https://www.scmp.com/rss/263321/feed Mak Chai-kwong, born in 1950, began his civil service career in Hong Kong in 1976. He held a series of high-ranking government engineering jobs. Mak was appointed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying as the Secretary for Development in July 2012, but was soon forced to resign when allegation surfaced that he was involved in a housing subsidy fraud more than 20 years ago.  He was formally charged with cheating on government rent allowances in October 2012. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has convicted 13 parents and a merchant who offered HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 (US$2,600 to US$25,600) to bribe a kindergarten administrator at the city’s biggest international school group in exchange for enrolments. Deputy District Judge Amy Chan Wai-mun said on Tuesday that a custodial sentence would be the only suitable punishment for the 14 defendants found guilty of bribing Fatima Rumjahn, a former employee at the English Schools Foundation (ESF), to obtain K1 placements for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344447/13-parents-1-other-convicted-offering-bribes-obtain-places-hong-kong-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344447/13-parents-1-other-convicted-offering-bribes-obtain-places-hong-kong-school?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:12:29 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Hong Kong's audit regulator imposed a combined HK$1.9 million (US$245,000) fine on Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and two of its partners for multiple audit deficiencies related to two former listed companies from 2011 to 2013, the authority said on Thursday. The move was part of the first batch of disciplinary cases from the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) with the help of the mainland’s Ministry of Finance (MOF). “The successful completion of these disciplinary cases attests to the... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3323541/hong-kong-audit-regulator-imposes-fine-us245000-auditor-deloitte?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3323541/hong-kong-audit-regulator-imposes-fine-us245000-auditor-deloitte?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:01:37 +0000 Chief executive contender John Tsang Chun-wah raised more than HK$2 million on the first day of a month-long crowdfunding drive in which he is reaching out to members of the public to help fund his campaign. Tsang, a former Hong Kong finance chief, announced the drive hours before his closest rival, ex-chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, held a campaign rally. Candidates for the city’s top job are not directly elected but instead chosen by a 1,194-strong election committee. New People’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2067790/chief-executive-hopeful-john-tsang-launches-crowdfunding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2067790/chief-executive-hopeful-john-tsang-launches-crowdfunding?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Feb 2017 04:54:53 +0000 The top court’s overturning of convictions against two senior civil servants over their dodgy flat swap to claim housing allowances is not only a victory for the pair. An unknown but probably large number of their long-serving colleagues can now sleep soundly without having to worry about that dreaded knock on the door from anti-graft officers. Former permanent secretary for development Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man secured the favourable ruling from the Court of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1898982/door-now-open-return-mak-chai-kwong-minister-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1898982/door-now-open-return-mak-chai-kwong-minister-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2016 17:19:28 +0000 Disgraced former development minister Mak Chai-kwong has publicly expressed his regret for involving his "good friend" in the fraudulent housing benefits case. He also said that he and assistant highways director Tsang King-man would remain lifelong friends. Looking relieved as he left the District Court building with solicitor David Hui Tin-fook after receiving his suspended jail sentence, Mak ignored some of the media's questions. After thanking his family and friends, Mak, 62, said: "I am... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1295321/mak-chai-kwong-sorry-dragging-tsang-king-man-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1295321/mak-chai-kwong-sorry-dragging-tsang-king-man-down?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Mak Chai-kwong has been sarcastically dubbed "the minister with the shortest lifespan" after his hasty resignation over a housing scandal just 12 days into his appointment last year. The departure of the former development chief came after Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily reported that he had abused a civil service housing allowance scheme in the 1980s by "cross-leasing" properties with a colleague, who was later named as former assistant highways director Tsang King-man. The scandal,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1295322/fall-minister-who-lasted-just-12-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1295322/fall-minister-who-lasted-just-12-days?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The conviction of two top officials in connection with a housing allowance scam has understandably sent shock waves across the Hong Kong civil service. The fraud dates back to 1985, with the pair applying for subsidy to rent each other's flat while covering up the fact for years that they were the owners. The scandal only came to light in a press report days after one of them was appointed development minister last summer. It remains unclear whether more cases will be unearthed, as cross-leasing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1283469/old-ways-hong-kongs-civil-service-are-unacceptable-today?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1283469/old-ways-hong-kongs-civil-service-are-unacceptable-today?