Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen may face a lawmakers' grilling over the arrest of his erstwhile right-hand man Rafael Hui Si-yan in a high-profile bribery investigation.
Tsang would be invited to answer questions over the corruption suspicions swirling around former chief secretary Hui and the co-chairmen of Sun Hung Kai Properties, given the public's concern about possible collusion between government and business, the Legislative Council's House Committee said yesterday. It did not set a date for the session.
Should Tsang accept the invitation, it would be the second time in three weeks he will face questions in Legco. On March 1, he apologised to the chamber for the loss of public confidence in his administration as a result of his alleged cosy dealings with business tycoons.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption last month arrested Hui, Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and Raymond Kwok Ping-luen in connection with an investigation of bribery and misconduct in public office. They are on bail and have not been charged.
Tourism-sector lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun said Legco needed to question Tsang about his role in the saga. Tse said he wanted to know 'when Tsang first learned of the ICAC investigation' into Hui and 'whether he had been checking the progress of the investigation all along'.
A Chief Executive's Office spokesman declined to comment.