Former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang (曾蔭權) faces misconduct charges over a luxury apartment in China, authorities said yesterday, setting the stage for the territory’s most high-profile corruption trial in recent memory.
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption said in a statement that it filed two charges of misconduct in public office against Tsang, 70, who is the highest-ranking official to be ensnared by the anti-corruption watchdog. He was released on bail and was grim-faced when he arrived at a magistrate’s court for a hearing, accompanied by his wife.
The allegations date from before Tsang left office in June 2012, and relate to a discounted penthouse in the southeastern Chinese city of Shenzhen rented from a wealthy friend.
It is one of several recent cases that have shaken public confidence and raised concerns about cozy ties between wealthy tycoons and Hong Kong’s leaders.
The anti-corruption agency said that Tsang “willfully misconducted himself” when he failed to publicly declare that he was in talks to lease the Shenzhen triplex during government license negotiations with the company that owned the apartment.
The second charge stems from Tsang’s nomination of an architect for a government honor without revealing that he had hired the architect to redecorate the apartment. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, though it appears likely Tsang would face a much lower penalty if convicted.
Tsang stood in court as a clerk read out the charges, saying: “I understand” after each charge. He also indicated to the judge he that he understood the bail conditions, which require him to post HK$100,000 (US$12,903) in cash bail, notify the court if he plans to travel outside Hong Kong or change residences, and prohibit him from interfering with witnesses.
After the hearing, Tsang told a throng of TV journalists gathered on the courthouse steps that he was confident he would be cleared.
“My conscience is clear,’’ he said. “I have every confidence that the court will exonerate me at the end of its proceedings.”
The case was adjourned until Nov. 13.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source