David Li fails to demolish structure
Finance-sector lawmaker David Li Kwok-po could be prosecuted for not removing an illegal structure at a property he owns on The Peak.
The Buildings Department said yesterday that it had issued a demolition order for the rooftop structure in February last year but a recent inspection showed it was still there.
'The department will consider prosecuting the owner,' the spokeswoman said, without specifying the nature of the structure on top of Li's duplex in Altadena House at 27 Barker Road. Some reports have said it is a penthouse of up to 1,000 square feet; Li has described it as solar panels. The department said the initial inspection was prompted by a complaint.
Under the building regulations, any person who fails to comply with a demolition order without reasonable excuse can be penalised with a fine of up to HK$200,000 and a year in jail. Each additional day incurs a further penalty of HK$20,000.
Asked if the rooftop structure was illegal, Li said last month: 'How would I know? It was not me who asked someone to design it. I bought it several years ago and renovation is in progress. I haven't moved in.' He did not say who commissioned the work but pledged to remove the structure if it was proven to be illegal.
Reports said Li bought the duplex for HK$106 million in December 2008 and the following year received approval to install a lift connecting the main floor, mezzanine and roof.
Li is the latest in a string of serving and former government officials and lawmakers, including former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, to have been suspected of having, or found to have, unauthorised structures on their properties. Li was chairman of Tang's office in the chief executive election race.
