David Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
- Wong was charged for entertaining with the intent of "inducing" other people to vote for a particular candidate in Hong Kong.
- He was singing at a rally by 34-year-old Au Nok-hin, who was running for a 2018 legislative council by-election.
- The two will appear in court on Thursday and could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of HKD$500,000.
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Hong Kong singer songwriter Anthony Wong Yiu-ming was charged for corrupt conduct in connection with a 2018 political rally held for pro-democracy candidate Au Nok-hin, according to the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong (ICAC) on Monday.
In its statement, the city's anti-corruption watchdog alleged that 59-year-old Wong "engaged in corrupt conduct at the 2018 Legislative Council By-election for Hong Kong Island Geographical Constituency by providing entertainment … for another person for the purpose of inducing the other person to vote for Au at the election."
Thirty-four-year-old Au Nok-hin – a pro-democracy candidate who was running for the by-election and later won – was also charged. The former opposition lawmaker was also among the more than 50 people who were arrested under the wide-ranging national security law on subversion charges in February, according to the South China Morning Post.
"At the rally, Wong performed two songs on stage. At the end of the performance, he appealed to the participants of the rally to vote for Au at the election," the ICAC wrote, referring to a rally held on March 3, 2018, at Edinburgh Place in downtown Hong Kong.
In addition, the ICAC wrote that Au had posted a social media post announcing the rally in late February 2018, and another announcing Wong's appearance two hours before the rally.
The two will appear at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on Thursday.
Wong is best known for being part of pop duo Tat Ming Pair in the 80s, and later started his solo career. He is also known as a pro-democracy activist and an advocate for the LGBTQ community.
Under the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance (ECICO), it is forbidden to induce another person to vote for particular candidates at an election through providing entertainment, food or drinks.
Offenders may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and fined HKD$500,000 ($64,300), according to the ordinance.
The latest charges were the second in two weeks by the ICAC, which reports directly to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, reported the SCMP.
Benny Tai, who founded Hong Kong's Occupy movement (which led to the Umbrella Movement), was charged by the ICAC last Monday alongside two others for "incurring election expenses" by buying six advertisements in two newspapers during the 2016 Legislative Council elections, even though none of them were running for office.