Lands Chief's Move 'not Tied To Police Home Probe'

A spokesman for the civil service bureau on Monday night said Thomas Chan, director of the Lands Department, would be posted to the Food and Health Bureau on Tuesday as "special duties" director with specific responsibility for fighting the coronavirus.

The statement said the move was a normal arrangement that had absolutely nothing to do with the Lands Department's investigation of recent media reports on homes linked to senior police officers.

Chan has been Director of Lands since July 1, 2017. He had served as deputy secretary for food and health from 2008 to 2012

The Lands Department sent a team of 10 officials to the Clearwater Bay home of assistant police commissioner Rupert Dover earlier on Monday, to look into whether he and his wife are breaching licensing rules for the property, which sits on government land.

The officials took photographs and measurements around the outside of the house.

On Friday, Dover confirmed that the property in Pik Shui Sun Tsuen is a licensed house, which means only the original licensee and their family are allowed to live there.

The assistant commissioner told reporters that the licensee is a relative of his wife and he was keen to get clarification as to which family members of a licensee qualify to live in such a property.

As well as the Lands Department, the Home Affairs Department is also looking into reports regarding Dover's links to property in the village.

Apple Daily reported last week that Dover and his wife have been advertising another house there as a guesthouse, despite not having the licence required to rent it out.

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