Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying seeks ‘exemplary’ damages in defamation suit against legislator Kenneth Leung
Chief executive’s writ cites pan-democrat’s claim that he was being investigated over payment from Australian company
Outgoing Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying is seeking punitive damages from an opposition lawmaker who he is suing for defamation over remarks about a HK$50 million payment that the chief executive received from an Australian engineering firm.
In addition to asking for “exemplary and/or aggravated damages” against pan-democrat Kenneth Leung, the chief executive is also seeking an injunction to stop the lawmaker from making further statements that might be deemed defamatory.
This is the first time a chief executive has sued a lawmaker for defamation – a “bad precedent” set, which will cast a chilling effect on public dissent, the defendant and his allies said yesterday.
The writ filed by Leung Chun-ying’s lawyers on Monday accuses Kenneth Leung of defamation in alleging the chief executive was “still being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and even investigated by the tax authorities of Hong Kong and foreign countries, for the receipt of £4 million from UGL”.
The writ also said it was defamatory for the lawmaker to claim the “central authorities would be very embarrassed if anything should happen to” Leung Chun-ying if he was elevated to vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.