Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, officials of the three departments and twelve bureaus, and some non-official members of the Executive Council have updated their declarations of interests for last year. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's declaration of interests is the same as last year, owning a total of 7 residential properties. Among Executive Council members, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung remains the "high official property king", with his property holdings increasing from 8 last year to 9.

Chief Executive's property declaration unchanged

As usual, last night the Hong Kong government published on the Executive Council's website the declarations of interests of the Chief Executive, and official and non-official members of the Executive Council for public and media review. The published information includes properties, paid directorships in public or private companies, shareholdings, and other details of senior government officials.

Compared with last year's declarations of the current Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's team, the information of most senior officials has not changed significantly. The "high official property king" is still Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung. He is the official member with the most properties declared in the Executive Council, increasing from 8 last year to 9. His residential units are spread across the Central and Western District and Eastern District on Hong Kong Island. The newly added unit is a yet-to-be-completed residential unit purchased by his wife in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's declaration of interests is the same as last year, with no changes. Leung Chun-ying and his wife Regina Leung declared ownership of 3 residential properties in Hong Kong, including two connected houses on The Peak exposed in 2012 for illegal structures, currently declared as "vacant", and another residential property in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island used for rental; in addition, the Leungs each hold a property in London and Cambridge in the United Kingdom, declared for family residence.

Regarding shares, as last year, Leung Chun-ying declared as a shareholder of Lotvest Ltd, through which he holds the property in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. The equity of Wintrack Worldwide and its subsidiaries under his name, as well as all equity of DTZ Holding and its subsidiaries, are held in trust. The trustee is a practicing accountant, and his wife Regina Leung is the beneficiary.

Among the three Secretaries, Carrie Lam has the most properties

Among the three Secretaries, Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam holds the most properties, all located in the United Kingdom and the mainland, with none in Hong Kong. The register of declarations of interests shows that the 7 properties declared by Chief Secretary Carrie Lam are all outside Hong Kong. Carrie Lam added a self-occupied unit owned by her spouse in Zhongshan, Guangdong, and maintained a vacant residential property in Suzhou, Jiangsu. Of the two units in Cambridge, UK, one was changed from rented last year to owned and rented by her spouse, and the other from self-occupied to vacant.

Carrie Lam's husband purchased property in Zhongshan, and it is widely rumored in official circles that it is convenient for her husband to take the family north for vacation and stress relief when he returns to Hong Kong. Carrie Lam's husband, Lam Siu-po, once taught in the Mathematics Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has long lived in the UK, but did not declare employment.

Financial Secretary John Tsang owns a self-use residence in the United States and another residence in Wan Chai for rent. Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen owns two residential properties and a parking space in Sha Tin.

Regarding policy secretaries, last year it was revealed that two family members of Secretary for Development Paul Chan held land in the Northeast New Territories Development Area within two months of his taking office. One of the Secretary for Development's duties is to promote the North New Territories development plan, and Chan was questioned for concealing the information.

In the declaration register published yesterday, Secretary for Development Paul Chan declared that he, his wife, and family hold a residential unit and two parking spaces in Wan Chai, held by a Hong Kong-registered company "Wai Wood Development Limited", and currently reside in the above unit. Chan's wife wholly owns a residence with a parking space and a storage space in Sydney, Australia, for rental purposes.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam and his spouse jointly hold a residential property in Central and Western District on Hong Kong Island for self-occupation, compared with last year, he reduced a vacant parking space in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island.

[Non-official members]

Li Kwok-cheung has the most properties, Cheung Hok-ming has the most land

Among non-official members, Li Kwok-cheung declared this year as a director and chairman of the board of a digital broadcasting company, no longer serving as a non-executive director of Wharf Holdings. His property holdings include two UK properties, 28 Hong Kong properties, 8 parking spaces, and two redevelopment project site properties in Yau Tsim Mong and Central and Western District, making him the Executive Council member with the most declared properties.

Cheung Hok-ming is the Executive Council member with the most declared land, with 6 plots in Tai Po totaling about 334 square meters, about one-third held in his personal name and the rest through company names. Bernard Chan reduced a half-interest property in San Francisco, USA, and holds positions as chairman or advisor for over 80 organizations. Fanny Law added "Advisor for Hong Kong Affairs of China Development Bank" to her paid work declarations.

In addition to declaring properties and shares, according to Hong Kong's current declaration of interests system for Executive Council members, if a matter considered by the Executive Council involves the personal interests of a member, that member must declare before the Council discusses the item.

From July 1, 2012, to January 28, 2014, the current government's Executive Council held 73 meetings, discussing a total of 382 items. Among them, 105 items involved Executive Council members abstaining from discussion due to conflicts of interest, accounting for 27% of the total, with a total of 269 abstentions. The Executive Council has published relevant statistics on its website annually.

Chief Executive's assets

Properties: Leung Chun-ying and his wife Regina Leung declared ownership of 3 residential properties in Hong Kong, including two connected houses on The Peak, currently declared as "vacant"; another residential property in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island is for rent; in addition, two properties in Singapore are for rent; the Leungs each hold a property in London and Cambridge, UK, declared for family residence.

Shares: Leung Chun-ying is a shareholder of Lotvest Ltd, and the equity of Wintrack Worldwide and its subsidiaries under his name, as well as all equity of DTZ Holding and its subsidiaries, are held in trust. The trustee is a practicing accountant, and his wife Regina Leung is the beneficiary.