ICAC questions 10 over suspected vote buying
The city's top graft buster has interviewed about 10 people, included a defeated candidate with strong mainland and rural connections, over alleged vote buying during the Legislative Council election last month.
It is understood that those interviewed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Wednesday about the alleged corruption in New Territories West constituency included businessman Chan Keung, a member the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Guangdong province.
It is also understood that Chan's wife was called in, as well as some of the six other members on his election list.
A report in a Chinese-language newspaper in August claimed that Chan had spent more than HK$10,000 to offer discounted afternoon tea meals to electors from a community in his constituency. But Chan denied in the report any knowledge of such offers.
In another media report, he had called the vote-buying allegation against him "smears".
Chan, a director of a property investment company in Tsim Sha Tsui, applied with his running mates on list number 13 in the New Territories West constituency, under the banner of a party called "The Third Force", on July 23. He secured the support of at least six rural committees. All his teammates came from rural backgrounds, including Yuen Long district councillor Tang Ka-leung and Tsuen Wan district councillor Chow Ping-tim. But Chan and his teammates never attended any public election forums or held interviews with electronic media. His team members were unsuccessful in the September 9 polls, winning only 16,767 votes.
Chan was seen last night walking out from the ICAC headquarters in North Point. He declined to respond to journalists' questions for comment, saying only that he was there "to assist investigations".
Chan, a native of Shanwei in Guangdong province, who has lived in Hong Kong for decades, is regarded as a close affiliate of various rural committees including that of rural strongman Leung Fuk-yuen, chairman of the Shap Pat Heung Rural Committee in Yuen Long.
