Releasing the full Lamma ferry tragedy report now could undermine the credibility of witnesses' testimony in any future criminal proceedings and jeopardise the procedures' fairness, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen says.
Speaking to the media today, he said a Police criminal investigation is ongoing and the possibility that there would be future criminal proceedings in court could not be excluded.
To disclose the report now could enable people who might be investigated to do something about any testimony they might be asked to give, affecting the evidence quality.
He said he appreciated the victims’ families' request to publish the report, but there is the need to balance the right to know and not affecting criminal procedures involved.
