Radical Hong Kong lawmaker’s undisclosed fee severely hurt public trust in Legco, court told

A veteran pan-democratic lawmaker was on Monday accused of severely undermining public confidence in the Hong Kong legislature by deliberately concealing his receipt of HK$250,000 from a media tycoon.

Opening their case at the District Court, prosecutors revealed how Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying had funnelled HK$2.05 million to “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung and his party, the League of Social Democrats, in multiple payments from April 2012 to November 2014.

Among them was a cashier’s order of HK$250,000 deposited into Leung’s account on May 22, 2012, which prosecutors said he had never disclosed, declared or registered with the Legislative Council secretariat or any committees – as required by Legco’s Rules of Procedure – until he was arrested last June 23.