Evening sessions urged as fraud, money-laundering cases pack Hong Kong courts

AI Summary

Hong Kong’s judiciary says a surge in fraud and money-laundering cases is contributing to persistent court delays, with the 2025 caseload reaching about 537,000. The Law Society has proposed evening court sessions to help address the backlog.

The long wait for criminal cases to be heard in Hong Kong’s courts could persist because of a surge in fraud and money laundering litigation, the judiciary has warned, as the Law Society suggested extending sitting hours into the evening. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s panel on administration of justice and legal services, the judiciary said that the total caseload in 2025 reached about 537,000, around 4 per cent higher than the annual average over the previous five years. As...