Husband of under-fire justice secretary Teresa Cheng to be prosecuted in connection with pool he allegedly built without permission
- Buildings Department to take top engineer Otto Poon to court over matter
- His wife was investigated for changes to her home, but cleared after it was decided case would fail
The husband of under-fire Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah will appear in court this month after officials decided to prosecute him for allegedly carrying out building work on his Tuen Mun residence without permission.
Charges against top engineer Otto Poon Lok-to had been expected since last month when David Leung Cheuk-yin, the director of public prosecutions, controversially said Cheng would escape legal action over suspected unauthorised structures at her luxury home, but Poon, whose house is next door to Cheng’s, would face prosecution in connection with a pool on his property.
The structure reportedly measures 2.5 metres wide, by 4.65m long, and is 1.24m deep.
Leung said the justice secretary’s husband would be charged with “knowingly commencing, or carrying out building work, without having first obtained from the Building Authority approval and consent in writing”.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said it would not comment as legal proceedings were ongoing.
On Friday, the Buildings Department said it had issued a summons to the owner of house No 3 in Villa De Mer, where Poon lives. The hearing will take place on Friday, January 18, in Tuen Mun Court.
