The unexpected discovery of a skeleton always arouses suspicion, wherever it is found. When the remains belong to a woman who had an affair with the brother of a senior government official and were found inside a flat he owned, those suspicions deepen. No wonder the family of Annie Pang Chor-ying felt that justice had not been done when, in 1999, it was decided that there should be no coroner's inquiry into her death.
When Pang's body was found inside a flat owned by lawyer John Fang Meng-sang, she had already been missing for more than four years. Mr Fang and Pang had had a long relationship, dating back to 1986. She had moved into the flat in 1994, but he claimed not to have seen her since 1995. When he entered the flat in 1999, he did not notice Pang's skeleton, which was discovered a day later by a clerk who he sent to tidy up the premises.
A police investigation concluded there was no foul play, and - surprisingly - a coroner's inquest was not held. As Mr Fang's sister, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, was then chief secretary, the family suspected that the police might have been less than diligent in getting to the bottom of the matter, although there was no evidence to support their suspicions.
With the help of legislative councillor Leung Yiu-chung, the family managed to persuade the police to reopen the investigation last year. Again, a coroner decided against holding an inquest. It took an application to court by Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung to bring the hearing about. That was the right step to take. It is a pity it came more than six years after it should have.
The inquest revealed more evidence that fuels the family's suspicions. When the case was first closed in 2001, the police handed a copy of Pang's diary to the family. However, a police officer testified that Pang's diary was never seized or found at the flat. The family also argues that some exhibits had gone missing, and there were holes in witnesses' testimonies.
Nevertheless, based on the evidence presented during the inquest, the coroner instructed the jury that it could not conclude Pang was murdered or had committed suicide. The jury then ruled that she had died by accident or misadventure, implying that she probably died of a drug overdose or had choked on her own vomit.