LEGISLATORS yesterday asked why the administration had managed to recover only $7 million in assets from corrupt lawyer Warwick Reid - $5 million less than the amount the court ordered him to repay in 1990.
At a Legislative Council security panel meeting, Crown solicitor Ian Wingfield said the Government did not think it would get back any more of the cash.
They believed they had recovered Mr Reid's money as efficiently as possible. They were also satisfied that Mr Reid did not benefit from his corruption.
Democrat Cheung Man-kwong asked why $5 million was still missing.
Mr Wingfield said about $3 million had gone on legal costs for Mr Reid, who might otherwise have used public money through legal aid.
The Government also accepted that about $1.28 million was used by Mrs Reid and her three children during the four years her husband was in prison.