Hong Kong prosecutors have stepped up efforts to combat sophisticated cybercrimes and undergone training to hone their skills over the past year, according to a prosecution report released on Monday.

The 66-page report, titled “Prosecutions Hong Kong 2023”, sheds light on the achievements of the Department of Justice’s Prosecutions Division in the previous year.

The report outlined the work of the division’s five subunits – in charge of the work related to Magistrates’ Courts, higher courts, policy and administration, commercial crimes as well as technology crimes, and major cases handled by the prosecutors

Director of Public Prosecutions Maggie Yang Mei-kei, who leads the city’s prosecutors, stressed the importance of prosecutorial independence in the report’s overview.

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Yang pointed out that Article 63 of the Basic Law stipulates that the Department of Justice shall control criminal prosecutions free from any interference.

She said that the Prosecutions Division will continue to deliver justice with integrity and discharge its entrenched duty with humility and dignity.

The report outlined the work of the division’s five subunits – in charge of the work related to Magistrates’ Courts, higher courts, policy and administration, commercial crimes as well as technology crimes, and major cases handled by the prosecutors.

In July 2023, the Department of Justice established Sub-division V (Technology Crime) to combat complex high-tech crimes, particularly those involving cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens, the dark web, the metaverse, and other rapidly evolving areas in cyberspace. It also handles tech-crimes involving syndicates or of large-scale operations that pose threats to the jurisdiction.

In addition to providing legal advice and handling cases, the 12 prosecutors assigned to the sub-division assisted in enhancing the city’s legal framework to better fighting technology crimes by proposing to enact new laws and amend existing ones.

Hong Kong prosecutors attended courses arranged by the city’s Civil Service Bureau and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to keep abreast of the country’s legal system and current affairs

The report also introduced the achievement of the Division’s Special Duties Team, which was founded in 2020 to tackle the substantial caseload arising from social unrest in 2019.

Prosecutors’ cross-boundary collaboration was another highlight of the report.

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Last year, four officials from the Chinese mainland’s judicial system came to Hong Kong for short-term exchanges with the Division.

Hong Kong prosecutors attended courses arranged by the city’s Civil Service Bureau and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to keep abreast of the country’s legal system and current affairs.

Prosecutors participated in training activities and international conferences at home and aboard throughout the year to enhance their ties with the global legal community.

Contact the writer at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com