It had everything: allegations of threats and intimidation, claims that academic freedom had been interfered with and even a few jokes. It was the commission of inquiry into allegations relating to the Hong Kong Institute of Education.
The HK$25 million inquiry heard how former education secretary Arthur Li Kwok-cheung allegedly pressured HKIEd to merge with Chinese University by leaning on its then-president, Paul Morris, to go along with the plan. He was said to have threatened the institute would be 'raped' if it failed to merge.
It was also claimed he had scared the institute's former academic vice-president, Bernard Luk Hung-kay, by telling him, 'I'll remember this; you will pay' in a June 2004 phone call for refusing to condemn a protest by redundant teachers.
Professor Li vehemently denied the claims, joking at one point that the phrase 'you will pay' was up there with Clint Eastwood's 'make my day'.
Professor Luk, who triggered the inquiry by posting a '10,000-character' letter on HKIEd's intranet detailing the original allegations in February 2007, told the inquiry he was frightened of Professor Li.
The inquiry, instigated by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, first sat in late March 2007 before chairman Mr Justice Wally Yeung Chun-kuen and commissioner Lee Jark-pui, and the report was published in June that year.
Although the report said Professor Li 'more likely than not used the word 'rape'' in connection with a merger proposal and was 'likely' to have said 'you will pay', it found there to be insufficient evidence that he had interfered with HKIEd's autonomy or tried to force it to merge with CUHK.