Rail link construction scandal firm Leighton lobbies behind the scenes but refuses to answer Hong Kong lawmakers’ questions in public
Leighton Contractors (Asia) linked to shoddy work on HK$97.1 billion Sha Tin-Central rail link lobbying for support, but will not attend meeting with lawmakers on Friday
The main contractor at the centre of the construction scandal plaguing Hong Kong’s most expensive rail project has been lobbying hard behind the scenes to win lawmakers’ support, while continuing to refuse to address the matter in public.
Leighton Contractors (Asia) has reportedly focused its attention on some of its harshest critics in the Legislative Council, among them Michael Tien Puk-sun who said the firm last week invited him to attend a private dinner.
Tien heads Legco’s railways subcommittee, a meeting of which Leighton has declined to attend on Friday. The subcommittee is investigating shoddy work at the Hung Hom and Exhibition Centre stations of the HK$97.1 billion (US$13 billion) Sha Tin-Central link.
The lawmaker, who was contacted by a public relations firm on Leighton’s behalf, said he had told the contractor he would attend the dinner on two conditions, that he be allowed to record the meeting, the result of which he would make public, and that the firm attend Friday’s subcommittee meeting.
“I told them that if they could agree to the terms I made then I could go and meet them,” he said.