Franklin Lam strikes back at critics and the media

Former executive councillor Franklin Lam Fan-keung, who was at the vortex of a political farce that saw him falsely accused of profiting from insider information on flat sales, has hit back at critics and the media for dramatising his ordeal.存倉But he does not expect them to apologise for what they have done, nor does he believe the government exerted any political pressure on the Independent Commission Against Corruption over his case.Lam broke his silence through an article published in Chinese-language daily Ming Pao yesterday, after the ICAC cleared him of wrongdoing last month following a nine-month investigation.While claiming to be "the biggest victim" in the saga, he also thanked the ICAC for its professionalism. In the article, Lam criticised pan-democrats for abusing the graft-buster as a "political tool" to strike a blow against their adversaries."If a layman complains to the political parties about a suspected case of corruption, would the parties call a media conference and stage a political show to promote the case for the complainant, and then lead a group of people to report it to the ICAC?" he wrote, without naming anyone."I am not here to denounce anybody. And I do not expect those who complained about me to apologise. Because everyone has their own motives and ethical standards. [If I had wrongly accused others], I would have been the first one to come out and offer my apology."He added: "From my point of view, as the biggest victim in t迷你倉e saga, there was zero political pressure from external influences on the ICAC during the investigation."Lam became a punching bag for pan-democrats last year after allegations surfaced that he – while serving on the Executive Council – had sold two flats ahead of new housing stamp duties being imposed.Based on unconfirmed news reports, they filed a complaint with the ICAC in November. Lam promptly took leave of absence from Exco. Although the graft-buster later vindicated him, he resigned last month.At a public forum, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said some political parties were making use of the ICAC as "a political tool" and said Lam deserved apologies from his accusers.Lam was critical of media that staged what he called a public trial. Reporters stalked him and his family, including his elderly mother and young children, Lam wrote."It seems that once the word 'suspected' is used, politicians and the media can with careless abandon treat me and my family members as sinners," he said.Democratic Party chief executive Lam Cheuk-ting, one of the complainants to the ICAC, dismissed the remarks as absurd. He asked how Franklin Lam, as a key subject in the probe, could have known whether there was political pressure on the ICAC.Lam Cheuk-ting, a former ICAC investigator, also said he had good reason to report the case, as Franklin Lam's defence at the time did not satisfy the public. He earlier described Leung's call to apologise as an "outrageous joke".自存倉