A third source, who is close to the university president, said on Wednesday that Zhang had told the council and its chairwoman, Priscilla Wong Pui-sze, that the reshuffle could face a legal challenge in the form of a judicial review.

“Zhang is seeking legal advice on the proper procedures for selecting the candidates,” the source said. “The vice-chancellor is normally consulted on the names, but Zhang was not even in the know.”

The source said Zhang had already compiled a list of nominees several months ago but failed to reach a consensus with the chairwoman about discussing it with the council.

The list of candidates was completely different from the names approved on Tuesday, the source added.

The Post also learned that Priscilla Wong had sought legal opinions on whether she could exercise such power. The university did not comment on the subject.

A university press release showed Vivian Yam Wing-wah, a professor at the science faculty, had replaced Richard Wong after being appointed as interim provost and deputy vice-chancellor.

Norman Tien Chihnan, a professor of engineering, was appointed as interim executive vice-president to take care of the university’s administration and finance wings.

Business school dean Professor Cai Hongbin and medical dean Dr Wallace Lau Chak-sing were appointed as interim vice-presidents and pro-vice-chancellors to oversee business development and health-related facilities respectively.

Faculty of Engineering Professor Alfonso Ngan Hing-wan was appointed as interim vice-president to take care of academic development.

Professor Gong Peng was reappointed to his posts as vice-president and pro-vice-chancellor, while also taking a new role to oversee global development.

Richard Wong, meanwhile, was appointed as vice-president and given the task of overseeing institutional advancement, a move regarded as a downgrade from his previous role as interim provost.

Professor Ian Holliday, who served as a vice-president before the reshuffle, was appointed to an interim role while continuing to oversee teaching and learning.

The only vice-president unaffected by the move was Professor Max Shen Zuojun, who retained his role focusing on the university’s research efforts.

Tensions between Zhang and the council surfaced last year when the president was accused of misconduct and mismanagement.

Zhang earlier also reportedly conceded he had a “tense relationship” with the council chairwoman, saying they had different views on how to run a university.

The third source said the agenda for the council meeting was shared on May 21 and featured an item titled “to receive a paper on appointment of interim vice-presidents”.

Members on Monday evening then received a paper detailing the council’s dissatisfaction with acting arrangements for the senior management team.

The paper was not discussed in the meeting, with members instructed to instead look at another document that detailed the new appointments.

The first insider told the Post that council members were asked to endorse the recommended appointment of several interim vice-president positions, with the list only given to them during the meeting.

Under usual practices, senior management positions are first chosen by the university’s search committee and appointed by the council.

But before such positions are officially filled, the president can nominate candidates to serve in interim positions for the council to endorse.

The two insiders said there was a break from tradition as the list of recommended candidates was presented by Wong this time instead of Zhang, who was kept in the dark until the papers were dished out at the meeting.

“We were given five minutes to read the comments and vote,” the second insider, who sits on the council, said, likening the development to a “coup”.

The list was eventually passed with a simple majority but not unanimously.

The third source also said that HKU statutes and initial legal advice given to Zhang suggested the “power of temporary appointment” rested with the president, covering interim and acting positions.

But the source added that the council’s solicitor had obtained verbal legal advice from senior counsel Benjamin Yu at one of its meeting, who suggested the “power of appointment” rest with the governing body.

The Post has reached out to the university for comment.

Years into Zhang’s tenure as president, many members of the senior management team remained in either acting or interim roles as open recruitment efforts have dragged on, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

The school has been trying to hire four senior management positions: executive vice-president in administration and finance; provost and deputy vice-chancellor; vice-president and pro-vice-chancellor in institutional advancement; and vice-president and pro-vice-chancellor in teaching and learning.

The post of vice-president and pro-vice-chancellor in institutional advancement had been left vacant since Douglas So Cheung-tak left in 2017. Professor Norman Tien took up the position temporarily between 2019 and 2021.

The three-year term of Priscilla Wong as HKU council chair will end on December 31, 2024.

Additional reporting by Olga Wong