Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has refused to answer questions about the HK$50 million secret payments he allegedly received from Australian corporation UGL a year ago in a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Council today.
Democratic Party lawmaker Sin Chung-kai challenged Leung about the payments. “You should be prosecuted by mainland China standards. [Former Chief Executive] Donald Tsang was prosecuted for misconduct in public office and you can be prosecuted for that as well, at least twice.”
“You did not declare your interests to the Chief Justice before you came to office for the 4 million pound sterling [HK$50 million] payment you were due to receive. Don’t you think you should surrender yourself to the Independent Commission Against Corruption [ICAC]?” Sin added.
Leung replied by saying he had explained himself already.
“Sin’s questions show he has not read, or ignored the written statements from me, from the government and from UGL. I have explained this event for many times, I have nothing to add,” Leung said.
Sin then said Leung did not respond to his question asking whether Leung should surrender himself to the ICAC.
LegCo president Jasper Tsang said he felt Leung had answered the question.
Lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung also chimed in by questioning the UGL payments and four other issues, including a BVI company owned by Leung and his claim that external forces were involved in the pro-democracy Occupy protest last year.
“I have been a lawmaker for so many years, and I have asked you the same five questions continuously which you haven’t answered here [LegCo] and you haven’t answered outside. You said you have answered these in written statements – so we can just have a Leung Chun-ying doll here instead of you answering questions in written statements.”
Leung Chun-ying said to Jasper Tsang that he and his colleagues in the government have often answered these questions posed to LegCo and society.
Leung Kwok-hung then approached Leung Chun-ying’s stand to ‘give him a clock,’ which means to give him death in Cantonese. Lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip and Ray Chan Chi-chuen also followed, throwing satirical paper boards at Leung.
They were subsequently kicked out of the LegCo chamber as ordered by Tsang.
The UGL secret payment to Leung was first reported by Australian media on October 14 last year, during the pro-democracy Occupy protests.
Correction 2:20pm: Earlier version missed the word “surrender” in Sin Chung-kai’s response to Leung Chun-ying.
