The Hong Kong government on Wednesday announced halting the payments of exiled former lawmaker Ted Hui’s salary and allowances as a district councilor, citing messages on social media that declare he has gone into self-exile.

Hui, an elected member of the Central and Western District Council since 2012, is subject to the government’s guidelines about the remuneration package for district councilors, which set out the proper use of money from the public coffers.

“It is necessary to withhold the disbursement of honorarium, allowances and expenses reimbursement to Mr Hui from Dec. 3 onwards, to ensure that the relevant arrangements are in compliance with the guidelines and the public funds are properly used,” the government’s Home Affairs Bureau said in a statement.

It added: “The HAB expresses deep regret over the irresponsible act of Mr Hui.”

The monthly pay for a district councilor is around HK$35,070 (US$4,500), plus HK$7,940 in allowances. Each council member can claim more than HK$550,000 a year to cover operational expenses and another HK$35,000 for medical care.

Earlier, Hui jumped bail over nine criminal charges related to protests in Hong Kong and flew to Denmark in late November. He then declared his resignation from the Democratic Party and the start of his self-exile on Dec. 3 on Facebook.

The former lawmaker also pledged to dedicate himself to a continuing fight for Hong Kong and hoped to let the world hear the cries and struggles of Hongkongers. He would never seek asylum, he added.

Hui has been reunited with his family in the United Kingdom. He has not revealed which country they will be staying in.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Cheng Chung-tai of the localist party Civic Passion challenged the security chief over the issue of freezing the bank accounts of Hui and his family members.

At a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, Cheng questioned Secretary for Security John Lee about the police issuing demands for banks to suspend the personal accounts of Hui, his wife and his parents before informing the account holders. The action was in violation of the protection of private assets stated in the Basic Law, he said.

Cheng said the police’s move undermined public confidence in Hong Kong’s financial system and its status as an international financial center.

In response, Lee dwelt at length on the move, explaining that it had been made in relation to investigations about money laundering and was unrelated to Hui’s recent decision to jump bail.

The security chief also criticised Hui and foreign politicians for making up a fake travel itinerary and tricking a Hong Kong court into granting him bail so he could escape. He labeled Hui’s behavior as shameful, fake and cowardly.

At one point Lee also turned emotional, rebuking Cheng when the lawmaker challenged him for misleading the public. Cheng had said that there was no direct relationship between money laundering and the suspension of the Huis’ accounts.

Lee continued to criticize, without naming anyone, attempts to glorify crime and the evil deed of absconding. He said Hui would be “very welcome to come back to explain himself” if he believed the police’s practice was inappropriate.

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