He may have a reputation as a master troubleshooter who can 'spin' any issue in the government's favour, but Rafael Hui Si-yan was plagued by bad luck on the day he was sworn in as the government's second in command.
On top of losing the chance to show off his speaking skills because of a sore throat, Mr Hui also found out that a careless oversight would cost him nearly half his monthly salary.
Instead of moving into Victoria House on The Peak - a residence much loved and praised by his new boss Donald Tsang Yam-kuen - Mr Hui will have to fork out $160,000 a month from his own pocket for the duplex flat he rents in Leighton Hill through his former boss, Sun Hung Kai Properties.
He was unaware that regulations on accommodation changed several years ago with the introduction of the ministerial system of government and he would have to pay his own expenses if he did not take up the official residence that comes with the job.
This is not a problem Mr Tsang will have to worry about as he waits to move into Government House - the official residence of the chief executive.
'I only found out after I agreed to take the post, so now I have to pay the rent myself,' Mr Hui said.