【新唐人2014年08月30日讯】香港公民争真普选的“和平占中”行动8月31号将启动，周四早上，香港廉政公署突然搜查“壹传媒集团”主席黎智英、工党主席李卓人等三人的寓所，调查黎智英向工党的捐款有否触犯《防止贿赂条例》。由于黎智英一向支持香港“占中”行动，之前曾捐钱给李卓人等人。廉署在此敏感时刻高调出手，被舆论认为是政治迫害。
“壹传媒”旗下的《苹果日报》8月29号报导说，28号早晨7点，香港廉政公署人员前往“壹传媒集团”主席黎智英寓所，随后，多名律师和大批传媒收到消息到场。廉署人员逗留四小时后离开，没带走任何人。
黎智英助手Mark Simon的寓所也被搜查，廉署人员在他的住所逗留3小时，搜查所有电脑，但没有带走任何文件，只带走他女儿一部有密码不能开启的电脑。
廉署人员早上7点半还到了工党主席李卓人的住所，10点左右，又到他位于立法会大楼的办公室搜查，从两地取走了一些文件及银行户口资料。
报导说，这次事件起因，是“壹传媒”电脑系统早前被黑客攻击，黎智英大量私人文件被盗走。 7月底，自称“壹传媒股民”的神秘人物，将近千份被盗资料向网络和传媒公布，说黎智英向泛民捐款4千万元。而工党获得150万元捐款。
廉署人员出示给李卓人的搜查令显示，他们是要调查黎智英向工党捐款，和今年1月22号，立法会捍卫传媒编辑自主的辩论是否有关。
李卓人强调，他当时在立法会发言时，除了谈到《苹果日报》广告被抽，也提到《am730》广告被抽，以及《明报》前总编刘进图遇袭事件。
香港工党主席李卓人：“我们都是有非常之捍卫新闻自由的立场，是非常非常鲜明，长期以来，我想大家都会觉得，做捐款和我们的新闻自由怎么会扯上关系？”
香港《信报》曾报导说， 8月初李卓人接受采访时，形容黎智英是“特别的生意人”，虽然支持泛民，但从不干预政党事务。不过李卓人承认，黎智英是整个泛民单一的最大捐款来源，去年先后共收下黎智英两笔共150万元的捐款。
壹传媒集团主席黎智英：“我本着自己的能力，尽量去推动香港我觉得他对社会有益的人，好多人觉得我做的事乱港，什么都好，他想讲什么讲什么，不过，我捐的钱我是支持泛民，我真是支持泛民而己。”
黎智英表示，自己的每一分钱都是做生意正当赚来的，未来还会继续向泛民主派捐款。
前香港廉署总调查主任大律师 查锡我：“你将他（李卓人）连系上发表维护新闻自由，这件事是香港的核心价值，个个都要讲啦。你怎么能让两件事连上关系？何况李卓着人当初的辩解，款项不是由他接受，而是代人（工党）持有。”
对于廉署的行动，舆论纷纷认为是政治迫害。有熟知廉署调查手法的泛民成员认为，这次廉署的做法，相信是要配合北京打压“占中”，阻止泛民否决政改的部署。
香港多份媒体披露，27号，中共人大常委，拍板决定了一个所谓的“普选”草案，全面封杀民主派候选人。“和平占中”发起人戴耀廷表示，所谓的“普选”，真相令人绝望，因此宣布泛民8月31号，在人大常委会正式关上大门之后，当晚在政府总部集会，启动占中。
学联副秘书长岑敖晖也表示，中央的“关闸”方案，把港人过去30年争取民主的希望毁尽，学联最快9月中旬全面罢课。
面对香港即将出现的和平占中活动，中共常委、“港澳工作协调小组”组长的张德江宣称，中共已经有“思想上的准备”。
去年7月，驻港部队在枪会山军营，用盾牌、木棍进行防暴演习镇压“占中”；8月23号，有网友在紧连香港的深圳南山区，拍到疑似驻港部队演练镇压群体事件的画面。
记者编辑/李韵 后制/肖颜
Hong Kong Media: Sudden Search of Jimmy Lai’s Home “Political Persecution”
The peaceful Occupy Central movement, fighting for universal suffrage of Hong Kong, will start on Aug 31. This Thursday morning, Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) suddenly visited three homes, including that of Jimmy Lai, the owner of Next Media, and Lee Cheuk-yan, Labor party chairman. The move claimed to investigate whether Lai’s donation to the Labor party violated bribery law.
