A proposal to waive investigations into trivial omissions made when declaring election expenses was rejected yesterday.
Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Robin Ip Man-fai said it would be dangerous not to investigate candidates.
'How serious is the problem? Or is a trivial omission only the tip of the iceberg? All this has to be investigated before we can find the answer,' he said.
Under the proposed anti-graft laws on elections, the Electoral Affairs Commission can refer any such omissions to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Candidates can apply for exoneration from the courts if they can prove omissions are due to negligence.
Choy So-yuk, of the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, said it would damage candidates' image or even affect an election outcome if candidates were investigated for trivial matters.
