Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam defends Justice Secretary’s decision not to seek external advice in CY Leung case
- Lam also said there was no conflict of interest for Teresa Cheng in the case, as Cheng had no links with former chief executive Leung
- Lawmakers from either side of the political divide were critical of Cheng for not adequately explaining why the department did not seek outside legal advice
Hong Kong’s leader on Friday backed her justice minister’s decision to not seek external legal advice in the case concerning former leader Leung Chun-ying, saying the two figures had no ties with each other.
While Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor stopped short of saying it was the correct decision, she said justice minister Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah had made a profession call in not seeking external legal advice.
An investigation into misconduct allegations against Leung was launched in 2014, after it was revealed that he took a HK$50 million payment from Australian firm UGL while in office, which was not declared.
On December 12, the Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded there was not enough evidence to prosecute Leung.
From what I see, secretary Cheng does not have any conflict of interest in the incident
Cheng’s critics, including lawmakers and legal groups, asked if Cheng had broken with usual practice by not seeking external legal opinion, given that a sensitive figure was involved.
