Leung accused of car cover-up

Hong Kong's financial secretary has been accused of a 'cover-up' in the car-purchase scandal after a key letter in which he offered to resign was disclosed ahead of a final showdown in the Legislative Council this week.

Opposition lawmakers said Antony Leung Kam-chung had confessed he had flouted the code for ministers in his letter to the Chief Executive on March 10, but he insisted he had just been negligent when speaking in public on the same day.

The revelation has angered Democrats chairman Yeung Sum, who said Mr Leung and Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa had not been frank in explaining the details from the beginning. He said they had initially only told the media that it was negligence rather than a breach of the ministerial code.

The affair will return to the spotlight as the financial secretary has been asked to appear again before the Legco constitutional affairs panel tomorrow to explain why he bought a new Lexus ahead of imposing a hefty rise on motor vehicle taxes in the budget.

On Wednesday, the Democratic Party will move a resolution seeking to establish a select committee which has the power to summon officials for evidence and open up confidential government documents for investigations.

The finance chief has insisted his action was merely an oversight. He later donated $380,000 to charity, twice the amount of tax owed to the Treasury.