Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to pushing for an unofficial legislative “primary” election to be held five years ago, with his efforts extending to obtaining a quote for vote-counting software and advising on the best timing to hold the poll.
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Lai said on Wednesday he was not involved in the poll’s organisation, but conceded that he “did not tell the truth” when he previously told his marathon trial he was “not conscious” of a plan for the election to be held in the hope of securing a controlling majority for opposition politicians in the Legislative Council.
A court has found the primary formed part of a plot to overthrow the government.
The founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper agreed he had asked traditional opposition leaders to keep him informed about the unofficial poll and pushed organisers to speed up preparations.
Lai also said he had obtained a quote for an electronic voting system developed by a European tech company and had been prepared to spend US$80,000 on the software. But the idea was rejected by former law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting, the architect of the unofficial poll.
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Over 610,000 voters cast their ballots in the July 2020 primary, but the government postponed the official Legco election by a year, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.