Hong Kong waiter accused of cheating in district council elections told localists to target pan-dem contenders
Cheng Wing-kin allegedly told Wong Hok-lai, from Sha Tin Community Network, whereto run in if he wanted HK$200,000 sponsorship
A waiter accused of cheating in the District Council elections last year – under instructions from someone said to be a mainland official – offered a localist party money to take on pan-democrat contenders, the District Court heard on Thursday.
Cheng Wing-kin allegedly told candidate Wong Hok-lai, from Sha Tin Community Network, competing in the Lee On constituency, to go after former Democratic Party member Chris Mak Yun-pui.
Senior assistant director of public prosecutions Jonathan Man Tak-ho showed the court a Facebook conversation between Cheng and Wong as evidence.
After Wong turned down an initial offer, the chat record showed, Cheng suggested Wong’s group send a candidate to Sham Shui Po to take on Frederick Fung Kim-kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood, if they wanted sponsorship.
Wong said Cheng, a former international relations student at the Australian National University, told them they would get HK$200,000 from a mainland company if they sent members to run in designated districts.
Wong’s group did not agree to the deal.