As Freddie Mercury used to sing, another one bites the dust. Just days after his appointment as development secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po finds himself at the centre of an investigation by his own inspectors. It's alleged that two of the properties - illegally subdivided for lease to multiple tenants - are owned by a company controlled by his wife and her family. This came after his predecessor, Mak Chai-kwong, was arrested by the ICAC for allegedly filing fraudulent rental claims.
Perhaps the post is cursed. But then again, maybe it is not; the current chief secretary, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, previously held that job and had no trouble ascending to the top post. One way or another, our beleaguered chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, will have no choice but to let Chan go, though he is likely to drag his feet until all the damage has been done, like in his handling of Mak's case.
The accusations that Chan faces may be less serious than Mak's in terms of penalty, but the alleged offences are more reprehensible. If true, Chan's family is essentially exploiting poor tenants, a major livelihood issue that Leung's administration has vowed to address. Indeed, Chan's own bureau has been given the responsibility of solving the problem of subdivided flats and their poor living conditions.
Chan does not deny the facts of the case but is doing 'a Henry Tang' by saying his wife, Frieda Hui Po-ming, owned the flats and was the one responsible. Hui, in turn, said the flats were owned by a holding company of which she was once a director but is no longer. So she is not aware of what the company has been doing with the properties. I am sorry, but it's unconvincing.
While Chan quit his company directorship in 1997, documents obtained by the South China Morning Post show that Hui resigned on July 1 - the day Leung was sworn in as the head of the new government. Presumably, the subdivision happened earlier.
In this day and age, it's no longer possible to appoint someone to a top bureau post without thoroughly vetting him or her first. How long will it take Leung, supposedly a 'wolf', to learn this elementary political lesson?