Government guesthouses didn't suit Hui
CPPCC duty in Beijing meant booking hotels and entertaining, trial hears
Free meals and accommodation offered by the central government were not enough for Rafael Hui Si-yan, who picked his own hotels and restaurants for gatherings of the nation's top political advisory body.
The former chief secretary told his graft trial that he was "not used to staying in guesthouses" allocated to visiting delegates of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
The High Court also heard that Hui spent HK$150,000 on hotel stays in 11 days in Britain.
Giving evidence for a second day, Hui said he relied on exchange services from co-defendant Francis Kwan Hung-sang when he needed yuan to spend. Prosecutors allege Kwan funnelled almost HK$20 million of bribes from two other defendants, the co-chairmen of Sun Hung Kai Properties, to Hui.
Hui said he needed cash because he avoided using credit cards on the mainland due to security concerns.
"When I had [CPPCC] meetings in Beijing ... I was staying at another hotel," Hui said. "The accommodation provided by the central government … was actually not bad; I did that only for my personal requirements."
Hui joined the CPPCC standing committee after stepping down as No2 in the Hong Kong government in 2007. The new role involved "a lot of socialising, entertaining". He told the court he spent HK$40,000 on banquets for officials.
"On these occasions, very often I was the host; I treated the others," he said, noting that the purpose was to build connections and relationships.
After he quit his public posts in 2009, Hui linked up with businessman David Lie Tai-chong to seek opportunities on the mainland - a partnership he told the court which could have generated at least US$1 million for him through projects such as shopping malls. But the projects failed to materialise after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, he said.
Hui also explained his relationship with Kwan, saying they had known each other "when we were small".
"My mother was a very devout Catholic," Hui said. "She often went to the church and had a group of friends there ... One of them was Mr Kwan's mother.
"Francis Kwan and I are just like brothers."
Hui, 66, faces eight charges related to bribery and misconduct in public office.
SHKP co-chairman Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, 62, faces one charge of conspiracy to offer an advantage to Hui and two counts of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. Fellow co-chairman Raymond Kwok Ping-luen, 61, faces four charges, including one with Hui of furnishing false information. SHKP executive director Thomas Chan Kui-yuen, 67, and Kwan, 63, each face two charges. All plead not guilty.
The trial continues.
