A former senior civil servant has claimed there was 'political' pressure from the highest official levels to award a HK$220 million contract to a particular company.
In a 13-page document sent to lawmakers, Jeremy Godfrey - who has quit as head of the government's information technology unit over the affair - says Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Elizabeth Tse Man-yee suggested to him that there was a 'political assignment' to award a lucrative IT contract to a company called iProA.
Godfrey (pictured), who had been prevented by official rules from speaking about the allegations but was later allowed to do so, says Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah and Tse exerted pressure on him to make sure the contract - to implement an internet learning scheme for needy families - went to the firm. He told legislators he had been told that Tsang considered it mandatory for iProA - also known as the Internet Professional Association - to implement the programme.
His comments were yesterday dismissed as 'ridiculous' by Tsang and 'misleading' by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau. Both insist the selection process was open and fair. Dr Elizabeth Quat, a member of the government-friendly Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, is a founder of the association.
In a letter to the Legislative Council's information technology and broadcasting panel, Godfrey said Tse told him the 'political assignment' was directed from 'beyond the financial secretary'.
The eInclusion Foundation - a coalition including the association - and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service were awarded the contract jointly.