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HONG KONG - Hong Kong's outgoing leader Donald Tsang tearfullyapologised on Friday for his part in one of a series of corruptionscandals that have embarrassed China, a day after an independentreport called for him to be held more accountable. Tsang, 67, has found himself in hot water at the twilight of hiscareer over a series of cases that have undermined his credibilityand led to a probe by the city's anti-corruption watchdog, theICAC. "Because of my personal mishandling of matters, in shaking publicconfidence in Hong Kong's (civil service) to be incorrupt andhonest in performing one's duties, and in causing disappointmenttowards civil servants, I once again wholeheartedly apologise toeveryone," Tsang told reporters. He then bowed his head for a few seconds, pursed his quivering lipsand fought back tears, before leaving. A series of scandals ensnaring powerful officials have tarnishedthe city's reputation as a relatively corruption-free society,while posing a thorny challenge for China's leaders who havestrived to maintain stability in Hong Kong since it reverted fromBritish to Chinese rule in 1997. Among the high profile cases is the ICAC's arrest of close Tsangally and former chief secretary Rafael Hui, and the threebillionaire tycoon Kwok brothers at the helm Asia's largestproperty company, Sun Hung Kai, as part of an ongoing investigationinto bribery charges and misconduct. Public resentment toward Tsang has centred on reports of lavishspending on overseas duty visits, along with taking trips withtycoons by private jet and luxury yacht, accepting a sweetheartrental deal for a 6500-square-foot penthouse in southern China, andstaying in a high-roller suite at the Venetian casino resort inMacau. Under current laws in Hong Kong, the chief executive is the onlypublic official exempted from accepting advantages in office,meaning that in effect the leader is not subject to any checks andbalances. An independent committee, however, led by a respected former chiefjustice in Hong Kong, released a report on Thursday calling fortighter laws to redress the "fundamental defect" in legislation. Tsang, who retires next month, pledged to accept the recommendationand stressed "a clean government is a core value". With China striving to ease tensions after the ouster of ambitiousparty elder Bo Xilai ahead of a leadership transition in the fall,Hong Kong's problems have been an unwelcome headache, particularlyfor China's next anointed leader Xi Jinping, who largely overseesthe financial hub's affairs. The perennially bow tie wearing Tsang who was knighted by the Queenfor his distinguished public service under the British colonialadministration, will be succeeded by the Beijing-backed LeungChun-ying on July 1. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Molded Ptfe Sheet Manufacturer , Ptfe Teflon Tube Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Molded Ptfe Sheet.
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