A former ally of CY Leung has alleged that he was framed for criticising the Chief Executive, Hong Kong’s District Court heard this week.
Businessman Lew Mon-hung (nicknamed Dream Bear after his Chinese name – not after the blue Care Bear we all loved) had been a high profile supporter of now-Chief Executive CY Leung during his election campaign, but later spoke out against him.
Following Leung’s successful election, Lew went on the record to say Leung had reneged on promises to appoint him to the Executive Council and nominate him as a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
According to the SCMP, Lew then criticised Leung’s cabinet for their lack of political savviness, and made comments on Leung’s failure to implement a national education proposal. His whines and bitches were broadcast on TV and printed in the newspapers.
Lew claimed in court this week that his criticism of Leung lead to him being tried for perverting the course of justice. Two editors from Wen Wei Po and the Hong Kong Economic Journal also warned him separately about the consequences of his comments on Jan. 2 and 6, 2013, saying Leung would “make his life difficult”, the court heard.
The 67-year-old was arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Jan. 8, 2013. He is accused of sending letters and emails to Leung and Simon Peh, head of the ICAC, asking them to shut down a separate investigation against him in relation to a fraud case.
Lew was acquitted by the High Court last year of the charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, but is now being tried for perverting the course of justice due to his alleged attempt to wiggle out of the charges via the aforementioned letters and emails to Leung and Peh.
The defendant pleaded not guilty, saying he did not ask Leung and Peh to stop the investigation, and had only questioned whether the investigation was “unreasonable”.
Lew accused Leung of unlawfully persecuting him in a personal vendetta sparked by his critical remarks, and now also claims the C.E. previously asked him to help sway public opinion in his favour during the 2012 elections, before the pair’s falling out.
Leung reportedly asked Lew to urge his then-election rival, Henry Tang, to drop out of the chief executive race due to a scandal surrounding Tang’s illegal structure at the time. It was later revealed, about two weeks before Leung assumed office as Chief Executive, that Leung too had an illegal structure.
Lew expressed his remorse in court yesterday, saying he would never had encouraged Tang to quit if he knew Leung had an illegal structure of his own.
The trial, and highly confusing schoolboy squabble, continues.
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