Wednesday, January 27, 2010

No money? No justice.

Now what a lot of us were afraid of has really happened. Three small investors were forced to give up suing a tycoon because they did not have the money to continue.

In 2008 the big conglomerate CITIC Pacific lost a hugh amount of money because of bets on the Australian dollar. Its stock slumped 55% in one day. Many people who thought its was a well-run company lost big.

Three small investors sued the CITIC Pacific boss in the Small Claims Court, where the claims are for less than $50,000 and lawyers are not allowed. They claimed that the boss made false and misleading statements even when the losses were taking place, leading them to invest in the company while unaware of the company’s blood-letting.

The (former) boss asked for the case to be moved to the High Court, claiming that the case was too complex to be investigated by the Small Claims Court. The Small Claims Court has now agreed. The three small investors don’t have the money for the legal fees necessary to pursue the lawsuit in the High Court. They are forced to give up.

Everything sounds so logical. But the stark reality is: if you don’t have the money, rich people can step over you (perhaps they did not mean to, you just happen to be in the way), and you cannot even complain. That is justice, Hong Kong style.




5 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Michael Lok said...

ummm... sometimes I get lost either... Bible has mentioned about 公義, but it seems like another term 完全... unreachable in human world.

StephenC said...

Oh, I don't think we should despair. Sad, and angry at the injustice, yes. But not despair.

Not that I believe in humans correcting our behaviour successfully. But we should try, and there is a just God, who will help us when we fail.

Michael Lok said...

Thanks for your words. ^^

StephenC said...

You are welcome. Let us work together to do what God wants us to do: to take care of widows and orphans, to help our brothers in need, ..., to voice out against injustice, to fight against evil, ..., to help bring the kingdom of heaven upon the earth.