New Government Appointments: Chan Chak-ming as Legal Aid Director, Irina Fan as Government Economist Starting 2026

Government announces senior appointments

The Government announced today (December 19) the following senior appointments after the open-cum-in-service recruitment exercises:

(a) Mr Chan Chak-ming will take up the appointment as the Director of Legal Aid on January 1, 2026, to succeed Mr Chris Chong Yan-tung who will proceed on pre-retirement leave on the same day; and

(b) Ms Irina Fan Yuen-yee will take up the appointment as the Government Economist on January 5, 2026, to succeed Mr Adolph Leung Wing-sing who had retired earlier.

Commenting on the appointments of Mr Chan and Ms Fan, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "Mr Chan is a distinguished lawyer who has extensive experience in the legal sector. He has a deep understanding of the legal profession and rich public service experience both locally and internationally. With his professional competence, leadership capabilities and strategic vision, I am confident that he will lead the Legal Aid Department in delivering quality legal aid services.

"Ms Fan has profound experience in economic analysis and proven leadership and management skills. I am confident that she will be able to lead the Office of the Government Economist to continue providing professional analyses and advice on economic matters to the Government."

On the retirement of Mr Chong, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, said, "I thank Chris for his dedicated service and contributions over the years and sincerely wish him a happy retirement."

On the retirement of Mr Leung, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, "I thank Adolph for his contributions over the years and sincerely wish him a happy retirement."

Mrs Yeung thanked Mr Chong and Mr Leung for their loyal and dedicated services to the community. She wished them a fulfilling and happy retirement.

Mrs Yeung said, "Mr Chong has served with zeal and commitment in the civil service for over 33 years. As the Director of Legal Aid, Mr Chong has led the Department in rising to challenges. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to making exemplary contributions to delivering quality service to the public, including enhancing the department's case management and accounting systems to respond to ever-changing public expectations, thereby ensuring access to justice and upholding the rule of law.

"Mr Leung has served with diligence and commitment in the civil service for nearly 30 years. During his tenure as Government Economist, he led the Office of the Government Economist in providing the Government with high-quality economic analyses to support the formulation of policies and measures in different areas. His strategic insights and analytical acumen have been instrumental in shaping policies."

Brief biographical notes of the four officers are set out below:

Mr Chris Chong Yan-tung

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Mr Chong joined the Government as Legal Aid Counsel in October 1992. He was promoted to Assistant Principal Legal Aid Counsel in June 2006, Deputy Principal Legal Aid Counsel in June 2011, and to Deputy Director of Legal Aid in September 2013. He has been the Director of Legal Aid since March 2022.

Mr Adolph Leung Wing-sing

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Mr Leung joined the Government as Senior Economist in September 1995 and was promoted to Principal Economist in December 2009. He was appointed as Deputy Government Economist in April 2018 before being appointed as Government Economist in April 2022.

Mr Chan Chak-ming

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Mr Chan was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England and Wales in 1997 and 2002 respectively. He was admitted as a lawyer in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2021. He has held various senior positions in law firms and consulting firms providing legal services. He was the elected President of the Law Society of Hong Kong from 2021 to 2024, and has been involved in different international and regional law associations. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the City University of Hong Kong and the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

Ms Irina Fan Yuen-yee

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Ms Fan has over 25 years of research experience with extensive exposure to Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the Asia-Pacific region and international markets. She has held senior positions in the financial services and banking sectors. Prior to joining the Government, she was the Director of Research of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Ms Irina Fan Yuen-yee, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Chan Chak-ming, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Adolph Leung Wing-sing, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Chris Chong Yan-tung, Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drugs worth about $7.95 million

Hong Kong Customs detected two dangerous drugs cases in Tseung Kwan O and Hong Kong International Airport respectively yesterday (May 21) and today (May 22), and seized a total of about 21.8 kilograms of assorted drugs with a total estimated market value of about $7.95 million. Two men and one woman, aged between 38 and 49, were arrested.

In the first case, Customs officers intercepted a 48-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman in Tseung Kwan O during an anti-narcotics operation yesterday afternoon. About 3.8kg of suspected drugs, including ketamine, methamphetamine, etomidate capsules, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA and a batch of suspected drug packaging paraphernalia were found in their residence in the same district. They were then arrested.

In the second case, a 38-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found about 18kg of suspected ketamine inside his check-in suitcase and 33 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarette inside his carry-on baggage. The man was subsequently arrested.

The arrested man and woman in the first case have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and one count of possession of apparatus fit and intended for the inhalation of a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (May 23), while an investigation is ongoing for the second case.

Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drugs worth about $7.95 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drugs worth about $7.95 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases