Police complaints body faces lawsuit over leak
Activist Lau Shan-ching will file a writ next month to sue over the leaking of his personal information on the internet by the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC).
Mr Lau was among 20,000 people whose names, addresses and identity card numbers were accidentally released on the internet after they made complaints against police officers.
Mr Lau, an activist with the April Fifth Action group, last month instructed a lawyer to write to the council requesting information on compensation claims and demanding damages of up to $400,000.
He said yesterday his lawyer had received a letter from the council, from whose database the information originated, stating that the body did not accept any liability for the leak.
'I have instructed my lawyer to prepare a writ within a month to sue the IPCC,' he said. 'I am angry about the IPCC lawyer's response because it shows the IPCC is being irresponsible and evasive.'
Mr Lau called on the council to be disbanded due to its 'lack of credibility', even though a bill to make the council a statutory body will be introduced to the Legislative Council this summer.
However, Mr Lau says his lawyer is still unsure who to sue.
'We have to make sure we sue the right people, otherwise I have already lost the battle,' he said.
The council has said any compensation for the victims of the leak would have to be met by the government, as any legal claims would be made to the body's secretariat, which is a government department.
Legislator 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, whose data was also leaked, said he and Mr Lau planned to set up a network to help victims of the leak work together.
