Chief executive candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen says he will remove illegal structures from two properties owned by members of his family in upmarket Kowloon Tong, amid claims the issue has raised questions about his integrity.
Tang denied there was a cover-up involving the illegal structures linked to his home, and blamed any confusion on a 'misunderstanding' in handling media inquiries on the matter in October.
Admitting they were illegal structures, Tang pledged to take responsibility for having them removed. They include an excavated area on an unoccupied property adjoining his home, a construction which one newspaper said was a wine cellar.
Tang said they also included a canopy covering a car park at his home at 5A York Road that was allegedly left by the previous owner more than a decade ago and a skylight window on the roof of No7, an adjoining property that is unoccupied at the moment. Tang confirmed that his family owned both properties. Tang gave no deadline for having the structures removed.
'As a man, one needs to have shoulders and as a public officer, one needs to have backbone,' Tang said at a briefing yesterday morning.
Last night Tang apologised during a radio broadcast and in a statement for causing public concern after the Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao reported that a wine cellar was allegedly being built at 7 York Road.
Tang denied that the excavated area at the site, which was connected to the base of a swimming pool, was used as a wine cellar, as reported by Ming Pao.