Protesters march in rain against move to drop corruption probe of former Hong Kong leader CY Leung
- Pan-democrats, who held the event, claim some 1,200 people showed up but police say the figure was 525
- Marchers take their demonstration to office of justice chief Teresa Cheng
Hundreds of demonstrators staged a rally in Hong Kong despite the miserable weather to protest against a decision by the city’s justice minister to clear former leader Leung Chun-ying of any wrongdoing over a HK$50 million (US$6.3 million) payment he received from an Australian firm.
The pan-democratic camp, which organised the event at Chater Garden in Central, claimed some 1,200 people attended, but police said only 525 people took part.
Organisers said the move by Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah involved political consideration and marked the “sinking” of Hong Kong’s rule of law.
Addressing the crowds, Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Wan Siu-kin said: “The justice secretary has departed from the usual practice of seeking independent legal advice in controversial cases. That is wrong and Teresa Cheng owes the public an explanation.”
Leung escaped legal action after a four-year investigation by the city’s anti-graft agency, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, into a HK$50 million payment he received from Australian engineering firm UGL while he was in office.