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The ruling in the rental fraud case of former development minister Mak Chai-kwong has brought some measure of reassurance to civil servants who in the past claimed housing allowance while cross-leasing their flats. But their union wants the government to go further and grant amnesty for those who participated in the scheme, to put some "anxious" senior civil servants' minds at ease. In his ruling, District Judge Johnny Chan Jong-herng yesterday accepted testimony by former secretary for civil... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1268124/call-amnesty-over-flat-leasing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1268124/call-amnesty-over-flat-leasing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man were convicted yesterday of defrauding the government out of HK$700,000 in housing allowances. In a convoluted arrangement, the men entered into a "bogus" cross-leasing deal whereby they actually owned - or had a financial interest in - the flats they said they were renting. Mak is the highest ranking government official to be found guilty of a criminal offence since the handover. Before handing down his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1267774/mak-chai-kwong-and-tsang-king-man-guilty-housing-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1267774/mak-chai-kwong-and-tsang-king-man-guilty-housing-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2013 03:07:07 +0000 Follow @SCMP_News The lawyer representing a former minister accused of defrauding the government has insisted his client was not trying to take unfair advantage of a housing scheme for civil servants. Eric Kwok Tung-ming SC said former development secretary Mak Chai-kwong was only "getting around structural deficiencies" in the housing allowance system, not trying to defraud the government, at Mak's trial in the District Court yesterday. Mak, 62, and former assistant highways director Tsang... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1247348/former-minister-mak-was-just-getting-around-structural-deficiencies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1247348/former-minister-mak-was-just-getting-around-structural-deficiencies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2013 07:13:09 +0000 The practice of cross-leasing flats was legal and common among civil servants in the 1980s as they used rental income to pay off mortgages, a former high-ranking government official told the District Court yesterday. Former secretary for the civil service Joseph Wong Wing-ping was called by former development minister Mak Chai-kwong to testify in a housing allowance fraud trial involving Mak and assistant highways director Tsang King-man. Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, are accused of deceiving the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1232518/cross-leasing-flats-didnt-break-civil-service-rules-witness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1232518/cross-leasing-flats-didnt-break-civil-service-rules-witness?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A judge ruled yesterday that former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man had a case to answer in their housing subsidy fraud trial. District Judge Johnny Chan Jong-herng gave the ruling after listening to all prosecution witnesses' testimonies and no-case-to-answer submissions by Tsang's lawyer, Cheng Huan SC. The defence lawyers will open their case today and call upon witnesses, if any, to testify. Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, are accused of deceiving... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1231678/mak-and-tsang-have-case-answer-fraud-trial-judge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1231678/mak-and-tsang-have-case-answer-fraud-trial-judge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two administrators had approved the housing subsidy applications by former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man without verifying the property ownerships, the District Court heard yesterday. Luk Ming, the retired senior executive officer who administered the private tenancy allowance scheme for civil servants in the 1980s, said the civil service regulations at the time were not as elaborate as they became after they were amended in 1999 to prevent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1229540/no-checks-done-mak-chai-kwong-got-housing-subsidy-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1229540/no-checks-done-mak-chai-kwong-got-housing-subsidy-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The buyer of a North Point flat under the names of former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and his wife did not see the couple throughout the buying process, a court has heard. Agnes Hai Chui-kuen told the District Court yesterday she did not meet Mak and his wife Wong Lai-king all along, from viewing the property to signing the sales and purchase agreement. When she viewed flat 21E in City Garden's block 9 with property agent Chan Kwong-ming in 1990, it was a man called "Mr Tsang" who opened... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1228672/ex-minister-mak-chai-kwongs-flat-buyer-says-she-never-met-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1228672/ex-minister-mak-chai-kwongs-flat-buyer-says-she-never-met-him?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Assistant highways director Tsang King-man prepared a declaration of trust to protect the interests of former development minister Mak Chai-kwong in a flat swap the two undertook, a court heard yesterday. But Tsang, who is being tried over a housing subsidy fraud, said he could not find the legal document due to the lapse of time. The prosecution yesterday played Tsang's recorded interviews with the Independent Commission Against Corruption in the District Court. Tsang, 57, and Mak, 62, are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1227025/tsang-unable-find-legal-document-flat-swap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1227025/tsang-unable-find-legal-document-flat-swap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong denied allegations that he had made a premeditated arrangement with assistant highways director Tsang King-man to cross-lease their flats in which they had a financial interest, a court heard yesterday. Mak, who is being tried over housing fraud, also denied telling lies in a joint statement he drafted with Tsang after the media exposed the event in July last year. The prosecution played Mak's recorded interviews, made under caution, with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1225864/former-minister-mak-chai-kwong-denies-he-deceived?