Rafael Hui 'gave HK$8 million to young woman he was having intimate relationship with'
Former chief secretary admits at graft trial he showered money and presents on the unnamed recipient, who he claims was like no one else
Rafael Hui Si-yan lavished millions on a young Shanghai woman after the pair started an "intimate" relationship in 2008, a court heard yesterday.
Hui, 66, who has been married since 1974, met the unnamed woman in Hong Kong and Beijing, a High Court jury was told, and the liaison lasted for two to three years.
The second day of Hui's testimony in his graft trial also heard how in the 1980s, as a colonial official, he first met the Kwok brothers through his boss, Anson Chan Fang On-sang.
Two of the brothers, Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and Raymond Kwok Ping-luen, now stand accused of bribing Hui with HK$34 million in cash and other inducements to be their "eyes and ears" in government.
Hui, an opera aficionado and gourmet, recalled visiting Japan loaded with "millions of Japanese yen" in cash and paying a HK$210,000 bill for a meal at Island Shangri-La in Central.
Yesterday, Hui's lawyer, Edwin Choy Wai-bond, led his client into disclosing the intimate romance that began six years ago, after he had stepped down as chief secretary and was sitting on the Executive Council as a non-official member.
"In 2008, and the one or two years that followed, I gave some money to a female friend in Shanghai," Hui said. "When I first met her, it was in a social gathering in Hong Kong. I would say [she was] a young woman."
Without specifying the currency, he added: "I do not recall the exact amount, but I think at least seven or eight million."
Apart from cash, the money also went into purchasing properties and making investments for the woman, the court heard.
Hui showered her with bags, watches and other presents. "The value of those gifts … was not low," he testified.
Choy asked Hui if there was another woman like her. He answered: "If you're asking me if there's someone of a similar nature, no."
After repeated questioning from Choy, Hui admitted Chan had introduced him to the Kwok brothers. "It was my supervisor, Mrs Anson Chan Fang On-sang," Hui said.
Chan was at that time secretary for economic services and Hui was her deputy. The setting was lunch at a hotel in the 1980s. The Kwoks were at the next table, Hui recalled.
Since then, he said he had had little interaction with eldest brother Walter Kwok Ping-sheung and was closest to Thomas Kwok. "We talked about current affairs. He liked to talk with me about life and philosophy. Compared with so-called leaders in the commercial world … Thomas was very different from them. He was friendly and he was not calculating," Hui said.
The court then heard of the trips Hui made to Japan.
One took place on July 1, 2007 - the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover and just a day after he relinquished the chief secretary post.
Hui said he kept living the high life after leaving government because of his "blind spot". He was also "irrationally optimistic" about business prospects on the mainland, he admitted.
The now bankrupt retiree complained of a creditor putting the value of his wine collection at HK$7 million, saying it should be worth HK$1 million more.
Hui faces eight charges related to bribery and misconduct in public office. Thomas Kwok, 62, faces one charge of conspiracy to offer an advantage to Hui and two counts of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. Raymond Kwok, 61, faces four charges, including one with Hui of furnishing false information. SHKP executive director Thomas Chan Kui-yuen, 67, and former Hong Kong stock exchange official Francis Kwan Hung-sang, 63, each face two charges.
All have pleaded not guilty.
