Law Society makes report to police over intimidation

The Law Society said on Saturday it had made a report to the police after one of its council members withdrew his candidacy for re-election, citing intimidation.

Jonathan Ross announced that he was pulling out of the forthcoming election for the society’s governing body because of safety concerns.

In a statement, the society’s president Melissa Pang said she was informed that a candidate had received threatening messages tied to him withdrawing from the election.

“Fairness and transparency must be safeguarded in any election. The Law Society takes a very serious view of the alleged act of intimidation and has advised the candidate to report the matter to the police immediately,” she wrote.

But she said there was no withdrawal mechanism for the election, so the indication of intention to withdraw from it by a candidate would not affect its procedures.

She appealed to members to vote in the election by post, by proxy or in person at the annual general meeting to be held on August 24.

Earlier in the day, Ross said he looked forward to an easier life.

“I fail to understand the level of fear that our candidacies have engendered in certain quarters,” he wrote.

“It is a shameful and sad day for Hong Kong that an election for council of our honorable institution has sunk to this level.”