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Tung Chee-hwa said Eric Slighton (left) was a good husband to his daughter. Photo: K.Y. Cheng, Facebook

Tung Chee-hwa's son-in-law 'to take leave of absence' after alleged drunken airport incident

Banker Eric Slighton was arrested last week in San Francisco after reportedly posing as a security screener and directing two women to a private area for pat-downs

Jennifer Ngo

The son-in-law of former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa will take a voluntary leave of absence from his role as a director of an investment firm, after his arrest for alleged drunken behaviour at San Francisco International Airport last week.

Banker Eric Slighton was detained after reportedly posing as a member of the airport’s security staff and directing two women into a private screening area for pat-downs, according to US media.

Slighton, 53, was charged with public drunkenness.

He will take a leave of absence at his own request from his role as a director at investment firm Aktis Capital Singapore, the company announced on Tuesday.

“Aktis Group views very seriously any allegations of impropriety against its principals. An internal investigation into this matter is on-going,” a company statement read.

On Monday, Tung described the incident as "unfortunate".

“In my view, this was an unfortunate event that should not have happened,” the former chief exectuive said in a statement.

Slighton was previously the managing director of Barclays Capital in Hong Kong, according to the Aktis website. He married Tung’s daughter Audrey Tung in 1986.

He lives in Hong Kong and San Francisco.

Last Tuesday, airport screeners reported seeing Slighton, dressed similarly to security staff, enter a security area. He then allegedly steered two women into private screening areas used for pat-downs.

Staff members were alerted to what was happening because male screeners are prohibited from carrying out security pat-downs on women without a female staff member present.

On Monday, Tung asked for space to be given to Slighton and his family to deal with the situation.

“I see Eric as a good husband to my daughter and a responsible father to my grandchildren. For now, I just hope we could give Eric and his family members some personal space and time to deal with these difficult moments,” he said.

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Tung son-in-law on leave
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