Hong Kong lawmaker Judy Chan has received a written warning from the Legislative Council (LegCo) over her January traffic offence, the lowest-level sanction under a new code of conduct introduced earlier this year.

The Legislative Council Supervisory Committee submitted a report to LegCo on Wednesday detailing its investigation into a complaint relating to Chan’s driving.

The New People’s Party lawmaker was caught driving against traffic on Jaffe Road in Wan Chai on January 23. Four days later, the supervisory committee received a formal complaint from a member of the public.

In March, Chan was fined HK$2,000 and banned from driving for one month after pleading guilty to one count of careless driving.

“Taking into account all relevant factors, the Committee has unanimously
concluded that [Chan’s] misconduct did not reach a serious level,” the committee said in the report.

The committee therefore issued a written warning to the lawmaker, urging Chan to be “mindful of her words and deeds at all times and ensure that she lives up to the public’s expectations.”

Chan said on Facebook on Wednesday night that she accepted the committee’s decision. She also issued another apology.

“I will treat this as a lesson to remain vigilant, strive for continuous improvement, and do my utmost to serve the public,” Chan said in the Chinese-language post.

“I would like to express my sincere apologies to the public once again, especially to those who were disappointed or concerned by this incident.”

New code of conduct

In January, the LegCo introduced a new code of conduct for lawmakers that specifies requirements for meeting attendance, voting, and other duties.

It also introduced tougher penalties for misconduct under a five-tier sanctions system. The punishments for misconduct range from a written warning – the lowest-level sanctions – to suspension of duty and deduction of lawmakers’ remuneration and allowances.

The code ensures that lawmakers “perform their duties in a constructive manner” and do “not intentionally vilify the governance credibility” of authorities, according to the LegCo.

Misconduct complaints are handled by the newly created Legislative Council Supervisory Committee, which includes 13 lawmakers. The committee is an expansion of the former Committee on Members’ Interests.