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Leung Chun-ying (CY Leung)
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HKR International applied to rezone land in Discovery Bay. Photo: Felix Wong

Police investigate planning papers of firm linked to Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying

Application by HKR International alleged to contain faked supporting documents

Police are expected to collect stacks of documents from town planners for investigation after a controversial plan by a firm linked to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to build 1,600 flats on Lantau Island was alleged to have included more than eight fake supporting submissions.

The probe came after Leung on Tuesday sidestepped questions on reports he once suggested adding more flats to a Discovery Bay project proposed by HKR International. HKR is a client of surveyors DTZ Japan, of which Leung is a shareholder.

Islands district councillor Amy Yung Wing-sheung, who opposed the plan, found her name and details used to voice support for HKR’s plan to build the 1,601 flats by rezoning land. She said some of the submissions even used her office’s fax number.

The same happened to a number of residents who objected to the project, she said.

“I think that is a very serious fraud case,” said Yung, who reported the details to police last month.

Police told Yung yesterday they would get bundles of papers from the Town Planning Board. By last night, no one had been arrested.

A police source said officers were looking into whether other personal details were used in submissions. “It is going to be a lengthy inquiry because it is complicated,” the source said.

Yung urged Leung to give “a direct answer” on whether he had intervened in the project.

Yesterday Leung said the government had been looking for ways to ease the housing shortage, but avoided the specific issue.

“We have always been studying how to build on the undeveloped lands – be it in Lantau Island or other places in Hong Kong,” he said. “It is a normal practice [for the government] to study how to raise the development density on lands which have already been developed.”

The controversy was revived recently after news website HK01 claimed Leung had once suggested, at a senior government meeting, raising the development density of the area and even helping HKR to rezone the land.

The latest proposal HKR gave to the Town Planning Board had suggested rezoning two plots of land from a petrol station, staff quarters and other specific uses to residential use.

The board is expected to discuss the plan in November.

Leung’s office refused to address Post inquiries for clarification on whether his alleged move would constitute a conflict of interests, saying he had “nothing to add”. Leung claimed last year he had “transferred the shares of a relevant company to a trust”.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Police investigate CY-linked firm’s planning papers
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