Siti Nurjanah Saraswati v. Torture Claims Appeal Board / Non-refoulement Claims Petition Office

HCAL 1784/2025

[2025] HKCFI 4630

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LIST No. 1784 of 2025

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 Applicant being absent in open court;

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

1.  The extension of time for the application for Judicial Review be refused; and

2.  The application for leave to apply for Judicial Review be dismissed.

Observations for the Applicant:

THE APPLICATION

1.The applicant applies for leave to apply for judicial review of the Decision dated 19 December 2023 of the Torture Claims Appeal Board (“the Board’s Decision”). Her application is late. Her application shall not be later than 3 months from the date of the Board’s Decision[1], which expired on 19 March 2024. Her application was filed on 12 August 2025, which is late for more than 1 year and 5 months. This issue will be dealt with below.

2.The applicant did not request an oral hearing.

3.Pursuant to Order 20, rule 8 and Order 53, rule 3(6) of the Rules of the High Court, Form 86 is amended to the effect that the proposed respondent is the Board and the Director of Immigration is the interested party.

The applicant

4.The applicant is a national of Indonesia. She was a domestic helper in Hong Kong. Her contract terminated, but she did not depart. She overstayed since 3 March 2023 and was arrested by police. She lodged a non-refoulement claim with the Immigration Department on the basis that, if refouled, she will be harmed or killed by the creditor of her father. Her father told her to repay the loan for him. She was unable to do so since she had lost her job. Her father told her that the creditor might murder her. Details of her story can be seen from the Board’s Decision. See hyperlink https://legalref.judiciary.hk/doc/judg/html/vetted/other/en/2025/HCAL001784_2025_files/the_Board's_Decision.pdf.

The Director’s Decision

5.The Director considered the applicant’s claim in relation to the following risks:

a.  risk of torture under Part VIIC of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115, (“the Ordinance”) (“Torture risk”);

b.  risk of violation of the right to life under Article 2 of Section 8 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, Cap. 383 (“HKBOR”) (“BOR 2 risk”);

c.  risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (“CIDTP”) under Article 3 of Section 8 of the HKBOR (“BOR 3 risk”); and

d.  risk of persecution by reference to the non-refoulement principle under Article 33 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol (“Refugee Convention”) (“Persecution risk”).

6.By way of Notice of Decision dated 29 August 2023 (“the Director’s Decision”), the Director dismissed the applicant’s claim because it was unsubstantiated. Besides, state protection will be available and internal relocation is viable, which will mitigate or neutralize the applicable risks.

The Board’s Decision

7.The applicant appealed the Director’s Decision to the Board. On 7 November 2023, the Board conducted an oral hearing. She had given oral evidence and answered the Board’s questions.

8.Having considered the applicant’s evidence, the Board found the facts below.

(1)  There were a number of significant inconsistencies in her evidence, which was vague and lacked detail about important matters. [25]

(2)  There was significant discrepancy in her evidence. She had told the immigration officer her father had borrowed money from the loan shark. At the hearing, she said her father had borrowed money from the bank. [26]

(3)  There were significant doubts as to whether she was telling the truth about her claimed fear of harm in relation to the first loan. [28]

(4)  The Board was not satisfied that her fear arose out of her father’s debt. [29]

(5)  The Board was not satisfied that there would be real chance that she will be harmed if she returns to Indonesia. [30]

9.For the above reasons, the Board dismissed the applicant’s appeal and confirmed the Director’s decision.

Application for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision

10.The applicant has filed Form 86 dated 12 August 2025 for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision.

11.The applicant did not raise any specific ground to challenge the Board’s Decision. Nor did she explain her late application.

DISCUSSION

12.As mentioned in paragraph 1, this application is late. In AW v. Director of Immigration and William Lam CACV 63 of 2015, 3 November 2015, §27 the Court of Appeal held that for extension of time for making the application for leave to apply for judicial review, the Court has to consider (1) the length of delay; (2) the reasons for the delay; (3) the prospect of the intended appeal; and (4) the prejudice to the putative respondent if extension of time was granted. I shall consider the merits of the applicant’s case.

13.The role of this Court is supervisory, meaning that it ensures that the Board complied with the public law requirements in coming to the Board’s Decision on the applicant’s appeal. The Court will not usurp the fact-finding power vested in the Director and the Board. 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).

14.The Court will bear in mind that the Board’s Decision should be examined with rigorous examination and anxious scrutiny.

15.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.”

16.In my view, the Board’s Decision is reasonable and the Court has no reason to interfere with it.

17.The applicant therefore fails to show that she has any realistic prospect of success in her proposed judicial review of the Board’s Decision.

DISPOSITION

18.I refuse to extend time for the applicant to apply for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision. Accordingly, I dismiss her application.

Dated the 16^th day of October 2025

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