Donald Tsang: Hong Kong ex-leader found guilty of misconduct

Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang has been found guilty of misconduct in office, in a case related to a luxury flat in China.

Mr Tsang, who led Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012, had
 faced three charges of misconduct and bribery.

He was cleared of a second count of misconduct and 
the jury failed to reach a verdict on a third charge of
 accepting an advantage.

Mr Tsang is the most senior Hong Kong official to face a
corruption trial.

The case has worried a territory that prides itself on its relatively clean reputation.

Designer flat

The charges, which each carried a maximum of seven
 years in prison, related to events which took place near 
the end of his term between 2010 and 2012.

Prosecutors accused Mr Tsang of engaging in a number 
of conflicts of interest without declaring them, including renting a luxury flat in mainland China from the shareholder 
of a broadcast company, Wave Media, whose license applications he approved.

They alleged the flat was redecorated for free for him 
and that he later nominated the interior designer for an honour.

The jury, which deliberated for two days, found him guilty 
of misconduct over his failure to disclose the lease of the 
flat, but dismissed the charge related to the designer.

It did not reach a verdict on whether he accepted a bribe
 in the form of the refurbishment. Sentencing will take 
place on Monday, AFP reported.

Mr Tsang, 72, has previously insisted his conscience is
 clear. A career civil servant, he rose through the ranks to become Hong Kong's second chief executive, following
 Tung Chee-hwa.

His deputy, former Chief Secretary Rafael Hui, was jailed 
for accepting bribes from a property tycoon in 2014.