(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Hong Kong officials said they were checking whether the son of one of Asia's wealthiest men breached media ownership rules when he bought a stake in a small newspaper.
The government said in a statement it was reviewing Richard Li's involvement in the Hong Kong Economic Journal and PCCW Media, a license holder for a pay-television service.
Li is PCCW's chairman and the son of Li Ka-shing, the richest man in the city.
Hong Kong prohibits a proprietor of a local newspaper to exercise control of a domestic television broadcaster.
The government said it required PCCW and other relevant parties to provide information of the voting controllers of PCCW Media.
A PCCW spokeswoman declined to comment on the investigation.
Last August, a trust created by Richard Li bought a 50% stake in the Chinese-language paper, popular with intellectuals and business leaders.
The acquisition was disclosed when Richard Li was trying to sell his controlling stake in PCCW to a consortium arranged by former banker Francis Leung.
However, the deal was voted down by minority shareholders PCCW's Singapore-listed holding company, Pacific Century Regional Developments in November.
Richard Li remains the largest PCCW shareholder.
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