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Colleen Lee

The head of the anti-corruption watchdog will not be involved in its investigation into Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen after declaring his own conflict of interest.
ICAC commissioner Timothy Tong Hin-ming  said he had close links with the developer of Tsang's retirement penthouse in Shenzhen. The investigation was only confirmed on Tuesday night and there are fears it may now be affected. 
Tong's contract is due to expire on June 30, while the ICAC's head of operations, Daniel Li Ming-chak,  is set to retire in April, and the government has yet to announce their successors - which would need the approval of the chief executive. 
Rebecca Li Bo-lan,  director of operations (private sector), is widely tipped to succeed Li as head of operations. Another of Li's current deputies, Steven Lam Kin-ming,  has only held his position in an acting capacity for one month. 
Tsang's case is understood to have been handed to senior directors due to the sensitivity of the case. But of the six directors and assistant directors of ICAC's operations department, four are acting. 
Of the 20 principal investigators or senior principal investigators  who are also team leaders, eight are acting.
Tsang has admitted failing to declare plans to lease a 6,500 sq ft penthouse in Shenzhen from mainland property tycoon Bill Wong Cho-bau - a major investor in the Digital Broadcasting Corporation. It recently obtained special approval from the Chief Executive in Council to allow former education minister Arthur Li Kwok-cheung  to be appointed DBC chairman.
 Li would ordinarily have been barred under the Telecommunications Ordinance from chairing the company as his brother, David Li Kwok-po,  is a director of PCCW, another big media player.
A spokesman for the Independent Commission Against Corruption confirmed that Tong knew Wong.
 'When ICAC commissioner Timothy Tong Hin-ming was commissioner of customs and excise, he was introduced by other government officials to Wong at an official occasion,' he said. Tong headed customs and excise between September 2003 and June 2007. 
He said Tong had then met Wong on other occasions, including both official and social,  and had played golf with him. He said Tong had already declared the relationship to the ICAC on Monday.
The spokesman said that according to the operation and declaration mechanism, any of the commission's investigators, including the commissioner, would refrain from handling any case if he or she had links to the person involved.  
Lawmakers expressed concerns that the investigation would be affected and urged the government to sort out the looming gaps at the top of the watchdog.



Conflict of interest rules ICAC chief out of Tsang probe