Former Hong Kong lawmaker ‘Long Hair’ Leung Kwok-hung jailed for an extra 2 weeks for contempt of Legco
- Leung convicted of contempt charge under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance
- He snatched a pile of confidential documents from official during joint meeting of Legco’s housing and development panels in November 2016
“Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung became the second legislator to be convicted of the charge under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance, after the city’s top court upheld the legality of prosecuting lawmakers for interrupting proceedings.
The former League of Social Democrats chairman, who turned 66 on Sunday, stood trial at Eastern Court earlier this year for disrupting a joint meeting of Legco’s housing and development panels on November 15, 2016.
During the two-minute ruckus, Leung snatched a pile of confidential documents from then undersecretary for development Eric Ma Siu-cheung, accusing him of concealing the details of a plan to build 4,000 public housing flats on a 5.6-hectare green belt site in Wang Chau, Yuen Long.
Passing sentence on Tuesday, Principal Magistrate Ada Yim Shun-yee said Leung’s actions were not covered by privilege as he had violated the official’s right to property and prevented his Legco colleagues from carrying out their proper functions.
“The court is of the view that only when society is governed by law and order can there be democracy, freedom of speech and justice,” Yim added.
Having his trademark locks trimmed while serving time, Leung remained defiant after his conviction, saying he had no regrets about his often radical acts in the legislature over his 13 years of public service.