Anti-corruption officers in Hong Kong searched the home of a media tycoon and outspoken critic of Beijing early Thursday morning, as the battle over electoral changes stepped up.
The search in Kowloon followed the leak of documents that revealed donations made by the tycoon, Jimmy Lai, to pro-democracy individuals and organisations, and strange incidents including a faked obituary for him.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said it had acted after receiving complaints alleging that legislators had accepted bribes and denied that political considerations played a part.
Lai's aide, Mark Simon, whose home was also searched, told the Associated Press that the visits were "a wonderful diversion two days, three days, before [something that is] not going to be very popular is announced".
Beijing is due to announce plans for electoral reforms this weekend. China has promised universal suffrage for Hong Kong's election of a chief executive in 2017, but reports suggest only a handful of Beijing loyalists will be eligible to stand: candidates will have to be backed by more than half the members of a nominating committee stacked with Beijing supporters.
Activists have responded by vowing to start on Sunday, rather than any time later, their non-violent campaign of civil disobedience, called Occupy Central With Love and Peace.
Last month, a fake obituary for Lai, saying he had died of Aids and cancer, appeared in a rival Hong Kong publication.
The businessman has also complained that large companies have pulled advertising under pressure from Beijing, although firms have denied that. Last year a car rammed the gates of his home and an axe and machete were left at the scene. Shortly afterwards, masked men threatened workers and burned thousands of copies of his pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily.
In an article for the newspaper on Wednesday Lai wrote that the sharp contrast between his childhood on the mainland and the "precious freedom" he had enjoyed once he settled in Hong Kong made him all the more determined to pursue democracy.
"You can mock me and slander me all you want. Buy a full-page advertisement posting an obituary of me saying that I died from Aids and do all you can to curse and smear me. I will not change," he said.
Shares in his company, Next Media, dropped by 6% when the news of the ICAC visit broke, picking up slightly before trading was halted. The company also owns Next Media Animation, known for its satirical cartoon news coverage.
Last month leaked documents, apparently obtained by hacking Simon's files, showed Lai had donated more than HK$10m (£778,000) to pan-democratic parties and politicians and civic education groups since last year. He also backed Occupy Central's unofficial referendum on electoral reform.
One of the recipients, the pan-democrat legislator and Labour party leader, Lee Chuek-yan, said that the ICAC had searched his house too. He told the South China Morning Post that the investigation was looking into a possible relationship between donations and a speech he made in the legislature on safeguarding editorial independence.
Chan Kin-man, one of the organisers of Occupy Central, said he still trusted the ICAC to behave independently and noted that it had to respond to complaints. But he added: "The whole thing [beginning with the hacking] is politically motivated. The atmosphere in Hong Kong is very gloomy ... We expected attacks and smears to scare away people and hurt our credibility, but to happen to this extent we think is very disappointing."
Occupy Central's rally on Sunday will mark the beginning of its campaign. Thousands of students have also pledged to boycott classes next month. Organisers say their plan for a blockade of the financial district remains a last resort.
Michael Davis, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, said efforts to discredit democracy activists could easily backfire. "The public tends to view all of this as Beijing intrusion into Hong Kong, whether it is Beijing directly or pro-Beijing people trying to intimidate or discredit the democratic camp. Often when they have this heavy-handed behaviour, they end up winding up the public to action."
While Lai's financial support for democracy activists has been targeted, his case also underscores concerns about deteriorating conditions for Hong Kong media.
"If you talk to frontline reporters, the feeling you get is quite discouraging," said Yuen Chan, a former reporter now teaching journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
She said problems ranged from reduced opportunities for asking officials questions, to the exertion of pressure via advertising and violence against journalists. Attacks have included sudden assaults with cleavers and metal pipes and violence while stories were being reported.
Shirley Yam, spokesperson for the Hong Kong Journalists Association, said: "The interference we used to see was more behind the scenes, or more subtle. What we have been seeing in the past 12 months has been more direct: the gloves have been off ... by that parameter, it's the worst we have seen. We have started to see major management change, direct interference in news content and headlines, and the existence of a black-list of academics and journalists you shouldn't speak to."
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