plenary session, Mr Lam elaborated that Hong Kong has been adopting a multipronged approach in combating financial crimes with international elements, including adopting international regulatory standards, establishing a collaborative network for effective prosecution and asset recovery, making better use of emerging technologies and encouraging knowledge and experience sharing, in order to build a trustworthy and secure financial environment.

He also mentioned that Hong Kong has established a comprehensive co-operation regime for the mutual legal assistance and surrender of fugitives, and that geopolitical considerations should not be allowed to hinder international co-operation in fighting financial crimes.

The fight against financial crimes with international elements is a daunting and ongoing challenge, Mr Lam said, adding that he hoped Hong Kong and all other jurisdictions will continue to strengthen collaboration to jointly combat related crimes.

At the conference's closing session, the justice chief remarked that the 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference will be held in Hong Kong next year.

During his visit to Singapore, Mr Lam attended other related activities. As a member of the Chinese delegation, he attended bilateral meetings between the delegation and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos and Thailand, to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.

Yesterday, he attended a lecture given by Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Ying Yong on the theme “The Chinese Prosecutorial System in the Process of Comprehensive Implementation of the Rule of Law”.

Mr Lam will conclude his visit to Singapore tomorrow and return to Hong Kong.