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1225864/former-minister-mak-chai-kwong-denies-he-deceived?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:55:48 +0000 Assistant highways director Tsang King-man handled the proceedings when his sister rented a North Point flat that is now at the centre of a trial over housing fraud involving former development minister Mak Chai-kwong, a court heard yesterday. The sister, Tsang Wai-wah, also told the District Court that she could not recall whether she had met the landlady, Mak's wife Wong Lai-king, during her tenancy of less than two years. She is testifying against her brother, 57, and Mak, 62, who are accused... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1223301/sister-tells-accuseds-role-flat-rental?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1223301/sister-tells-accuseds-role-flat-rental?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A former tenant of a North Point flat rejected a claim by former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man that they swapped ownership of their flats in 1990. Dennis Leung Hung-tsang, who leased flat 22E of City Garden from Tsang between 1988 and 1992, said he paid monthly rent for the place to Tsang during the four years. Leung's evidence in the District Court matched that of the prosecution's, which alleged that if the pair truly swapped flats on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222356/former-tenant-disputes-apartment-swap-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222356/former-tenant-disputes-apartment-swap-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The monthly rent of a flat at the centre of a fraud case involving former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man was approved by the Rating and Valuation Department, a court heard yesterday. Principal assistant secretary of the Civil Service Bureau Lui Kin-fun told the District Court that the monthly rent of HK$10,000, which was paid by Tsang's younger sister Tsang Wai-wah, who was then an engineer with the Drainage Services Department, for flat 21E at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1221682/rent-maks-flat-met-approval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1221682/rent-maks-flat-met-approval?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former development secretary Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man appeared in the District Court yesterday on the first day of their fraud trial, with the prosecution detailing how they allegedly abused a civil service housing allowance scheme. Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, are accused of conspiracy to defraud the government of HK$700,000 by "cross-leasing" their homes more than 20 years ago. Mak also faces two counts, and Tsang three counts, of using documents with intent to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220620/fraud-trial-ex-minister-and-official-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220620/fraud-trial-ex-minister-and-official-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:47:53 +0000 The city's most short-lived minister in its post-colonial history has found a way to pass the time as he awaits trial for corruption. Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong yesterday began a part-time lecturing stint at his alma mater, the University of Hong Kong. He is co-teaching the Analysis, Modelling and Project Appraisal in Transportation course, which is part of the Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning degree. Mak quit his Secretary for Development position last July after... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1141509/disgraced-minister-mak-chai-kwong-takes-hku-lecturing-stint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1141509/disgraced-minister-mak-chai-kwong-takes-hku-lecturing-stint?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Henry Tang Ying-yen Back in January, Tang was confidently expecting to end the year as Hong Kong's third chief executive. But revelations of a vast, illegal structure under his Kowloon Tong home soon derailed his campaign. His poll ratings, like his famous wine collection, ended up in the basement and Beijing joined the city's elite in switching its support to Leung Chun-ying long before March's election.   Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao The outgoing president and premier will not look back on 2012... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1115441/bad-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1115441/bad-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man pleaded not guilty yesterday to housing fraud and cheating the government. Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, face a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the government of HK$700,000 over 20 years ago. Mak also faces two counts, and Tsang three, of using documents with intent to deceive the government. They denied all charges at District Court in Wan Chai. While Mak resigned from his post on the day both men were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1107643/ex-housing-chief-and-highways-deputy-deny-hk700000-housing-scam-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1107643/ex-housing-chief-and-highways-deputy-deny-hk700000-housing-scam-court?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man appeared in court on Tuesday, asking for more time before they enter pleas on charges of cheating on government housing allowances. Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, face a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the government out of HK$700,000 in the 1980s. Mak also faces two counts, and Tsang three, of using documents with intent to deceive the government. The pair were originally required to enter pleas in District... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1076095/former-development-minister-mak-chai-kwong-appears-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1076095/former-development-minister-mak-chai-kwong-appears-court?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Nov 2012 04:38:24 +0000 Assange supporters must pay bail money Nine friends and backers of Julian Assange must hand over a total of £93,500 (HK$1.16 million) in bail money because the WikiLeaks founder jumped bail to claim political asylum from behind the walls of Ecuador's embassy in London rather than face trial in Sweden on sex assault charges. The magistrate showed some sympathy for the sureties, who include a retired army captain and distinguished journalist Phillip Knightley, and cut the debt from... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1075686/talking-points?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1075686/talking-points?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 At least two senior government officials may testify against former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man over alleged cheating of government housing allowances. Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, entered no plea in Eastern Court yesterday. They face a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the government of HK$700,000 in the 1980s. Mak also faces two counts, and Tsang three, of using documents with intent to deceive the government. Their case will be transferred... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1064407/top-hk-officials-may-testify-against-former-minister-whos-accused?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1064407/top-hk-officials-may-testify-against-former-minister-whos-accused?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Former development secretary Mak Chai-kwong and a senior civil servant appeared briefly in court on Thursday to face charges of cheating on government housing allowances in the 1980s. Mak, 62, and assistant highways director Tsang King-man, 57, were freed on HK$50,000 bail each after their appearance at Eastern Court. They were not required to enter a plea on Thursday. A magistrate transferred their case to District Court for a next hearing on November 6, and ordered them to report to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063959/ex-minister-mak-chai-kwong-appears-court-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063959/ex-minister-mak-chai-kwong-appears-court-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2012 05:55:24 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong will appear in court today with a senior civil servant on charges of cheating on government housing allowances. Mak, 62, and assistant highways director Tsang King-man, 57, face a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the government of HK$700,000 in the 1980s. Mak also faces two counts, and Tsang three, of using documents with the intent of deceiving the government, the Independent Commission Against Corruption says. Documents that the pair used to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063514/ex-development-chief-mak-chai-kwong-charged-over-alleged-rent-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063514/ex-development-chief-mak-chai-kwong-charged-over-alleged-rent-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong and assistant highways director Tsang King-man were charged on Wednesday morning by the ICAC with cheating on government rent allowances in the 1980s.  Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, will face a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the Hong Kong government of more than HK$700,000 when they appear in court on Friday.  Mak also faces two counts of using a document with intent to deceive the government while Tsang faces three such charges, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063113/ex-development-secretary-mak-chai-kwong-charged-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063113/ex-development-secretary-mak-chai-kwong-charged-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:59:04 +0000 How ministers perform their duties and conduct themselves in public office has an impact on confidence in government. While it is the chief executive's job to pick the best brains for the positions, he relies on a good mechanism to ensure officials possess good character and do not bring the government into disrepute. Regrettably, the recent controversies surrounding our ministers show integrity checking at the senior echelon still leaves much to be desired. It is more than an embarrassment when... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1043157/lax-checks-ministers-integrity-undermines-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1043157/lax-checks-ministers-integrity-undermines-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po says he will not step down amid the scandal involving subleased flats owned by a company linked to his wife. But his fourth attempt in a week to clarify his involvement in the affair, which followed a call from Executive Council convenor Lam Woon-kwong to seize a 'last chance' to clear up the row, left questions unanswered and fuelled more criticism. Chan, who only took up the job late last month after his predecessor Mak Chai-kwong was arrested by... https://www.scmp.com/article/1014561/explanation-no-4-chan-and-still-questions-remain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1014561/explanation-no-4-chan-and-still-questions-remain?