‘Beijing trio’ electoral threat allegations must be investigated by Hong Kong, says justice minister
Liberal Party politician earlier claimed he dropped out of Legco polls due to threats from ‘three people in Beijing’, says this is outside jurisdiction of local authorities
It is the government’s job to follow up on allegations of electoral corruption even if it took place outside Hong Kong, the city’s justice minister said on Thursday morning.
Chow said he had been asked to quit the race on three other occasions in Hong Kong since mid-July, with two of those incidents involving two “friends working for mainland organisations in Hong Kong”.
Speaking before leaving Hong Kong for Chongqing on Thursday morning, Yuen said: “Even though it is difficult, if we believe there is evidence showing behaviour which might involve electoral corruption, I believe that the Hong Kong government is responsible, and it is necessary for us to follow up, so that our election can be free from graft.”
“I think the ICAC is following up. If some of the events took place outside Hong Kong, it will make the investigation harder, but it does not mean that we will not continue to follow up,” he added.
But Yuen’s promises failed to impress Chow.
“[ICAC] can follow up if it was done by Hong Kong people outside the city, but if it involved mainland officers, can Hong Kong officers arrest them?” Chow asked on a Commercial Radio programme on Thursday morning.
“They cannot do so if it is an official act of officers from outside Hong Kong,” he added.
Dismissing Chow’s doubts, Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun and lawmaker-elect Lam Cheuk-ting said the Hong Kong and mainland governments must look into Chow’s account.
Lam, a former ICAC investigator, said that criminal acts by mainland officers, “if proven to be true, are not a matter of diplomacy. Diplomats enjoy diplomatic immunity, but mainland officers do not enjoy diplomatic immunity in Hong Kong”.
He added that according to the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance, it is illegal for anyone to do anything, either in Hong Kong or outside the city, to force someone to withdraw from an election.
Lawmaker To said: “President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed in recent months that the ‘one country, two systems’ principle will not change or swerve ... So I think the central government must look into this matter because if this is true, it contravenes the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ and the Basic Law’s Article 22 (which states that no mainland authorities can meddle in Hong Kong’s affairs).”
On Yuen’s remarks on Thursday morning, To said the minister was only giving “a model answer”.
“What matters is whether anything is achieved ... The government must demonstrate its determination to give people confidence,” he added.
As for the man at the centre of the issue, when asked if the “friends” he mentioned worked for Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, Chow said he did not want to name any organisation. The liaison office could not be reached for comment.
On Wednesday, outgoing Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, cast doubt on Chow’s claims.
“Where is the logic for persuading someone with around zero popularity to quit an election?” he asked.
According to pre-election polls, Chow was on track to capture no more than 1 per cent of the votes in the nine-seat constituency.
But Chow countered: “I won about 1,900 votes in the [Yuen Long] district council election last year, and in Tin Shui Wai alone, I have people cavassing for votes for me in 11 public housing estates and six subsidised housing estates.”
