Drammeh Muhammed v. Director of Immigration

HCAL 966/2022

[2023] HKCFI 630

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LIST No. 966 of 2022

Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review

NOTIFICATION of the Judge’s decision (Ord. 53 r. 3)

Following;

	consideration of documents only;          or
	consideration of documents and oral submissions by the Applicant in open court;

Order by Deputy High Court Judge K.W. Lung:

1.  Leave to apply for Judicial Review be refused; and

2.  A Restricted Proceedings Order (RPO) be made against the applicant.

Observations for the Applicant:

THE APPLICATION

1.This is the applicant’s application for leave to apply for judicial review of the Decision of the Director of Immigration dated 31 August 2022 (the “Director’s Decision”) refusing his subsequent claim of HCAL 1846 of 2018 (the “previous claim”) under section 37ZO of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115 (the “Ordinance”).

2.The Court, upon its own motion, has called upon the applicant to appear before it to show cause why the Court should not make a restricted proceedings order (“RPO”) against him since there is evidence to show that if unrestricted, the applicant may take out further proceedings to assert his non-refoulement claim on the same facts of the case, thereby abusing the legal process.

3.The applicant appeared before the Court on 8 February 2023.

4.At the hearing, the Court was unable to supply a court interpreter for the applicant because the Judiciary had not been able to find an interpreter for the language designated by the applicant. The Court decided to test the English language ability of the applicant in order to decide whether the proceedings can be conducted in English under the restrictive circumstances. Before me, the applicant was able to communicate with me in English and supplied the following information. He has been staying in Hong Kong for 9 years. This is his second application for asylum, the first one being in 2014. His first application was rejected. His appeal to the Torture Claims Appeal Board was dismissed. He applied for judicial review of the Board’s decision at the High Court. His application failed and he appealed all the way to the Court of Final Appeal. This is his subsequent claim. He has never committed any offence during his stay in Hong Kong.

5.I was satisfied that the applicant was able to communicate with me in English and I decided to proceed with the hearing in English.

The procedural history

6.The applicant is a national of Gambia. He entered Hong Kong as a visitor on 9 May 2014. He overstayed since 8 August 2014. On 22 September 2014, he surrendered to the Immigration Department. He raised a non-refoulement claim on 29 September 2014 on Torture risk[1], BOR 2 risk[2], BOR 3 risk[3] and Persecution risk[4].

7.By Notice of Decision dated 23June 2017, the Director refused his application on all applicable grounds.

8.The applicant appealed to the Torture Claims Appeal Board. Having considered the applicant’s reasons, the Board dismissed his appeal by the Board’s Decision dated 6 August 2018 (the “Board’s Decision”).

9.His application for leave for judicial review of the Board’s Decision was dismissed by the Court of the First Instance by its Order dated 14 July 2020 (“the Court’s Order”).

10.His appeal against the Court’s Order was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 13 May 2021.

11.His Notice of Motion for leave to appeal to the Court of Final Appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 5 August 2021.

12.His application for leave to appeal to the Court of Final Appeal was dismissed by the Court of Final Appeal on 11 March 2022.

13.He applied to the Director for making a subsequent claim for non-refoulement protection by letter dated 11 May 2022.

14.By the Director’s Decision, the Director refused his application.

The subsequent claim application

15.The applicant’s previous claim is based on the fear that he would be harmed or even killed by his brother Modou because his brother blamed him for calling the police to arrest him after he injured some people in the neighbour. He was also afraid that he would be arrested by Gambian police as he had injured Modou.

16.The Director found that his previous claim was not substantiated.

17.The applicant lodged an appeal/petition to the Board against the Director’s Decisions. The Board considered the applicant’s evidence and found that he was not a credible witness. His evidence strongly indicated that his reason of coming to Hong Kong was economic. The fact that he said that he did not speak English before the immigration officer when he could do so showed that he obstructed the process that did not stand to his credit.

18.Under section 37ZO of the Ordinance, he has to satisfy the immigration officer that there has been a significant change of circumstances since the previous claim was finally determined and such change of circumstances, when taken together with the material previously submitted, would give the subsequent claim a realistic prospect of success.

19.In support of his subsequent claim, the applicant repeated the same story of his previous claim without any further evidence or documents.

20.The Director therefore found that the applicant relies upon the facts, which when considered together with his previous claim, will not give him a realistic chance of success in his subsequent claim. The Director dismissed the applicant’s subsequent claim application.

The application for leave to apply for judicial review

21.The applicant has filed an affirmation in support of his application. In his affirmation, he did not raise any specific ground.

DISCUSSION

22.The role of this Court is supervisory, meaning that it ensures that the Director complied with the public law requirements in coming to his Decision. The Court will not usurp his fact finding power. See TK v Michael C Jenkins Esq and Director of Immigration [2013] 1 HKC 526, §40 and Nupur Mst v Director of Immigration [2018] HKCA 524, §14 (1).

