Bail granted for 2 charged with inciting others to cast invalid ballots in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council poll
- Chan Kin-man and Alice Leung are each released on HK$1,000 bail pending next hearing on February 15 after their lawyers requested more time to obtain prosecution documents, offer legal advice
- The pair are charged under amended election law for sharing a Facebook post by fugitive ex-lawmaker Ted Hui calling on voters to cast blank ballots in Sunday’s election
The first pair of defendants charged under a new Hong Kong law that prohibits the act of inciting others to boycott an election or cast invalid ballots have been granted bail by a court to seek legal advice.
Salesman Chan Kin-man, 36, and office assistant Alice Leung Yuet-sheung, 65, appeared in Kwun Tong Court on Tuesday for the first time since they were prosecuted under the amended Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance.
The new Section 27A was introduced earlier this year as part of a broader Beijing-led electoral overhaul aimed at ensuring only “patriots” held power in the city.
Prosecutors alleged the duo had engaged in illegal conduct during the election period between October and December by sharing a Facebook post by fugitive ex-lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who called on voters to cast blank ballots in Sunday’s Legislative Council poll.
The two accused were not required to enter a plea as their lawyers asked for time to obtain prosecution documents and offer legal advice. They were each released on a HK$1,000 (US$128) bond pending the next hearing on February 15.
The offence is punishable by one year in prison and a HK$50,000 fine if the case is tried before a magistrate.
Sunday’s election, shunned by the mainstream opposition, saw the already dominant pro-establishment camp sweep all but one seat in the legislature after Beijing’s overhaul of the political system amid a record-low turnout of only 30.2 per cent.