Donald Tsang turns down CPPCC post over ICAC probe

Former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen refused an offer to join a top mainland advisory body, saying he considered it an inappropriate thing to do while still under investigation by the city’s anti-corruption agency.

Questions about Tsang’s participation in the new Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference arose after sources said his name was absent from a list of delegates to the advisory body tabled earlier this week. His absence would mean Tsang would not follow his predecessor as chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, in becoming a CPPCC member.

"After I had left my position as chief executive, the central government approached me and enquired whether I intended to participate in the work of the new session of the CPPCC,” he said in a statement issued via the Government Information Services on Thursday.

“I considered the proposition thoroughly and subsequently replied that it would be inappropriate for me to join the CPPCC at a senior level while relevant investigations of the Independent Commission Against Corruption were apparently still ongoing,” he said.

The ICAC began investigating Tsang last February after there were allegations that he accepted favours from some of his tycoon friends while still in office. The allegations included accepting rides in their private jets and on their yachts, and agreeing to rent a luxury penthouse in Shenzhen at a bargain rate.

At the end of Thursday’s statement, Tsang said: “Other opportunities will exist for me to make contributions to my country and to serve Hong Kong after the relevant investigations have been completed."

Tsang’s statement was issued on behalf of the Office of Former Chief Executives, which said it was made in response to media enquires.