The amount former ICAC chief Timothy Tong Hin-ming spent on gifts has turned out to be more than triple the amount previously identified.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption, which had stated earlier that Tong had spent HK$220,000 on gifts for official functions in his five years as commissioner, said yesterday the figure was over HK$724,000.
The information was given at a meeting of the Legislative Council security panel, at which the ICAC also outlined a new measure - dubbed "absurd" by lawmakers - to tighten checks on its entertainment expenses by asking the commissioner to obtain approval for those costs from his subordinates.
The guidelines, prompted by allegations of extravagance and collusion surrounding Tong, say that: "To ensure checks and balances, [heads of operations] will endorse official entertainments hosted by the commissioner, whereas the assistant director (administration) will check compliance of those attended by both the commissioner and [heads of operations]."
Legislator Wong Yuk-man said: "It is absurd to ask a lower-ranked officer to approve his supervisor's applications."
Michael Tien Puk-sun of the New People's Party Asked: