Businessman Lew Mon-hung (also known as Dream Bear) has been found guilty of perverting the course of justice for letters and emails that he sent to Chief Executive CY Leung and Independant Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) head Simon Peh during a previous fraud investigation.
The 67-year-old was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment in court today, the SCMP reports.
Lew’s emails and letters to Leung and Peh were sent in Jan. 2013, during a previous fraud investigation in relation to Pearl Oriental Oil, the company of which he was once the vice-chairman. While Lew was acquitted of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, he has now been found guilty of perverting the course of public justice over his correspondence with Leung and Peh.
In a hearing last month, Lew testified that he had not asked Leung and Peh to halt the investigation, but rather asked the officials if the investigation was “unreasonable”, and remind them not to do anything illegal.
However, Judge Frankie Yiu said today that he found Lew’s aim was to “seek Chief Executive Leung and Commissioner Peh to halt the investigation, not to remind them”. In addition, the judge noted that Lew had used “threatening language” in his correspondence.
During the sentencing, Yiu said, “This is serious in that the defendant sent letters to the highest-ranking officials in the administrative government, the chief executive and the head of an executive department.”
Yiu added that those being investigated could not rely on friends in high places to simply dismiss legal procedures. Not only would such actions interfere with the course of justice, Yiu said, but it would also damage others’ confidence in Hong Kong’s legal system.
Lew, who was a former ally of CY Leung during the now-chief executive’s election campaign, had previously accused Leung of framing him after their falling-out.
The tycoon also accused Leung and Peh of failing to disclose two letters he sent to them later in Jan. 2013, which he claimed could vindicate him.
After hearing his sentence, Lew apparently remained calm. “History will rule that I am innocent,” he reportedly shouted.
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