Phone-snatching lawmaker faces ‘serious penalty’
The Legislative Council Commission on Thursday decided Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung’s phone-snatching case warranted the “most serious action”, issuing a strong condemnation letter.
The legislature’s administrative body took the decision after seeing surveillance video of Hui snatching a government officer’s personal cellphone in the LegCo building and taking it to the men’s room, where he stayed for about 15 minutes.
LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, who chaired the LegCo Commission meeting regarding Hui’s actions, said the commission reached a consensus that Hui’s case was “serious” and he had “shamed the LegCo” and “disappointed the public”.
Lawmakers who watched the footage said Hui, who studied law at university, had cornered the female officer from the Security Bureau and the two grappled.
Police had searched for evidence in the LegCo building and checked the CCTV footage on Wednesday. The investigation will follow several directions, including theft, criminal damage and access to a computer with dishonest intent, according to sources.
The LegCo Commission will hold an enlarged conference on Friday and invited all 68 legislators to watch relevant CCTV footage to be aware of the situation.
Leung said he would also send letters to all lawmakers over Hui’s wrongdoing. He will also ask the LegCo Committee on Rules of Procedure to set up processing mechanisms regarding lawmakers’ misbehavior. Everyone in the LegCo Complex should abide by laws and be free from anyone’s harassment, Leung said.
On a separate occasion, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Hui’s behavior was “absolutely unacceptable”. She urged the lawmaker to reflect on his behavior and believed the LegCo commission would follow up on the incident seriously.
Joining the condemnation was the LegCo Commission’s deputy chairperson, lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king. She warned that the city’s legislature had seen several incidents of violent behavior such as snatching phones or files, and there haven’t been any effective mechanisms to prevent such inappropriate actions.
The commission couldn’t tolerate lawlessness in the LegCo, Lee said.
Lee, who also chairs the city’s largest political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the commission would support LegCo staff in reviewing their equipment to better protect everyone in the building.
Paul Tse Wai-chun, chairman of LegCo’s Committee on Rules of Procedure, said rules should be introduced to regulate any misconduct by lawmakers. He said the LegCo should have more measures to regulate lawmakers’ behavior, including fines and duty suspensions.
On Thursday evening, Hui apologized to the officer and public for his “inappropriate conduct”. The Democratic Party also announced a strong condemnation of Hui and halted his party membership after its Central Committee meeting. Hui’s case will be handed to the party’s Disciplinary Committee.