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Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s former leader, has been charged with misconduct in public office after an investigation into his close links with the city’s tycoons during his seven years in power.
The highest-profile official to be charged with corruption since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese control in 1997, Mr Tsang faces a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment if found guilty.
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The 70-year-old former civil servant, who ended his second term as chief executive in 2012, is due to appear in court on Monday afternoon to hear the charges read out, according to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
The charges relate to his failure to disclose the fact that while chief executive of Hong Kong he leased an apartment in Shenzhen, a neighbouring Chinese city, from a businessman whose company was also applying to the government for licences.
Mr Tsang said he was innocent of the charges, in a statement given to the South China Morning Post, a local newspaper.
“My conscience is clear,” he said. “I have every confidence that the court will exonerate me after its proceedings.”
The case is the latest high-level action brought by Hong Kong’s ICAC. Last year Thomas Kwok, one of the city’s richest tycoons, was jailed for five years after being found guilty of bribing one of the city’s top officials.
An investigation into Mr Tsang’s dealings was launched following allegations that he received inappropriate favours from business tycoons.
Mr Tsang, who is known for his trademark bow tie, has previously said he did take some trips on private jets and on yachts while in office but he denied any conflict of interest.

A career civil servant in Hong Kong under British rule, Mr Tsang was chief executive between 2005 and 2012, taking over after his predecessor Tung Chee-hwa was forced to step down following street protests against unpopular policies
 

CHINA’S manufacturing and service activities in September appeared to have bottomed out in large state-owned enterprises but continued to weaken in private and export-oriented firms, according to surveys released yesterday.

CHINA said yesterday it will cut the minimum downpayment for first-time home buyers in many cities, stepping up support for the sluggish property market and stumbling economy.
It was the second measure in two days to fire up consumption following a decision to halve the tax on the sale of small cars.

The central bank and banking regulator said they will lower the minimum downpayment for first-time home buyers to 25 percent, from 30 percent, in cities that do not have purchase restrictions.

The move aims to “support reasonable consumption of housing,” the People’s Bank of China and China Banking Regulatory

Commission said in a statement on the central bank’s website yesterday.

China’s property sector has hit a weak patch in the past year or so, with slowing sales leading to an overhang of unsold apartments and affecting demand for everything from steel to home appliances.

“The relaxed rule is helpful, but the impact will not be immediate because the main reason for high inventory in some cities is bad location and transportation,” said David Ji from Knight Frank.

“The rule will likely stimulate demand from buyers who are already observing,” he said.

The property sector accounts for 15 percent of China’s gross domestic product, so even modest signs of improvement would relieve some pressure on the economy.

Home prices rose for a fourth consecutive month in August as sales and market sentiment improved.

In a separate move yesterday, the housing ministry asked local governments to increase financial support to home buyers funding their purchases with housing provident funds.

Still, analysts don’t expect a full-blown turnaround in the property market any time soon, as the huge overhang of unsold homes discourages construction and investment in all but the biggest cities.

Haitong Securities said the move “shows the government’s intention to stabilize the property market. We expect favorable policies to be sustained until investment starts to recover.”

While home sales and prices have picked up in the past couple of months, annual growth in property investment in the first eight months of the year slowed to 3.5 percent, its lowest since early 2009.

The lower downpayment requirements will not apply in certain big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen that have imposed restrictions on buying to prevent bubbles.

CHINA’S electricity consumption, an important indicator of economic activity, rose slowly in the first eight months of this year, suggesting economic headwinds, official data showed yesterday.
Power consumption rose 1 percent year on year to 3.68 trillion kilowatt-hours in the January-August period, the China Electricity Council said.
In the first eight months, electricity use by primary industry climbed 2.3 percent from a year earlier. Power consumption by secondary industry went down 0.7 percent, while tertiary industry posted a 7.5 percent increase amid economic restructuring.
Meanwhile, residential power consumption grew 4.3 percent year on year.
The decline in power usage in secondary industries indicated continued downward pressure on China’s industrial sector, said Shan Baoguo, with the State Grid Energy Research Institute.
He attributed the broader slowdown to sluggish external demand and a slowdown in exports, which dragged down industrial production.
The figures for August, in which power consumption increased 1.9 percent year on year to 512.4 billion kwh, provided a more encouraging suggestion of recovery.