Pro-Beijing candidate Bill Tang spent HK$2.24 million on failed Legislative Council by-election campaign – with most being spent on adverts and meals for assistants
Paperwork disclosed to public also shows former labour sector lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu dished out more than HK$33,000 on meals for 1,500 assistants
His total was 40 per cent higher than that of Holden Chow Ho-ding, who spent HK$1.61 million back in 2016 Legco by-election in the same constituency of New Territories East. At the time, eventual winner Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu of the Civic Party lavished HK$2.5 million on his campaign.
The latest expenditure came to light when the Registration and Electoral Office released the candidates’ declarations of expenses for public scrutiny.
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Tang, a former Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker representing the labour sector, was the first of the major candidates to have his declaration disclosed.
The expenses for NeoDemocrat Gary Fan Kwok-wai, who beat Tang by a margin of about 30,000 votes, have yet to be made public.
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