Solina Chau sues over Caijing bribe claim
Li Ka-shing Foundation boss takes action against HK distributor over article in Caijing magazine
Businesswoman Solina Chau Hoi-shuen has sued a Hong Kong distributor of Beijing-based Caijing for defamation after the financial magazine accused her of offering a bribe to a former senior mainland official.
Chau, director of the Li Ka-shing Foundation, was said to have offered US$500,000 to the official - who has since been jailed for bribe-taking - over projects related to Cheung Kong (Holdings), another company owned by Li Ka-shing.
This was reported in two articles Caijing published in June 2010. Chau is asking for unspecified damages from SEEC Media Group, which sent magazine copies to some 180 subscribers in Hong Kong and overseas. In the case's first hearing yesterday, a retired mainland vice-minister of education and a former top official of a US university gave positive accounts of Chau's character and credentials.
Senior counsel Johnny Mok, for Chau, said his client had sent a letter to SEEC asking it to publish an apology and clarification, but the request was ignored.
She also requested an injunction to prevent SEEC from circulating the reports.
"It is really unfortunate that the reputation of such a person [Chau] was tarnished," Mok said.
"The very unfortunate matter could have been cured immediately, but it was not done."