Justice Chief's Husband On Trial Over Home Scandal

The husband of Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng has gone on trial over an unauthorised building works controversy that dogged the start of her tenure as the city's legal chief.

Veteran engineer Otto Poon, 78, denies knowingly carrying out construction work without government approval, in a case Cheng has delegated to the Director of Public Prosecutions in order to avoid any perception of bias or improper influence.

In December last year, authorities announced that there wasn't enough evidence to pursue a case against Cheng over a series of unauthorised projects uncovered at her luxury home in Tuen Mun, including a large basement, a rooftop structure, a ground floor extension and a garden deck.

But they decided to prosecute Poon, who owns the house next door, over an unapproved swimming pool at his home.

A prosecution lawyer told West Kowloon Magistracy on Tuesday that the pool weighs 14,000 kilogrammes when filled with water and it could compromise building safety.

The pool has also been designed in a way that shows it is intended to be a permanent structure, the court was told.

The lawyer said that as a very experienced engineer, Poon must have fully understood that he needed to seek approval from the Buildings Department for the pool.

Media revelations over the unauthorised building works at Cheng's home came as soon as she took up her justice secretary role in January last year. It was only at this time that her marriage to Poon also came to light.

Cheng came under fire for months over the construction scandal, with pro-government lawmakers also among the critics. She repeatedly said that she was too busy to notice the unauthorised works, including the massive basement.