23.The Court will bear in mind that the Director’s Decision should be examined with rigorous examination and anxious scrutiny. Before me, the applicant said he could not say that the Director was wrong in making his decision.

24.In Re: Kartini [2019] HKCA 1022, 9 September 2019, the Court of Appeal held:

“13. (1) … …Assessment of evidence and COI materials and risk of harm, state protection and viability of internal relocation are primarily within the province of the Board (and the Director). The court will not intervene by way of judicial review unless there are errors of law or procedural unfairness or irrationality in the decision of the Board.”

25.The applicant has raised no valid ground to challenge the Director’s Decision. There is no realistic prospect of success in his subsequent claim and I dismiss his application.

The RPO

26.The Director’s findings show that the applicant is attempting to re-litigate the facts in support of his previous claim for a subsequent claim, which will amount to an abuse of the process. The Court has the inherent jurisdiction to prevent the applicant from abusing its process by making a RPO and the extended order against him. See paragraphs 7 & 8 of the judgment of the Court of Final Appeal in Ng Yat Chi v Max Share Limited and China Resources (Holdings) Company Limited (2005) 8 HKCFAR 1.

27.RPO is appropriate for the present case. See The Secretary for Justice v Yuen Oi Yee Lisa, alias Lisa Yuen, Lisa Lee and another [2006] 1 HKLRD 679, Re Wahyuni v Director of Immigration [2021] HKCFI 1991 by Hon. Chow JA (sitting as an additional judge of the Court of First Instance), 6 July 2021, § 9 and Re Uddin Borhan v Director of Immigration [2021] HKCFI 2129, § 25.

28.In my view, the fact that the applicant is entitled to apply for subsequent claim under section 37ZO of the Ordinance is irrelevant so far as his intention is clearly an abuse of the process. The application should be viewed together with the procedural history of the case.

29.For this reason, the Court has called upon the applicant to appear before it to show cause why RPO should not be made against him. Upon my enquiry of what comments he had on the intended RPO, he said he had nothing to say.

30.I am satisfied that, if not restrained, it is likely that the applicant would proceed with this application and other proceedings for the sole purpose of remaining in Hong Kong only. I shall therefore make the RPO in terms below:

(1)  The Applicant be prohibited from commencing any fresh proceedings by whatever originating process, or continuing any existing legal proceedings, relating to any non-refoulement claim of the Applicant in the High Court, and any appeal, including this Order, without leave of the Court of First Instance.

(2)  All applications for leave under paragraph (1) shall be made to Deputy High Court Judge K. W. Lung or in his absence, the Judge in charge of the Constitutional and Administrative Law List or such other Judge as may be designated by the Chief Judge of the High Court to hear cases in the Constitutional and Administrative Law List.

(3)  At least 7 days before filing any application for leave under paragraph (1), the Applicant do notify in writing each intended defendant or respondent of his intention to make such application, enclosing a copy of the draft document by which the fresh proceedings are intended to be commenced, and if any response is received by the Applicant from any such intended defendant or respondent, that the Applicant do file a copy of each such response together with the said application for leave.

(4)  Any intended defendant or respondent having notice of such intended proceedings be entitled but under no obligation to place before the Court written representations regarding the same.

(5)  All applications made pursuant to this order and all ancillary matters be dealt with by the Court on paper and without any oral hearing unless the Court should otherwise direct.

(6)  If the Applicant should issue fresh proceedings falling or which may fall within the terms of paragraph (1) without first seeking the Court’s leave, and if such fact should come to the notice of the Registrar of the High Court or any Master or Judge, such fresh proceedings be referred to the Court for a decision as to whether they should be permitted to continue or should be dismissed.

(7)  Notice of each decision by this Court or the designated Judge made pursuant to this order be given in writing to the Applicant and to each intended defendant or respondent named in the fresh proceedings.

(8)  Whether or not any fresh proceedings are brought to the notice of the Court, if a defendant or respondent is served with such proceedings without the relevant documents being accompanied by either an order granting leave to commence such proceedings or a direction that leave to commence such proceedings is not required, such defendant or respondent be entitled to make no response to such service pending notification of the Court’s decision in relation to those proceedings; and that time for acknowledging service or for otherwise responding to such proceedings be deemed extended accordingly.

(9)  No more than one leave application under paragraph (1) may be made by the Applicant within any period of 3 months.

(10)  No appeal shall lie from a decision of the Judge granting or refusing leave within this Order, unless leave to appeal has been granted by the Judge.

(11)  This order shall cease to have effect at the end of 5 years from the date of this order.

(12)  A copy of this Order shall be sent to the Registrar of the High Court.

DISPOSITION

31.The applicant’s application is dismissed.

32.RPO in terms of paragraph 30 be made against the applicant.

Dated the 9^th day of March 2023.

Where leave to apply has been granted, Applicants and their legal advisers are reminded of their obligation to reconsider the merits of their application in the light of the Respondent’s evidence

Form CALL-1