Revealed: decision behind Wang Chau rural housing scandal reaches very top of Hong Kong government

Chief executive and three key secretaries all present when plan was made at government meeting in 2014 to defer key part of Wang Chau development

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The brownfield site in Wang Chau in Yuen Long is controlled by a rural leader. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 11:30am, 21 Sep 2016Updated: 5:59pm, 23 Sep 2016

All the top government officials including the chief executive and the three key secretaries took part in a collective decision to defer a key part of a controversial housing project, the Post has learnt.

The news emerged even as Leung Chun-ying avoided questions over the past few days as to who made the call to hold up development of a brownfield site in Wang Chau, Yuen Long. The site is controlled by rural leaders and could yield 13,000 public housing flats.

Leung and Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah, who has distanced himself from the project, are expected to come clean on their roles in the project in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying chaired the meeting on the site. Photo: Felix Wong

The two men are seen as hopefuls in next year’s chief executive election. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who also distanced herself from the matter, will attend a charity event at around the same time.

A source familiar with the situation said the collective decision was made at a weekly meeting of the government in early 2014, chaired by the chief executive. Tsang, Lam, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung and the relevant bureau and department heads were all present.

“They made the decision after receiving a progress report by the Housing Department, which made the recommendation to defer phases two and three of the Wang Chau project,” the source said.