The rise and fall of Donald Tsang Yam-kuen – the city’s chief executive who took pride in being a “Hong Kong boy” and pledged to operate in the full glare of publicity – could well be handily summed up by two “firsts”.
Donald Tsang joined the government as an executive officer in 1967. Photo: Handout
The 45-year career civil servant hit the spotlight when he became the first Chinese financial secretary in last governor Chris Patten’s sunset colonial administration.
Donald Tsang’s big moment came in 1995 when he was appointed financial secretary. Photo: SCMP
But 22 years later, in 2017, Tsang – who climbed to the top before retiring – also became the city’s first former leader to be put behind bars after he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for misconduct in office.
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Donald Tsang became the city’s first former leader to be put behind bars. Photo: Felix Wong
His trial not only laid bare Tsang’s web of connections with the city’s rich, but also stood in stark contrast with Tsang’s earlier days when the Wah Yan College boy joined the government as an executive officer in 1967.
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In 2001, Donald Tsang went on to become chief secretary. Photo: SCMP