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Disgraced former development minister Mak Chai-kwong had his bail extended by the ICAC yesterday when he reported back to the graft busters after his arrest on suspicion of cheating on government rent allowances in the 1980s. Also reporting back were assistant highways director Tsang King-man, Mak's partner in a cross-leasing deal, and both men's wives. They all had their bail extended. Mak and his wife were seen entering the Independent Commission Against Corruption headquarters in North Point... https://www.scmp.com/article/1014519/bail-extended-mak-tsang-and-wives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1014519/bail-extended-mak-tsang-and-wives?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hongkongers are divided on whether Paul Chan Mo-po should become the second scandal-hit development chief to quit the government in as many months. While some believe Chan's admission that he knew a flat owned by his wife's company in Kowloon had been subdivided illegally is not 'fatal', others say he should step down, just a week after taking over when Mak Chai-kwong resigned following his arrest by graft-busters. While Chan and his wife Frieda Hui Po-ming last week denied knowing the details... https://www.scmp.com/article/1014238/should-paul-chan-step-down-jury-still-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1014238/should-paul-chan-step-down-jury-still-out?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Leung conjures up HK$7b magic trick after ducking questions Public Eye is aghast. We were hoping, stupidly perhaps, that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying would finally come clean on his illegal structures when he faced legislators on Monday. He didn't. Instead, he hid behind a pending court case. Doesn't he know the more he ducks the more he'll trip and fall flat on his face? Opposition lawmakers were specific with their questions. Did he build some of the illegal additions to his Peak home? Did... https://www.scmp.com/article/1007103/public-eye?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1007103/public-eye?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Today is judgment day for Leung Chun-ying. It could make or break him. Today he faces a hostile grilling by legislators about the explosive scandals that are rocking his administration. There is the bombshell resignation and the Independent Commission Against Corruption's arrest of development minister Mak Chai-kwong after just 12 days on the job. He allegedly scammed the system to get a government rent allowance. And there is the unsavoury business of food and health minister Dr Ko Wing-man,... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006910/come-clean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006910/come-clean?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reiterated her support for disgraced former development minister Mak Chai-kwong, as Leung Chun-ying's team continued to brave questions about their policies and integrity during the third and final round of town-hall sessions yesterday. Commenting for the first time since Mak was released by the Independent Commission Against Corruption after two days of questioning over possible abuse of a civil service rent subsidy scheme, Lam commended her former... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006887/carrie-lam-praises-disgraced-ministers-dedication?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006887/carrie-lam-praises-disgraced-ministers-dedication?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong apologised to the government and the public yesterday for the inconvenience his housing allowance scandal had caused and asked for peace to handle the matter - which may yet end up in court. Mak also thanked Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor for her support, after she was criticised for expressing 'full confidence' in him just days before his arrest on Thursday by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for abusing housing perks in the... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006812/sorry-scandal-ex-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006812/sorry-scandal-ex-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The misconduct alleged against the former development chief is all the more surprising because of the many integrity checks he underwent during his 30 years in the civil service. But civil service unions said yesterday that Mak Chai-kwong's receipt of government perks would not have been the focus of the strict, multi-layer scrutiny system. Mak resigned on Thursday after just 12 days in office and is facing an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption over his use of a... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006691/ex-minister-probe-had-several-checks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006691/ex-minister-probe-had-several-checks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Former development minister Mak Chai-kwong was released late last night after two days of questioning by graft-busters, as the government remained silent on his resignation and arrest for abusing civil service housing allowance in the 1980s. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is expected to face more calls to address Mak's case when he continues his 'meet-the-people' tour of the city tomorrow and faces lawmakers in his first Legislative Council question-and-answer session on Monday. Mak, who has... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006719/former-minister-released-after-two-days-icac?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006719/former-minister-released-after-two-days-icac?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Secretary for Development Mak Chai-kwong resigned yesterday after just 12 days in the job, and was arrested by the corruption watchdog over his claim for housing allowance while a civil servant in the 1980s. Also held were Mak's partner in a cross-leasing deal and both men's wives. Lawmakers across the political spectrum saw Mak's arrest as a blow to the authority of the new administration, which is already plagued by illegal-structure scandals involving at least three officials and Chief... