Space Travel News  
SINO DAILY
Hong Kong leader exempted from penalty after breaching election rules
by AFP Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 18, 2022

A Hong Kong court on Thursday decided not to penalise chief executive John Lee for late paperwork filed during the election bid where he ran unopposed for the city's top job.

Lee, 64, a former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement, was chosen as the finance hub's leader in May after winning 99 percent of votes from a small committee of Beijing loyalists.

He was the sole candidate to stand but nonetheless received a raft of endorsements and spent around HK$2.4 million ($300,000) on advertising.

Authorities said Lee failed to submit supporting paperwork on time for three endorsement ads, an offence that could be punished by up to HK$5,000 and six months in jail.

But Judge Queeny Au-Yeung ruled on Thursday that Lee's non-compliance was "caused by inadvertence" -- one of the legal grounds which could permit a waiver.

"The delay in uploading was a relatively short one. There was no bad faith shown," the judge wrote, adding that Lee had a "candid" attitude.

The judge said Lee gained no special advantage, and accepted his explanation that the forms were submitted late amid "heavy workload, tight timeframes, limited manpower and lack of communication".

In April, Lee's campaign office promised to be "more careful" after three consent forms were found to be handed in late, with his campaign manager asking for the public's understanding.

For a leadership race, Hong Kong requires endorsements to be backed up by written consent forms, which must then be submitted to election officials and displayed to the public.

Similar court cases involving Hong Kong's election rules have ended less favourably for pro-democracy opposition figures.

In 2021, Hong Kong authorities used a similar law on election paperwork to oust an elected pro-democracy activist, who the court described as "reckless" in failing to submit written consent for his ads.

In April, former law scholar and activist Benny Tai was jailed for 10 months for placing newspaper ads during an election to promote his tactical voting strategy, which a court said broke Hong Kong's laws on election expenses.


Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


SINO DAILY
China use of psychiatric hospitals to punish activists 'widespread': report
Madrid (AFP) Aug 17, 2022
China's use of psychiatric hospitals to imprison activists without due process remains routine, a rights group has said, accusing doctors and the healthcare system of colluding with authorities in punishing dissidents. Beijing authorities for decades used the country's system of psychiatric hospitals, known as Ankang, to punish political prisoners. A report released Tuesday by Madrid-based NGO Safeguard Defenders said the practice continues, despite reforms in the early 2010s that required medic ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SINO DAILY
SINO DAILY
Sols 3562-3563: Adventures Over Sand

Building on Mars or the Luna: You'll need extraterrestrial cement for that

New Year, New Challenges: Sols 3558-3559

Progressing through the pass: Sols 3560-3561

SINO DAILY
NASA seeks student ideas for extracting, forging metal on the Moon

All systems go in Houston as NASA prepares return to Moon

New study of moon rocks finds they contain gases from Earth

Helga and Zohar are ready for their flight around the Moon

SINO DAILY
Why Jupiter doesn't have rings like Saturn

You can help scientists study the atmosphere on Jupiter

SwRI scientists identify a possible source for Charon's red cap

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission Completes Main Body of the Spacecraft

SINO DAILY
Scientists detect newborn planet that could be forming moons

A cosmic tango points to a violent and chaotic past for distant exoplanet

New research on the emergence of the first complex cells challenges orthodoxy

Super-earth skimming habitable zone of red dwarf

SINO DAILY
Northrop Grumman invests in new solid rocket motor manufacturing facilities in Magna, Utah

J-Space partners with Virgin Orbit to bring sovereign air-launch capability to South Korea

Private rocket company completes third orbital mission

The space economy gets major tech advancement with hybrid mobility packages

SINO DAILY
Wentian's small mechanical arm completes in-orbit tests

Reusable experimental spacecraft put into orbit

China launches six new satellites

China's Tianzhou-3 cargo craft re-enters atmosphere under control

SINO DAILY
Study finds evidence that giant meteorite impacts created the continents

What part of a space rock survives to the ground?

Perseid meteor shower peaks Aug. 12, but the full Moon may spoil the show

NASA team troubleshoots asteroid-bound Lucy across the solar system









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.