Lai is a firm supporter of the Occupy Central movement, and has made donations to Lee Cheuk-yan and others. The high-profile move by the ICAC was made at such a critical moment, and was thus described as “political persecution” in media reports.
A number of lawyers and media workers also arrived at Lai’s home after they learned about the news. ICAC officers stayed for four hours and did not take away anyone.
The home of Mark Simon, Lai’s assistant, was also searched by the ICAC. ICAC officers stayed at Simon’s home for three hours, searching all computers but did not take away any files. They only took a computer of Simon’s daughter, which was protected by password.
Later at about 10am, they visited his office located inside the Legislative Council. Some files and bank account records were taken away.
The report said, the incident was the aftermath of a hacking attack against Next Media’s computer system. A large number of Jimmy Lai’s private files were stolen.
At the end of July, a mysterious person calling himself “Next Media’s shareholder”, released thousands of stolen files to the public.
That person said, Lai had donated 40 million HKD ($5.2 M) to pro-democracy groups, and the Labor party obtained 1.5 million HKD ($190,000).
According to the search warrant that ICAC officers showed to Lee Cheuk-yan, the search was directed against Lai’s donation to the Labor party, investigating whether the donation is related to the Jan 22 debate on press freedom in the Legislative Council.
Lee Cheuk-yan said, in his speech at the council, he not only mentioned Apple Daily but also Radio AM730 about how their major clients suddenly canceled advertisements.
Lee also talked about the knife attack against Lau Chun-to, Ming Pao’s former editor-in-chief.
Lee Cheuk-yan, Chairman of Labor Party: “For a long time, we always had a very, very clear attitude of protecting Hong Kong’s press freedom.
Probably most of us don’t understand how donations can be related to press freedom?”
A Hong Kong Economic Journal’s report said, Lee Cheuk-yan described Jimmy Lai as a “special businessman” in an interview in early August, saying Lai supported democracy groups but never interfered with political affairs.
Lee also admitted that Lai is the biggest individual donor to pro-democracy groups. In 2013, his party had received two donations totaling 1.5 million HKD from Lai.
Jimmy Lai, president of Next Media Group: ”I do my best to support those I believe do the right thing for Hong Kong. Many people say I am disturbing Hong Kong’s peace. They can say whatever they want to say. However, my donations are simply to support pro-democracy groups. I really just want to support them.”
Lai said he earned every cent rightfully through his business, and he would continue to donate to pro-democracy groups in the future.
Stephen Char, former ICAC chief investigator: “They connect donations with protecting press freedom, but that is one of Hong Kong’s core values that anyone can talk about.”
How can you link those two things?
Furthermore, Lee had defended himself that he was only the representative of Labor Party to receive the money.”
ICAC’s sudden move was widely labeled as political persecution in media reports. A Pro-democracy group member, who is familiar with ICAC’s working style, said that was probably a cooperative move with Beijing’s suppression against the Occupy Central movement, in order to stop pro-democracy groups from resisting Beijing’s plan.
On Aug 27, the CCP’s National People’s Congress (NPC) announced the draft on so-called “universal suffrage” for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive.
The plan will force out all candidates from pro-democracy groups. Tai Yiu Ting, promoter of the Occupy Central, said the CCP’s so-called “universal suffrage” plan is hopeless. He announced that when the NPC makes the final decision on Aug 31, the democracy groups will gather in front of Hong Kong government and start the Occupy Central movement.
Lester Shum, vice president of Hong Kong Federation of Students, said the CCP’s plan will completely destroy all Hong Kong people’s efforts toward democracy in the past 30 years. The federation will start an overall strike no sooner than mid-September.
Zhang Dejiang, the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee member in charge of Hong Kong affairs, had claimed that the party “is mentally prepared” for the upcoming Occupy Central movement.
Last July, the CCP’s militaries carried out drills at Gun Club Hill Barracks of suppressing Central occupiers with shields and clubs.
On Aug 23, netizens took photos in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District that seemingly captured a drill of suppressing massive protest by the CCP’s troops stationed in Hong Kong.
Interview & Edit/LiYun Post-Production/XiaoYan
