Opposition Demands Explanation From Teresa Cheng

The convenor of the pan-democratic camp, Claudia Mo, has called on Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng to give the public a clear explanation over the latest allegation that has come up against her.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam had given Cheng permission to continue with six arbitration cases when she took up the post early last year, but an Apple Daily report on Friday raised a possible misconduct allegation, saying the secretary was involved in three more cases which started after she took up the cabinet post.

“It is very sad for our secretary for justice. She was up there to look after Hong Kong’s judicial system on the prosecution side. And yet she’s been lacking credibility all this time, practically ever since she took office,” Mo said.

“And now, yet another skeleton from her closet. This is more than disheartening,” she said.

Soon after her appointment, Cheng was embroiled in a controversy over unauthorised structures at her luxury home in Tuen Mun. But she was later cleared by her department of any wrongdoing. Her husband, however, was fined over an unauthorised pool at his home.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, who used to be an ICAC investigator, said the justice secretary has failed to give a proper explanation about the new allegation.

He said if Cheng fails to come clean as soon as possible, the ICAC should investigate whether she had committed misconduct by failing to declare the cases to the Executive Council or the Chief Executive.

“We all understand the credibility of Teresa Cheng is so worrying. I really can’t understand her rationale of refusing to explain the matter if she already got the approval from the Chief Executive for the three cases concerned,” he said.