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006609/minister-arrested-icac-resigns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006609/minister-arrested-icac-resigns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 After less than two weeks in office Development Secretary Mak Chai-kwong has resigned, just as graft-busters confirmed he had been arrested for allegedly violating the bribery law in relation to government housing allowances. The scandal has dealt a heavy blow to the new government's authority. Worse, it has further undermined the public's confidence in clean government. The Independent Commission Against Corruption has yet to release the full details of its investigation. Earlier, Mak, a... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006637/restoring-trust-must-be-priority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006637/restoring-trust-must-be-priority?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Once praised as an official sensitive to public perceptions who dared to call for the freeing of a journalist detained on the mainland, Mak Chai-kwong has fallen from grace with the so-called cross-leasing scandal. Mak, 62, joined the government as an assistant engineer in 1976. His career was focused on developing infrastructure and, in particular the railway system. He took charge of a number of projects for the electrification and modernisation of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Seen as a high... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006623/high-flyer-who-was-brought-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006623/high-flyer-who-was-brought-low?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 After less than two weeks in office, Leung Chun-ying has lost a minister and seen his administration engulfed in several governance crises. Political parties and academics said yesterday's resignation of secretary for development Mak Chai-kwong, over the possible abuse of a civil service rent-subsidy scheme, had weakened the administration's credibility and ability to rule. The chief executive still faces questions over illegal structures found at both his own house on The Peak and the home of... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006622/credibility-crisis-engulfs-leung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006622/credibility-crisis-engulfs-leung?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Secretary for Development Mak Chai-kwong yesterday reneged on his promise to explain reports that he abused a civil service rent-reimbursement system, saying a potential investigation into the matter prevented him from sharing details. The newly installed minister had said just three days ago that he would respond to revelations that he and another bureaucrat 'cross-leased' flats to each other in the mid-1980s while both claimed a government rent allowance. But Mak said he had to reconsider... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006554/rent-row-minister-refuses-explain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006554/rent-row-minister-refuses-explain?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Development minister needs to fall on his sword Public Eye doesn't care if he jumps or is pushed. Either way, Mak Chai-kwong must go. He simply has no credibility left to continue as our development minister. He scammed the system so taxpayers ended up buying his flat for him. He bought a flat in 1986. So did his college buddy Tsang King-man - now a senior Highways Department official - a floor above his. They didn't live in their own flats. They rented each other's. Why? To qualify for... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006461/public-eye?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006461/public-eye?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 When a boss says she has complete confidence in the integrity of a naughty underling, you can be sure it's time for the latter to fall on his own sword. And expressing her trust was exactly what Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor did over the weekend when asked about the case of new Secretary for Development Mak Chai-kwong, who has been accused of abusing the government housing allowance with the help of a fellow civil servant back in the 1980s. Lam and Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006265/quitting-ministers-only-option?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006265/quitting-ministers-only-option?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New development minister Mak Chai-kwong yesterday named the civil servant with whom he 'cross-leased' properties on adjacent floors of the same building, but denied the arrangement was premeditated. Following up on his admission on Thursday regarding the matter, Mak told a radio programme that the other civil servant involved was Tsang King-man, the current assistant director of the Highways Department. Both collected a civil service housing allowance while renting a home owned by the other man,... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006081/minister-identifies-official-he-cross-leased-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006081/minister-identifies-official-he-cross-leased-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New doubts were raised yesterday about the integrity of Leung Chun-ying's cabinet members as a minister was accused of abusing a civil service housing allowance by 'cross-leasing' properties with a colleague in the 1980s. Development minister Mak Chai-kwong admitted he had leased a flat he had bought to another civil servant for 27 months between 1986 and 1988 while claiming a government allowance for renting a flat from the same colleague in the same estate. But Mak, responding on Metro Radio... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006001/top-official-accused-housing-allowance-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006001/top-official-accused-housing-allowance-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000