Rafael Hui admits misleading the public over secret payments from property developers
Rafael Hui admitted at his graft trial that he had "misled the people of Hong Kong" and that he had taken money secretly from two of his co-defendants.
Rafael Hui Si-yan admitted at his graft trial yesterday that he had "misled the people of Hong Kong" and said he was hesitant to accept the offer to be chief secretary in 2005 because he had taken money secretly from two of his co-defendants.
Cross-examined by lead prosecutor David Perry QC, Hui told the High Court that in the end, he took the No 2 job in government because "the political climate was unsettling at the time".
He admitted that he had misled Hongkongers by not declaring that he had taken a total of HK$8.5 million from Sun Hung Kai Properties co-chairmen Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and Raymond Kwok Ping-luen. The money was given to him in the days before he took up his government post on June 30, 2005.
The prosecutor had earlier alleged that the money and other payments were bribes for Hui to act as the Kwoks' "eyes and ears" in government.
Hui agreed with Perry that "to accept bribes" was one way for a public official to get money, but rejected that that was what he had done.
Asked by Perry if he could be trusted "as [a] chief secretary with integrity", Hui insisted his loyalty was to the people of Hong Kong.
"Up to now, I still think that I had been loyal to my duty as the chief secretary. I did not have any bias; I did not abuse my office; and I had done my part," Hui said.