CY Leung’s HK$50 million UGL deal will face fresh scrutiny after ex-leader’s misconduct conviction, academic says
Calls for action over Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s deal with Australian firm will only grow in the wake of Donald Tsang’s conviction, pro-Beijing scholar says
A pro-Beijing academic has said a potential criminal case against outgoing Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying concerning a HK$50 million deal with Australian firm UGL may be subject to greater calls for action in the wake of ex-leader Donald Tsang Yam-kuen’s misconduct conviction.
The comments by Lau Siu-kai came as Leung on Wednesday sought to distance himself from any criminality by issuing a statement dismissing a report by pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily that suggested he could not escape prosecution.
The conviction of Tsang, who led the city between 2005 and 2012, has sparked questions about whether and when his successor will be next to face prosecution.
Investigations are ongoing over Leung’s decision not to declare his deal with the engineering firm. He received part of the HK$50 million sum when he was chief executive.
Lau, who is vice-chairman of a high-level think tank put together by Beijing officials, told RTHK it would be “inevitable” that calls for an investigation into Leung’s affairs would flare up after Tsang was on Wednesday handed a 20-month jail term.
“Society will be more concerned about the UGL issue,” Lau said.