Hong Kong newspaper editor sacked in wake of Panama Papers report

Hong Kong journalists have warned of a serious threat to press freedom in the city state after the abrupt dismissal of a senior newspaper editor who ran a powerful front-page story based on revelations from the Panama Papers.

Ming Pao, one of the city’s most prestigious papers, dismissed chief editor Keung Kwok-yuen on Wednesday, the same day the journalist filled the front page with revelations about Hong Kong celebrities, officials and businessmen.

The paper’s management said the sacking was a cost-cutting measure, but furious journalists accused the owners of a more sinister agenda.

Beijing has stepped up censorship of stories on the world’s biggest ever leak of documents, after relatives of some senior leaders were named among people who had used offshore companies to store their wealth.