Pro-Beijing groups push for inquiry into Lai donations to pan-democrats
More pro-Beijing groups filed complaints yesterday over Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's multimillion-dollar donations to pan-democrats as the controversy continued to boil.
More pro-Beijing groups filed complaints yesterday over founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's multimillion-dollar donations to pan-democrats as the controversy continued to boil.
Caring Hong Kong Power complained to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and Hong Kong Media Watch to the Communications Authority.
The democrats are under fire for failing to declare the donations, which were disclosed in a massive leak of documents from Lai's company this week.
Tuen Mun district councillor Chan Wan-sang and the pro-establishment Voice of Loving Hong Kong have complained to the graft-busters while Beijing-friendly lawmakers have called for a Legislative Council inquiry.
Chan quoted ICAC yesterday as telling him it had already started looking into the case.
Files among 900 leaked documents believed to have come from the computer of Lai's top aide Mark Simon suggested Lai had donated more than HK$10 million to pan-democratic parties and individuals over the past two years.
Five pan-democratic lawmakers, including Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan and the League of Social Democrats' "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung have been accused of failing to declare the donations to the Legislative Council as required by its rules of procedures.
Yesterday, Caring Hong Kong Power convenor Lee Ka-ka also called on the legislature to invoke its special power to look into the matter. "A thorough investigation might make sure all lawmakers are clean-handed … so the legislature would not be contaminated by a small bunch of people," she said.
Hong Kong Media Watch also staged a protest at the Communications Authority yesterday, accusing the pan-democrats who had benefited from Lai of speaking favourably for his Next Media Group in Legco meetings.
The ICAC said it would not comment on individual cases.
