Tycoon Joseph Lau 'utterly shocked' by Apple Daily report

The publishing in a newspaper of tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung's medical records last Tuesday could be an offence under Macau law, a lawyer there has said.

In a statement placed in major Hong Kong newspapers yesterday, Lau said he was "utterly shocked" at seeing a report on him issued by his doctor, Tai Yau-ting, in Apple Daily on April 30 that gave a detailed account of his medical state.

The newspaper published the report after Lau failed to show up at Macau's Court of First Instance the previous day to stand trial on bribery and money laundering charges, citing illness. Lau's lawyer submitted a medical report to the court, saying Lau was physically unfit to attend the trial.

Miguel de Senna Fernandes, a Macau lawyer, said the publication was a breach of Macau's personal data protection law and could be a criminal offence.

Lau's statement said the medical report that was published by Apple Daily was issued in 2008. But someone had concealed the date on the report before publication, he said.

He pledged to report the matter to the Privacy Commissioner and called on the Macau authorities to investigate the issue.