Selina Tsang (centre), wife of former Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, is accompanied by her two sons, Simon Tsang Hing-yin (centre left) and Thomas Tsang Hing-shun (centre right), as they leave the High Court, in Hong Kong, yesterday.
Hong Kong: Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang was jailed for 20 months yesterday for misconduct in public office, making him the most senior city official to serve time behind bars in a ruling some said reaffirmed the financial hub's vaunted rule of law.
The sentence brings an ignominious end to what had been a long and stellar career for Tsang before and after the 1997 handover to Chinese control, service that saw him knighted by the outgoing British colonial rulers.
"Never in my judicial career have I seen a man falling from such a height," said High Court justice Andrew Chan in passing sentence.
Tsang, 72, wearing one of his trademark bow ties, was escorted in handcuffs to the court from hospital where he'd been staying since Monday night after experiencing breathing difficulties and chest pains.
Scores of establishment Hong Kong figures, including top former officials and some leading opposition democrats, had written letters vouching for Tsang's good character and longstanding public service in a bid for mitigation.
Justice Chan said the seriousness of the offence lay in Tsang's high position as a person of integrity who had breached public trust.
