An arrest warrant has been issued for former district councillor Leos Lee, after he allegedly called on people to boycott Hong Kong’s “patriots-only” District Council race on social media. A woman who had shared Lee’s post was charged with inciting others to cast invalid votes.
Currently based in Taiwan, Lee, 29, became a wanted individual on Monday after the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) secured his arrest warrant from a local magistrate for his suspected violation of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance.
According to the anti-graft watchdog, Lee allegedly posted on his personal social media page and urged others to boycott the election held on Sunday. The race, which saw a record low turnout of 27.54 per cent, was the first held under a revamped system that slashed democratically-elected seats and shut pro-democracy candidates out from the race.
“The [Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance] has extraterritorial effect and applies to all conduct concerning an election, be it engaged in within Hong Kong or elsewhere,” the ICAC wrote in a statement on Monday.
The former Sham Shui Po district councillor was elected in 2019 amid the extradition bill protests and was ousted in September 2021, after he refused to attend an oath-taking ceremony to swear allegiance to Hong Kong and vow to uphold the Basic Law. He later left the city.
Hong Kong criminalised calling for others to spoil or cast blank ballots in elections in 2021 as part of a Beijing-led overhaul of the city’s electoral system. Those convicted could face up to three years in prison and a fine of HK$200,000.
The anti-corruption watchdog also officially charged a 51-year-old woman who was said to have shared Lee’s post. The accused Yeung Sze-wing allegedly added a line telling others to write their names and identity card numbers on the ballot papers, which would render the votes invalid, ICAC said.
She was brought to the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Monday morning to take plea in the case.
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