The arrest and charging today of “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄), a lawmaker with Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats, on one count of misconduct in public office relating to an alleged HK$250,000 (US$32,000) payment received in 2012 has raised suspicions of political interference less than a month before the registration period for the Legislative Council elections in September.
Leung, a thorn in the side of pro-Beijing interests in Hong Kong, is accused of failing to declare the payment, allegedly made by Next Media founder Jimmy Lai (黎智英), another Beijing critic, on May 22, 2012. According to the territory’s Independent Commission Against Corruption, Mark Simon, Lai’s assistant, handled the alleged payment. The 60-year-old lawmaker is set to appear at the Eastern Court at 9.30 am tomorrow.
My article, published today in The News Lens International, continues here.
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