Derek Lam, a core member of the Demosisto party, has left the group after violating its financial handling procedures.
The pro-democracy party issued a surprise statement on Thursday afternoon revealing the news. It said the party found no financial loss after conducting a review, but did not give more details.
It said an internal investigation found that Lam violated party conduct and he was subsequently stripped of his status as a standing committee member. Lam then filed to withdraw from the party and his application was accepted.
Demosisto said Lam was no longer a member as of Thursday and anything he does in the future is not related to the party.
In a short post on social media, Lam said he has “a lot of apologies and thanks” to give the party.
“Today is the start of a new journey, fight on,” he wrote.
Lam’s departure came two weeks after the party’s leaders Joshua Wong and Nathan Law were released on bail. Lam has been working closely with Wong for years since the days of the now-disbanded student group Scholarism.
Lam is a theology student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has often been on the front lines of protests.
He was one of nine activists charged for their involvement in a protest last November against an impending Basic Law interpretation by Beijing. The case will be heard on January 29 next year.
