There is nothing surprising about the ICAC raid on Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's mansion in Kowloon Tong aside from the fact that it took their investigators so long to act after it was first revealed he was bankrolling the obstreperous "pan-democrat" troublemakers in the Legislative Council (LegCo).

Reportedly about 900 documents were seized and taken away by investigators. Since the case involves around HK$15 million in relatively recent handouts, plus unknown amounts going back possibly three or more years, this haul of a mere 900 items deserving of further study does seem rather trivial.

Meanwhile the outburst, from the Civic Party's Claudia Mo Man-ching, that the raid was "clear-cut political persecution - what else could it be?" warrants closer study. Clearly Lai has, shall we say, funded the parties of several "pan-democrats", and they in turn have constantly been obstructive, employing a variety of shenanigans to impede LegCo's work.

In breach of the relevant regulations these donations were not declared. Nothing is more logical than that the authorities should wish to establish the full extent of the handouts, in particular investigating whether still more legislators had their sticky fingers in Lai's apparently near-bottomless "honey pot".

On the subject of handouts to politicians Mo said dismissively, "Political donations are so ordinary... (US President Barack) Obama gets them and (British Prime Minister David) Cameron gets them." However she did not mention in this context the allegation that, on behalf of the Civic Party, she received a donation of HK$500,000 from Jimmy Lai - nor that her Civic Party colleague Tanya Chan allegedly received HK$700,000 from him. Both Mo and Chan deny having received these amounts.

Mention of Tanya Chan serves as a reminder that, in January 2010, she was one of five legislative councilors who resigned in a political stunt that led to the expenditure of HK$159 million - of public money - on a totally unnecessary election exercise. Each of the five who resigned was a member of one of the five geographical constituencies. Their resignations resulted in wasteful by-elections being held in May of that year.

The aim of this "stunt" was that the public should consider the by-election as "a de facto referendum on universal suffrage for Hong Kong." All five legislators who resigned were re-elected. It is noteworthy that another of the five involved was "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, who over the years has received at least HK$500,000 from Jimmy Lai. To round off this nonsensical episode it remains only to remind readers that on their return to LegCo the five attempted to deliver mutual back slapping valedictory speeches - countered by the shrewd walkout by pro-establishment legislators, which abruptly ended the sitting.

Readers with long memories will recollect the publicity campaign in 1995 - a preliminary to the launch of Jimmy Lai's first publication, Apple Daily. These oft-repeated TV clips portrayed Lai slowly turning toward the camera with an apple on his head, and the point of an arrow protruding from the apple.

It has taken observers the intervening 19 years to finally divine the symbolism of that arrow - it was not, as originally suspected, pointing to still sharper investigative journalism by this newcomer to our newspaper scene, but instead to that "pot of honey" being there apparently for the taking by those whose loyalty could be bought for a price.

The total amount Lai has doled out to opposition parties and politicians have exceeded HK$20 million. So, are we to believe Claudia Mo, who complained that the current investigation into these jaw-dropping amounts is "clear-cut political persecution", or are we to ignore it because it is "so ordinary"?

I hope we haven't yet reached the stage where this observation of politicians rings true: "Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason." - Anonymous.

The author is a seasoned observer of Asian affairs.

(HK Edition 09/18/2014 page1)