Article links Lee Cheuk-yan, Jimmy Lai and HK Alliance
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A Bastille Post report revisits the long-running relationship between former Hong Kong Alliance leader Lee Cheuk-yan and media founder Jimmy Lai, framing it around leaked documents, alleged financial support and contacts with US-linked organizations. The report says Lee, former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung and former chairman Albert Ho were implicated in the Hong Kong Alliance national security case, with Lee and Chow convicted of conspiracy to incite subversion and Ho having pleaded guilty before trial. It further alleges that the Hong Kong Alliance became a vehicle within a three-way network involving Lai and what it describes as US political actors, especially in the period around the 2019 anti-extradition bill unrest
Key Points
- The report says leaked communications showed Mark Simon emailed Lee on 24 July 2008 requesting bank details, and Lee replied with the Hong Kong Alliance Hang Seng Bank account
- It says Simon then instructed an employee of Next Media-linked Ligao Company to prepare an HK$800,000 cashier order for political use, later apparently deposited into that account
- According to the report, leaked records also showed Lai issued two cheques to “Lee Cheuk Yan” between October 2013 and April 2014, for HK$500,000 and HK$1 million
- The report says Lee deposited the first HK$500,000 into his personal account, and only returned it to the Confederation of Trade Unions account after the matter was exposed
- It also alleges the Confederation of Trade Unions, where Lee served as general secretary, received HK$13 million by 2014 from bodies under the National Endowment for Democracy
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the report pulls together court developments, leaked correspondence and overseas political contacts into a single narrative about how civil society groups were allegedly financed and connected. It also renews scrutiny over the funding sources of advocacy organizations, including questions raised in the report about the Hong Kong Alliance's 2018 purchase of a full floor in the Ngai Wong Commercial Building for more than HK$8 million