Former chief executive Donald Tsang has been charged with two counts of misconduct in public office.
Tsang and his wife arrived at the Eastern Court in the afternoon, flanked by officers from the police's special protection unit. Reporters were barred from taking the same elevator they took.
Tsang did not answer reporters' questions on his way to the court room.
The first charge alleges that between November 2010 and January 2012, Tsang allegedly failed to declare his negotiations with a major shareholder of Wave Media Limited, in respect of a lease for a luxury residential unit in Shenzhen.
The Executive Council was, at the time, scrutinising a broadcasting licence application by Wave Media, which was subsequently renamed as Digital Broadcasting Corporation Hong Kong (DBC).
The second charge alleges that between December 2010 and July 2011, Tsang allegedly failed to disclose to the then-Permanent Secretary for the Chief Executive's Office, the Development Bureau and the Honours and Non-official Justices of the Peace Selection Committee, his interest in the lease of the flat and the engagement of an architect for its interior design when he proposed the same architect for the HKSAR honours and awards system.
Tsang issued a statement saying he is innocent and has been cooperating with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for the past three years.
Tsang became the subject of a corruption probe shortly before he completed his term of office in 2012.
It came after Tsang arranged to rent a luxury 6,500 square-foot penthouse in Shenzhen after his retirement, at a rate reportedly far below market price. The development is owned by mainland tycoon Bill Wong – a major investor in DBC.
After the allegations surfaced, the Executive Council did not approve DBC's broadcasting licence application.
Allegations were also raised against Tsang for taking holiday trips on private jets and yachts provided by business friends while in office. He admitted it, but insisted that he had paid the market price for the trips, and that there was no conflict of interest. The ICAC has not charged Tsang over those allegations.
Tsang has largely shied away from the limelight since stepping down from the top job in 2012. He has attended occasional ceremonies, such as the major parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, as well as the National Day celebrations in Hong Kong over the weekend.
He also wrote a letter to the High Court pleading for leniency for former chief secretary Rafael Hui. Tsang's former number two was jailed for 7 and half years for pocketing almost HK$20 million in bribes during his years in public office.
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Last updated: 2015-10-05 HKT 14:10
Tsang and his wife arrived at the Eastern Court in the afternoon, flanked by officers from the police's special protection unit. Reporters were barred from taking the same elevator they took.
Tsang did not answer reporters' questions on his way to the court room.
The first charge alleges that between November 2010 and January 2012, Tsang allegedly failed to declare his negotiations with a major shareholder of Wave Media Limited, in respect of a lease for a luxury residential unit in Shenzhen.
The Executive Council was, at the time, scrutinising a broadcasting licence application by Wave Media, which was subsequently renamed as Digital Broadcasting Corporation Hong Kong (DBC).
The second charge alleges that between December 2010 and July 2011, Tsang allegedly failed to disclose to the then-Permanent Secretary for the Chief Executive's Office, the Development Bureau and the Honours and Non-official Justices of the Peace Selection Committee, his interest in the lease of the flat and the engagement of an architect for its interior design when he proposed the same architect for the HKSAR honours and awards system.
Tsang issued a statement saying he is innocent and has been cooperating with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for the past three years.
Tsang became the subject of a corruption probe shortly before he completed his term of office in 2012.
It came after Tsang arranged to rent a luxury 6,500 square-foot penthouse in Shenzhen after his retirement, at a rate reportedly far below market price. The development is owned by mainland tycoon Bill Wong – a major investor in DBC.
After the allegations surfaced, the Executive Council did not approve DBC's broadcasting licence application.
Allegations were also raised against Tsang for taking holiday trips on private jets and yachts provided by business friends while in office. He admitted it, but insisted that he had paid the market price for the trips, and that there was no conflict of interest. The ICAC has not charged Tsang over those allegations.
Tsang has largely shied away from the limelight since stepping down from the top job in 2012. He has attended occasional ceremonies, such as the major parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, as well as the National Day celebrations in Hong Kong over the weekend.
He also wrote a letter to the High Court pleading for leniency for former chief secretary Rafael Hui. Tsang's former number two was jailed for 7 and half years for pocketing almost HK$20 million in bribes during his years in public office.
_______________________
Last updated: 2015-10-05 HKT 14:10
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1215413-20151005.htm
