Hong Kong lawyer Albert Ho says 'middleman' urged Snowden to leave
Democrat met government official; Snowden's HK lawyers handled Libyan rendition case
Democratic Party lawmaker and lawyer Albert Ho Chun-yan revealed last night he was part of last-minute top-level discussions with the government on the fate of Edward Snowden.
The senior partner of Ho, Tse, Wai & Partners, said that acting on Snowden's instructions he met a top government official last Friday to discuss the American's situation and clarify some legal issues, but received an unsatisfactory response.
Ho said that at an unspecified time after the meeting, an informal message regarding Snowden's stay in the city was relayed to the whistle-blower through an intermediary. This coincided with US espionage charges being made public, forcing Snowden to make a decision on his movements.
Ho told reporters on Monday that an individual claiming to represent the Hong Kong government had indicated to Snowden that he was free to leave the city and should do so.
I have reasons to believe that... those who wanted him to leave represented Beijing authorities
"By going through not entirely legal avenues, and using a person whose identity isn't entirely clear to tell [Snowden] that the government wants him to leave. This is a highly unusual action," he said.
“I have reasons to believe that... those who wanted him to leave represented Beijing authorities,” Ho said.