At least three newcomers to Hong Kongโs legislature, including two from the cityโs largest political party, have failed to declare company shareholdings, the Post has found, with the trio blaming the omissions on heavy workloads or misunderstandings.
The three lawmakers are Jody Kwok Fu-yung and Hung Kam-in of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), and Thomas So Shiu-tsung, a lawyer.
โI am still a newcomer and have to handle many matters, such as [a new] office and meetings,โ Kwok told the Post on Thursday, a day after the deadline for all lawmakers to declare their interests had passed.
โI have been very cautious about my conduct, declarations of interests and speeches. This time is an honest mistake.โ
Lawmakers must declare shareholdings in any companies or bodies exceeding 1 per cent of the total shares by the first Legislative Council meeting of each term, under Legcoโs rules of procedure.
A Post check of the declarations of Legcoโs 40 first-time lawmakers, cross-referenced with the Companies Registry, revealed that the three had failed to declare their shareholdings by Wednesday.