Former senior civil servant Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun has given up her appointment as chief executive of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals after the government barred her from taking up education-related work until 2011.
The decision comes amid a public consultation on post-service employment of civil servants launched after former housing chief Leung Chin-man's appointment at New World China Land stirred up a political storm.
On Tuesday, two months after Tung Wah confirmed her appointment, Mrs Law received the Civil Service Bureau's written reply to her post-service employment application. The letter did not directly address her job offer at Tung Wah, but stated she could not accept education-related employment until August 2011. She said it did not give any reason for the restriction.
The charity group runs hospitals, schools and a range of other social services. Mrs Law was the permanent secretary for education and manpower and commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. She is now a local deputy to the National People's Congress.
Mrs Law said she was surprised by the government's decision, and had written to the bureau asking for information relating to the processing of her application.
She said she had declined the job offer after receiving the government's reply because she did not want to keep Tung Wah waiting. Its chief executive post has been vacant since William Ho Shiu-wei stepped down in October.
A bureau spokeswoman said all post-service employment applications by former directorate civil servants were handled in accordance with existing regulations.