Pan-democrats move to impeach CY Leung
Pan-democrats on Thursday initiated impeachment proceedings against Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying over his scandal involving illegal structures found in his houses.
Pan-democrats on Thursday initiated impeachment proceedings against Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying over his scandal involving illegal structures found in his houses.
The alliance of pro-democracy parties drafted a legal document listing how the chief executive had breached the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, over the controversy.
Twenty seven lawmakers – all from the pan-democrat camp and accounting for more than one third of the 70-member Legislative Council – signed to support the action.
The pan-democrats say Leung gave false accounts over the illegal structures found in his houses on The Peak to Legco, and this amounted to dereliction of duty.
The chief executive earlier survived two challenges in Legco – first a vote of no-confidence and then a motion to invoke special privileges to launch a special investigation.
Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing said they would send the legal document to Leung soon. If he refused to resign, they would take the next steps in the impeachment procedure.
Leung is on his first duty visit to Beijing. He is expected to meet the new Communist Party chief Xi Jinping later on Thursday.
Under the Basic Law, legislators have to take a number of steps to impeach a chief executive.
A motion has to be supported by one-fourth of all Legco members to charge the chief executive with serious breach of law, or dereliction of duty.
If the chief executive refuses to resign after the motion is raised, the Leglislative Council can ask the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal to form an independent committee to investigate.
If the committee considers there is sufficient evidence to substantiate such charges, the Legco can raise a motion of impeachment with the support of a two-thirds majority, and report it to the central government for final decision.
