Accountant denies pressuring employees
The head of a leading accountancy firm yesterday rejected a claim by one candidate that he was putting pressure on staff to vote for another candidate in tomorrow's election.
The accusation against Ernst & Young Far East, Hong Kong and China chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk came from accountancy sector candidate Ronald Kung Yiu-fai, who works for Grant Thornton.
Mr Kung said a letter from Mr Wu to former colleagues urging support for candidate Paul Chan Mo-po could had put pressure on existing staff.
Mr Kung said it was unfair to other candidates and could violate election rules.
But Mr Wu said he had checked the election rules to make sure his letter did not breach any regulations.
'I have not sent any letter to any of my existing staff and I have never used my position to affect their votes,' Mr Wu said by telephone from Britain.
As he was one of those who had nominated Mr Chan to stand for election, it was natural for him to lobby on Mr Chan's behalf, he said.
The accountancy sector has the most candidates of any functional constituency.
Meanwhile Democrat Cheung Man-kwong, chairman of the Professional Teachers Union who is defending his seat in the education sector, was accused of asking voters who are not members of his union to support the Democratic Party.
Mr Cheung said his staff would follow up on the matter. He said letters could have been mistakenly sent to non-union members.
