Review committee to probe anti-graft head Timothy Tong

Find out what could the reason be.

The former head of Hong Kong's anti-graft body, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, is also being accused of spending lavishly on overseas trips.

The review committee established by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying will report directly to the CE and will make its findings public in four months' time.

Leung said recent reports on the handling of official entertainment, gifts and official visits by the former commissioner of the ICAC Timothy Tong has given rise to wide community concerns.

“I've therefore decided to establish a 4-member independent review committee on ICAC regulatory systems and procedures for handling gifts and duty visits."

Tong is suspected of using public funds for excessive travel, hosting extravagant banquets and buying expensive gifts for officials from Beijing’s liaison office. Current ICAC commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu has commented that official meals are only for people involved in the business.

Investigators found that Tong gave 137 gifts worth more than US$28,337 during his term, mostly to mainland officials. ICAC also admitted buying cookies and moon cakes costing US$6,183 that were not included in the earlier total.

Legco’s Audit Commission found that a 2011 dinner hosted by Tong for an international anti-bribery event cost US$134 per head, or over twice the permissible limit, and was approved as a publicity expenditure rather than entertainment expenses.

Tong’s travel expenses are also under investigation, and nearly half of his 34 trips were to the mainland. On average, he spent US$19,527 on travel annually while his predecessor spent US$7,144 during a nine-month term in 2007. Earlier this year, Tong was appointed to the Communist Party’s top advisory body after his five-year service with the ICAC.