Senior cop faces ICAC probe push

Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting has written to the Independent Commission Against Corruption demanding an investigation into high-ranking police officer Rupert Dover, who allegedly rented out a village house as a hostel.

In the letter sent to head of operations, Ricky Yau Shu-chun, Lam demanded an investigation into whether assistant police commissioner Dover and his wife, also a police officer, committed misconduct in public office or offenses under corruption transactions with agents.

Lam also said two Next Magazine reporters who were investigating on the story were arrested for loitering last Monday. The police also copied and kept the reporters' notes without a production order, which Lam said "seriously infringed on press freedom" and breached the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance, under which an application for a warrant is required to seize journalistic material.

He said such behavior by the police amounted to abuse of power and leads to suspicions misconduct in public office has been committed.

On Thursday, the magazine and Apple Daily reported that two houses in Pik Shui Sun Tsuen and Clear Water Bay tied to Dover and his wife may have breached housing rules, as they were built on government land under a license allowing only the original licensee and their family to live there. But one house was allegedly turned into a bed and breakfast without a guesthouse license.

The home affairs department said the house does not have a guesthouse license and that it would look into whether any regulations have been violated. If there is sufficient evidence, they may carry out prosecutions.

Responding to the allegations on Friday, Dover said the licensee is a relative of his wife and that he will cooperate with investigations by government departments.

Apple Daily later also found a profile picture of a Facebook account suspected to belong to Dover's wife had been changed to a reporter's photo, but the account was no longer available yesterday.

Dover has been with the police force for more than three decades and garnered public attention during anti-fugitive bill protest operations last year.

Meanwhile, Apple Daily also found that two other senior officers, chief superintendent David Jordan and superintendent Vasco Williams, also had illegal structures at their homes.

Jordan's home in Tin Liu, Sai Kung, has an unauthorized structure, and police traffic cones were found in his garden.

The newspaper also alleged an unauthorized structure was found at a house belonging to Williams in Tai Tung Tsuen in Sai Kung.

Lawmakers from the pan-democratic camp plan to question police commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung on the reports about the three police officers in a security panel meeting tomorrow.