A ‘story of greed’ or simply a mistake? How Donald Tsang went from planning his retirement to fighting corruption charges
Both sides’ arguments as the nine-member jury decides the former chief executive’s fate
After years in the public eye, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen may have been looking forward to a peaceful retirement in a luxurious Shenzhen penthouse. But instead of kicking up his heels, Hong Kong’s former chief executive has found himself fighting to avoid jail.
For the past six weeks, Tsang has been on trial for bribery and corruption. The prosecution’s case centres around a three-storey apartment where he and his wife had planned to live after his term as chief executive concluded in 2012.
On Thursday morning, Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai gave his closing remarks to the nine-member jury which must now determine whether Tsang, 72, is guilty of one count of accepting a HK$3.35 million bribe in the form of apartment renovations, and two counts of misconduct in office. All three charges carry a possible seven-year jail sentence.
The jury will have to decide between the prosecution’s “story of greed”, and the defence’s argument that Tsang had simply made mistakes, but never did anything criminal.
