Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen yesterday refused to name the tycoon friends from whom he has admitted accepting favours, hours before he faces a grilling from lawmakers on the same topic.
With the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) also investigating the matter, some lawmakers called on Tsang to step down temporarily to avoid suspicions of a possible conflict of interest between himself and the anti-corruption watchdog, whose chief commissioner is appointed by Tsang.
'I'm not forcing him to take a vacation, but I hope he can do that himself, even though I believe he would not interfere with the ICAC investigation,' lawmaker and Liberal party chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee said.
She said Chief Secretary Stephen Lam Sui-lung could step in as acting chief executive if Tsang stood aside.
Her appeal to Tsang was also made by the Democratic, Civic and Labour parties. Tsang's office did not reply when asked whether he would take their calls into consideration.
Tsang faces at least one hour of cross-examination by lawmakers today after he admitted a week ago that he had accepted four excursions on private jets operated by his tycoon friends. Some have been named in the media, but Tsang has refused to confirm their identities.
