Ted Hui To Face Censure Motion For Phone Snatching

A Legco probe has concluded that Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui should be censured over a phone-snatching incident at the legislature in 2018.

The investigation committee said allegations that he acted "violently and showed no respect to a government official" are substantiated.

The seven-member panel headed by Alice Mak also said Hui's acts had "brought discredit upon Legco", and he had "failed to fulfil the public's expectation of a legislator and tarnished Legco's reputation”.

The lawmaker had snatched a Security Bureau official's phone and ran into a toilet with it while she was reporting on the whereabouts of legislators when they were discussing the controversial immigration arrangements for the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminal in April 2018.

He had been found guilty of common assault and two other offences by the Eastern Court last year.

The court spared him for a jail sentence, but handed him 240 hours of community service and a fine of HK$3,800.

But the committee said the opposition lawmaker’s acts were "unacceptable", as nobody would expect that his or her phone would be grabbed in a place as "highly regarded" as Legco, let alone by a legislator.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hui said what truly harmed Legco's reputation is what he called the "systematic violence" the government and his rival camp adopt in the legislature.

"The government sends paparazzi, stalking legislators' whereabouts with an aim to intervene into the operation of our legislature, influencing legislature voting, and this extremely inappropriate and I call it systemic violence," he said.

When asked if he was worried he would be censured, Hui said: "I’ll leave it to other colleagues inside the chamber, and I think people know what’s right and wrong, it’s in their hearts."

According to the Basic Law, a lawmaker could be disqualified if a censure motion is backed by two-thirds of the Legco members present.