Paul C. H. W. (Packman) appointed as Chairman of the Market Misconduct Tribunal and the Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal for a term of 3 years

On October 23, the Hong Kong Government announced that the Chief Executive has appointed Paul C. H. W. (Packman), a former Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, as Chairman of the Market Misconduct Tribunal and the Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal for a term of 3 years, effective from December 1, 2026 and January 1, 2027 respectively. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Government said: "Mr Packman has over 40 years of experience in the legal sector. He joined the Judiciary in 2010 and served in the Court of First Instance of the High Court before his retirement in 2021. We are confident that with his profound experience and knowledge in adjudicative and judicial matters, Mr Packman will lead the two Tribunals to operate effectively." The Hong Kong Government also thanked the outgoing Chairman, Hartmann, for his valuable contributions and dedicated service to the two Tribunals during his tenure. The Chief Executive has also authorised Hartmann to complete the cases that he had commenced before the expiry of his term. The Market Misconduct Tribunal and the Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal are both established under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571). The Market Misconduct Tribunal deals with six types of market misconduct, namely insider dealing, false trading, price rigging, disclosure of information about prohibited transactions, disclosure of false or misleading information inducing transactions, and stock market manipulation. The Tribunal is also empowered to conduct inquiries into breaches of the disclosure of price-sensitive information requirements by listed corporations. The Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal reviews specified decisions made under the Securities and Futures Ordinance by the Securities and Futures Commission, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and investor compensation companies recognised by the Securities and Futures Commission, so as to effectively ensure that the relevant regulatory decisions are reasonable and fair. The other two current Chairmen of the two Tribunals are Lunn, former Deputy President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, and Macrae, former Judge of the Court of Appeal of the High Court.