HKFP gets 2026 off to a good start, talking with Chiu Yan-loy to get perhaps the best description yet of how rotten the building maintenance industry really is…
The “accompanying bids” tactic, where multiple construction firms are deliberately arranged to lose the tender to “escort” a pre-arranged winner, may have been used in the case of Wang Fuk Court, he added. The dummy firms may then receive kickbacks for their role in the rigging scheme.
Corrupt owners’ corporation committees are also able to influence the outcome of meetings by leveraging their influence and manipulating votes to select rigged bids, Chiu said.
Submitting proxy votes is a common and generally legal tactic that owners’ corporations have used to control the voting process, he added. If a community welfare group affiliated with the owners’ corporation board “hands out small bribes in exchange for a voter authorisation letter, I can’t say that’s illegal.”
The Hong Kong government wishes a Happy New Year to the BBC…
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government yesterday (January 1) strongly condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the deliberate unfounded report on Lai Chee-ying’s health condition in an attempt to fabricate facts to mislead the public by intentionally portraying Lai Chee-ying as a victim, with the aim of covering up his numerous wrongdoings and his conviction by the court.
Court’s conviction verdict was entirely free from any political considerations
A spokesperson for the HKSAR Government said, “The court’s reasons for verdict in Lai Chee-ying’s case are 855 pages long, which are fully open for public inspection, and include the court’s analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the reasons for convicting Lai Chee-ying and the three defendant companies in full detail. The court clearly pointed out in the reasons for verdict that Lai Chee-ying was not on trial for his political views or beliefs. The court’s conviction verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that the court has made its decision on the case strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference, and absolutely free of any political considerations.
“The court clearly pointed out that Lai Chee-ying’s only intent, whether pre or post Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL), was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the people of the People’s Republic of China and the HKSAR. Also, the court found that Lai Chee-ying was the mastermind of the conspiracies charged in all three counts, and his actions show his deliberate intent to pursue these conspiracies, which constituted a threat and harm to the national security in the PRC and the HKSAR.”
(What’s happening to definite articles?)
BBC story here, quoting Claire Lai on…
…[her] father’s deteriorating health in prison, saying that his fingernails “sometimes fall off” and his teeth are rotting.
Depressing overview of the state of the world from veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson…
[Bo Xilai] once said to me, “You’ll never understand how insecure a government feels when it knows it hasn’t been elected.”
Methinks the administration doth protest too much.
For a government/court that is supposedly resolutely confident of its actions and verdict, they sure are doing a lot of ‘splaining.
yeah CN, seems like only a few weeks ago the tax dodgers at HKFP were doing so much ‘splaining about their tax crimes.
@No Knot
Is the 50 cents you just got there tax-free or do you have to declare it?
@No knot
If they were actual tax crimes then they’d be filing criminal charges against Tom Grundy you dipshit.
It was merely a lawfare shakedown that several media organisations received. How curious.
Marky, I suppose you think Jimmy Lai’s lease fraud conviction was also “lawfare”?
Defending sleazy criminals seems to be a thing with you yellows: suggest you go add a Venezuela flag to your bio, like a good little sheeple, and leave the discussion to those with a positive IQ.
@HKUAVE (whatever that means) – Jimmy Lai’s lease fraud conviction was essentially for running a side business out of his office without the landlord’s permission – something masses of local company directors do without legal repercussions. Are they all ‘sleazy criminals”? Most would regard that as a technical offence, but hardly fraudulent in intent. No one was swindled out of any money, which is surely the essence of real fraud.
Re Backroom Lawyer: You forgot to mention the many companies enjoying cheap rent at Cyberport and Science Park that have sweet FA to do with technology.
Pal at Microsoft told me that their offices at CP conduct ZERO research, its just back office operations.
The lease charge was an appalling abuse.