Donald Tsang Ordered To Pay HK$5mn In Court Costs

Disgraced former chief executive Donald Tsang was ordered on Tuesday to pay around HK$5 million in legal costs incurred by prosecutors in his 2017 misconduct trial because he gave 'no assistance whatsoever' to the investigation.

Tsang, 73, was found guilty of misconduct in public office last February after a six-week trial, over his failure to declare negotiations over a rental agreement with a businessman whose radio station had been applying for a broadcasting licence. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison but is out on bail as he awaits an appeal due to be heard next month.

High Court Judge Andrew Chan ruled on Tuesday that Tsang should pay one third of the prosecution's legal costs, or approximately HK$5 million. Chan pointed out that when Tsang was still chief executive, he repeatedly assured the public he would cooperate with investigations, but ended up giving no help at all.

Chan said his uncooperative stance added unnecessary costs to the investigation, which required an enormous amount of time and manpower. He noted that taxpayers had to shoulder the cost of establishing undeniable facts, and concluded that Tsang should be charged for the way he conducted himself towards the investigation and prosecution in this case.

Tsang is believed to have racked up tens of millions of dollars in legal costs already, to pay for his defense in the original trial, and a re-trial for a bribery charge that was eventually shelved.