Rail link farce as head of inquiry into MTR high-speed train delay quits
Professor given task of leading independent investigation into controversy is found to be on the board of one of the project's key contractors
Controversy over the delayed HK$67 billion high-speed rail link descended into farce last night.
The man appointed by the government to head up an independent probe into the row resigned after it emerged he was on the board of one of the project's main contractors.
The move came two hours after government minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung announced that former University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor, Professor Lee Chack-fan, would chair an expert investigative panel.
Lee was then revealed to be an independent non-executive director of Paul Y Engineering, a key contractor on the rail link's underground terminus in West Kowloon, where excavation difficulties have been pinpointed by the MTR Corporation as being at the centre of the delay.
Lee, a respected geo-technical engineer and past president of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, could not be contacted for comment. But the Transport and Housing Bureau - of which Cheung is the head - confirmed Paul Y was awarded two contracts on the project and said it was not aware of Lee's role in the company when it invited him to lead the probe. The bureau said it would appoint a suitable expert as early as possible.
A government source admitted the appointment was a "hiccup" and said: "We value the panel's credibility so we accepted his resignation as soon as we knew about it."