Under intense scrutiny
Hong Kong’s new justice chief Teresa Cheng dogged by property scandal.
HONG KONG: Lawmakers grilled Hong Kong’s new justice secretary over a controversy surrounding illegal additions to her home that has highlighted concerns about rule of law in the semiautonomous Chinese city.
Teresa Cheng, 59, faced intense questioning yesterday in the legislature about the scandal, as well as a separate controversy involving the government’s disqualification of a young pro-democracy activist from an upcoming election.
Cheng, who has refused to step down and denies she lacks integrity, is the latest senior government official over the years to be dogged by a property-related scandal that underlines rising public distrust. A veteran arbitrator, Cheng was tapped to be the city’s top law enforcement officer less than four weeks ago.
Soon after, a steady trickle of local media reports revealed that her suburban mansion was riddled with unauthorised additions, including a rooftop hut and a basement.
News of wealthy officials making illegal additions to their homes has stoked public anger over widening inequality in the Asian financial centre, ranked as the world’s most expensive housing market.
The scandal deepened after Cheng disclosed that the house next door was owned by her husband, the founder of an engineering firm, and was also full of illegal additions.