Donald Tsang’s downfall leaves Hong Kong law in the dock

Five years ago, legal experts recommended Hong Kong tighten the screws on corruption to combat graft involving the chief executive. Despite repeated calls and one chief executive now behind bars, there are still no imminent changes on the horizon.

Following former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen’s 20-month jail sentence for misconduct this week, legal experts and observers alike renewed calls to make chief executives subject to the same rules as other public officials and clear up some grey areas in the city’s anti-graft laws.

Commentators say the changes are long overdue, and some accuse current Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying of self-interest for the government’s inaction.

There have been increasing calls to investigate Leung’s HK$50 million UGL deal since Tsang’s misconduct conviction. Leung pocketed the money from the Australian engineering firm six months before he took the city’s top job. As part of the deal, he agreed to act as an occasional adviser for the firm, raising questions about a possible conflict of interest.

Despite years of inaction, the government maintains the same line that it is reviewing the laws.

So why isn’t anything changing?

A law that provokes “bewilderment”