Correspondence passed on to Cheung Kong as 'a friend' and 'for information', Cheng says

Former legislator Gary Cheng Kai-nam alerted firms controlled by the family of tycoon Li Ka-shing to a 'neutral' question he would raise in Legco the following day in December, according to documents published in the Apple Daily yesterday.

The question was related to the Cyber-Port project, run by Mr Li's son, Richard Li Tzar-kai, and part of the Pacific Century Group. The group was also told there would be a protest outside the Legco building.

The paper also reported correspondence detailing suggestions on how Mr Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong (Holdings) could brush up its image, with references to 'arrange people to make calls to phone-in programmes in order to balance out damaging/unfair comments made to CKG [Cheung Kong Group]', and 'arrange for academics, specialists and columnists to write up articles in the event that anybody is unreasonably criticised by the media'.

According to Apple Daily, Mr Cheng sent a fax to Cheung Kong in November last year saying the Government was planning to amend the Building Management Ordinance and he considered 'it will be a potential hot issue for the coming year and would have direct impact on property management companies'.

On June 27, the DAB vetoed an amendment of the ordinance, tabled by the Government but opposed by property developers, to allow owners' corporations to be set up by at least 10 per cent of flat owners in certain buildings rather than 30 per cent.

Mr Cheng has admitted passing a government document marked confidential to a business contact of his public relations firm. On Wednesday, it was revealed Mr Cheng had not disclosed to the legislature his majority shareholding in public relations firm Asia Ford Consultants. Mr Cheng denies he has done anything wrong.