President, Court of Final Appeal Hou Fai Sam of China

Mr Justice Sam is also President of the Conselho dos Magistrados Judiciais and member of the Commissao Independente para a Indigitacao de Juizes.

Sam said according to the SAR Basic Law, Macao will become a region of high autonomy after it returns to the motherland on December 20, thus establishment of the Court of Final Appeal demonstrates the legal arrangement of the "one country, two systems" principle.

Sam has served on the Macau bench for three years (by comparison, the judges of the Lisbon Supreme Court, the pre-handover highest judicial authority, usually have around 30 years' experience.