3
3 1
-
- 2
5
His appeal to the Full Court was dismissed and the death
sentence was subsequently commuted to imprisonment
for 20 years.
3. Events Leading up to the
Appointment of this Commission
The alleged payment of $10,000 by LAU Cheong-wah to
LEUNG Wing-sang was first disclosed to the authorities
by LEUNG's mother, who made a complaint to the UMELCO
Office in March, 1974, shortly after LEUNG had lost
his appeal. The UMELCO Office made certain proliminary
investigations of their own, and then the matter was
referred to the Police. It will be noted that sometime
after LEUNG's mother had approached the UMELCO Office,
LEUNG presented a petition to H. E. the Governor asking
for clemency. At the time of drafting the petition,
he had already been informed of his mother's complaint
to the UELCO Office. The petition nevertheless made
no mention of the alleged payment because, according
to LEUNG's evidence, his fellow prisoners told him it
would be useless to do so. In 1974 Senior Superintendent
McNiven was ordered to conduct a thorough investigation
and he reached the conclusion that the statements
supporting the allegation of payment given by LEUNG,
members of his family and friends were not conclusive
and that there was insufficient evidence to support
their complaint. There the mattor rested until the
trial of two Superintendents of Police, Cunningham and
Thompson, for corruption in the Victoria District Court
at the end of 1975. One of the prosecution witnesses
was LAU Cheong-wah, who was cross-examined by the defendants' solicitors regarding the alleged payment. LAU denied the allegation.
The alleged payment as disclosed in the trial of
Cunningham and Thompson aroused considerable public interest. On 6th February, 1975, the Commission of
Inquiry was appointed.
}