Three Hongkongers jailed for up to 11 months each over fraud during 2016 Legco polls
- West Kowloon Court hears Li Lam-cheong offered HK$1,000 each to five persons to obtain their personal data that was used for election fraud
- Magistrate Peony Wong says the court must emphasise the importance of fair polls and impose a deterrent sentence in this serious case of corruption
Two Hong Kong taxi drivers and a hospital receptionist have been jailed for up to 11 months each for bribery in the information technology constituency of the Legislative Council polls in 2016.
Magistrate Peony Wong Nga-yan said the court must emphasise the importance of fair elections and impose a deterrent sentence in this serious case of corruption, which she believed was “orchestrated by someone behind the scenes”, given the detailed planning and multifarious procedures involved in its execution.
“Immediate imprisonment was inevitable,” she said.
West Kowloon Court heard Li Lam-cheong, who sat on the executive committee of the Taxi Drivers and Operators Association, offered HK$1,000 (US$129) each to fellow driver Chan Chun-shing and his wife, two daughters as well as one of their boyfriends, for their personal data that was subsequently used for applying for membership to a professional body, which would make them voters of the IT sector.
The family accepted the money, registered with the Hong Kong chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – despite lacking the necessary qualifications – and was then asked to vote for tech executive Eric Yeung Chuen-sing, who was seeking to represent the functional constituency of more than 12,000 voters.
