Former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang used secret rule to justify travel, court told
But prosecutor says his guidelines on taking yachts and jets existed only ‘in his head’
Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang Yam-kuen played by his own “secret” rule, which existed only “in his head”, when it came to declaring his private yacht and jet trips with friends, his bribery trial heard on Monday.
The High Court heard this rule stated that outside office hours, the former chief executive could use private transport his friends provided so long as long as there was no conflict of interest between the he and the friend, and that Tsang would pay for the travel at market rate.
But prosecutor David Perry QC noted that the rule had never been recorded in any official government documents until Tsang told his subordinates in 2012.
He also questioned its effectiveness in fighting conflicts of interest, given that details of activities Tsang took part in outside the public eye were never recorded by his office.
“[It was] in his head,” Perry suggested to Kevin Choi, Tsang’s former deputy private secretary, who is testifying as a prosecution witness. Choi, who served in the post between 2010 and 2012, agreed.