Former leader Donald Tsang goes from penthouse dream to cramped cell as he begins jail term at Stanley Prison
Convicted ex-top official to be given plastic bed and one roll of toilet paper every three weeks while serving 20-month sentence at maximum-security facility
On a cold, windy morning, the man who ran the city for seven years was seen in handcuffs and wearing a surgical mask and a brown prison jumpsuit – a far cry from his dapper suits and trademark bow ties – as he was transferred to Hong Kong’s largest jail from the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, a holding facility where he had spent the previous two nights.
Watch: Donald Tsang gets 20 months in prison
A prison van with tinted windows to keep out prying eyes and the media’s cameras brought him to Stanley at 11.36am.
It is understood that prison authorities have approved Tsang’s request for special protection. That would include remaining on his own during events which would otherwise involve interaction with other prisoners – including his one hour of daily free time and his regular work duties.
His first day in Stanley Prison went by without a visit from his wife, who used up half her monthly quota of two visits when she met him at Lai Chi Kok on Thursday.
Tsang, 72, was sentenced by the High Court on Wednesday for misconduct in public office after being found guilty last week of deliberately concealing his negotiations with businessman Bill Wong Cho-bau over a three-storey Shenzhen penthouse he planned to live in when he retired from government.