The names of at least five business leaders and academics were borrowed without their consent by a Hong Kong-based think tank which listed them as advisers, a South China Morning Post investigation has found. One of them, American historian Howard Dooley, questioned whether the China Institute of City Competitiveness was legitimate or "just a money-making scheme", as the latest revelations cast further doubts over its integrity. Two local scholars said this week they doubted the accuracy of the think tank's findings and one of its senior researchers, Professor Chau Kwong-wing from the University of Hong Kong, said he was quitting the institute because it appears "dishonest". The CICC, founded in 1998 by its chairman Gui Qiangfang, is known for a regular study tracking the competitiveness of cities in China. Gui could not be reached for comment yesterday, but his deputy Raymond Tse Yin-ching suggested it was a case of "miscommunication". A brochure last year listed 18 "advisory members", from Hong Kong, mainland China and six other countries. They included prominent Hong Kong businessman Dr Victor Fung Kwok-king, chairman of the Fung Group. But a spokeswoman for Fung's office said he "has never been an adviser of the CICC". Michael Smith, chief executive of Australian bank ANZ, and Dooley, a history professor from Western Michigan University, were also on the list. A spokesman for ANZ said Smith "has had no involvement [with the institute] since he joined the bank in 2007". Dooley told the Post he had no idea that the think tank borrowed his name. "I was wondering, is this a legitimate operation? Maybe it's legit, maybe it's a money-making scheme," he said. "I think this is unfair … and not quite intellectual." Richard Sandor, founder of the Chicago Climate Exchange; and Karin Finkelston, a vice-president at IFC, the World Bank Group member for private-sector development in emerging markets, were also named "advisers", but it is understood they were not consulted. Other figures named included New York University economics professor Nouriel Roubini and David Brewer, former chairman of the China-Britain Business Council. Earlier this week, the names of all the foreign "advisers" and Fung were removed from the institute's website. Six of those mentioned - apart from Dooley - were either speakers or honorary advisers of the 2010 Asian Financial Forum, held in Hong Kong. Suggesting miscommunication, Tse said: "Maybe Gui asked them on some public occasions … but certainly our secretary did not do his job to confirm their roles." When asked whether the information was deceptive, Tse asked: "Who did it deceive? … These were unpaid posts, [and they didn't know because we] didn't consult them about everything - even executive councillors were not always consulted, let alone volunteers like us." Chau said he could not accept Tse's explanation. "I can't believe it was just poor administration," Chau said. "[If] those people couldn't remember, they could have checked their records; but if many of them simply said they had nothing to do with it, it's hurting the institute's credibility … [the institute] doesn't seem honest to me."
