Ombudsman Urged To Prevent 'spying On Lawmakers'

Some 30 pro-democracy activists have filed a complaint with the Ombudsman, alleging that government officials have overstepped their powers by spying on lawmakers in the Legco building.

Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui has been under fire for grabbing the phone of an official whom he suspected of unlawfully collecting personal information on lawmakers while marshalling them to attend meetings.

He has since apologised over the matter, but his party has suspended his membership and is planning to conduct a disciplinary investigation against him.

Neo Democrat district councillor Roy Tam said on Monday that government officials are trying to affect Legco operations. He argued that they could have violated the Basic Law.

"According to the Basic Law, the only function of government officials in the Legco building is to appear in meetings, give their opinions, but not to patrol around different floors," Tam said.

He cited media reports indicating that the official Hui encountered was from the Security Bureau's narcotics division, but the meeting at the time was on a bill that would allow mainland officials to enforce national laws on Hong Kong soil.

Tam told RTHK's Frances Sit that the only government officials allowed in Legco should be those linked to the subject under discussion.