A woman, charged by the ICAC, was today (Monday) sentenced to two months’ imprisonment at the Kowloon City Magistracy after admitting vote-rigging at the 2011 Wong Tai Sin District Council (DC) Election (Lung Sing Constituency).

Leong Lin, 53, unemployed, today pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in corrupt conduct with respect to voting at an election, contrary to Section 16(1)(b)(iii) of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance.

In sentencing, Deputy Magistrate Chu Chung-keung said the defendant deserved a custodial sentence as the offence of vote-rigging was of a serious nature.

The deputy magistrate added that the starting point of three months in jail was reduced to two months after taking into account her guilty plea.

The court heard that on June 17, 2011, the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) received a voter registration form purportedly submitted by the defendant for registration as an elector at the 2011 Wong Tai Sin DC Election (Lung Sing Constituency).

In the voter registration form, a flat in Lung Poon Court, Diamond Hill, Kowloon was stated as the defendant’s only or principal residential address.

The occupants of the address confirmed that they were residing at the flat and the defendant had never resided there, the court heard.

ICAC investigation revealed that at all material times, the defendant was residing at a unit of a public housing estate in Wong Tai Sin, which was outside the constituency.

Examination of the marked copies of the register confirmed that on the polling day on November 6, 2011, the defendant obtained a ballot paper and voted at the DC Election after having recklessly given to an electoral officer information that she knew to b e materially false or misleading, the court was told.

REO had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during the investigation.

The prosecution was today represented by Acting Senior Public Prosecutor Dominic Ngai, assisted by ICAC officer Samuel Siu.