Mak resigns after ICAC arrest

The Development Secretary, Mak Chai-kwong, and three others have been arrested for allegedly violating the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance in relation to claims for government housing allowances. At the same time, Mr Mak has resigned as a minister – and his duties will be taken over by the Financial Secretary, John Tsang, with immediate effect.

Both the Democratic Party and the Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood lodged complaints with the anti-graft body about the allegations against Mr Mak. He’d earlier said that he and a current assistant director of highways Tsang King-man had cross-leased flats to each other in the 1980s, while claiming government rent allowances.

Mr Mak maintained that he had not breached any regulations. However, both he and Mr Tsang were summoned to the anti-graft body’s headquarters to help with their inquiries.

The ICAC said later that both men, plus two others had been arrested in connection with the case. It said it had no further comments at this stage.

The government said in a statement that the justice secretary had delegated authority to handle the case to the director of public prosecutions, and no further comment would be made while the ICAC’s inquiries are continuing.

The chairman of the Democratic Party, Albert Ho, said the developments would have a serious impact on Chief Executive C Y Leung’s team. He said integrity was the issue, even though the accusations against Mr Mak go back three decades and would have been hard for any integrity check to uncover.

Another legislator, the Civic Party’s Audrey Eu, said Mr Leung’s administration was off to a shaky start – and was beset by scandals involving personal integrity.

The High Court has begun hearing an application by two pro-democracy legislators for a judicial review to unseat the Chief Executive, C Y Leung. They say that Mr Leung is not suitable to hold office because he lied about illegal structures at his home on the Peak during his election campaign.

The application is being made by the chairman of the Democratic Party Albert Ho – who stood in the CE election – and Leung Kwok-hung from the League of Social Democrats.