Hong Kong gov’t seeking alternatives to ex-leader Carrie Lam’s HK$9.17m office ahead of lease expiry next year
Hong Kong Free Press
The Hong Kong government is seeking alternative sites for the multi-million dollar taxpayer-funded office of former chief executive Carrie Lam ahead of the expiry of its lease next May.
Earlier this year, authorities revealed that it cost an estimated HK$9.17 million to run Lam’s office in the 2023-24 fiscal year, with over half of that sum spent on “rent and related expenses.” Lam’s office is in Pacific Place, a shopping and office complex in Admiralty.
Lam is the only one of the city’s four former chief executives whose offices are not housed on government property. The Office of Former Chief Executives, a Grade I historic building in Mid-Levels, is home to the offices of ex-leaders Tung Chee-hwa, Donald Tsang and Leung Chun-ying. According to the government, there was not enough space to accommodate Lam.
In an emailed response to enquiries sent by HKFP on Monday, Lam’s office said it had notified the Administration Wing, which oversees the offices of the city’s former leaders, that it was “making arrangements” before the lease of Lam’s office expires in mid-2025.
Lam’s office also cited a letter sent from the government to the ex-chief executive while she was still in office saying that Lam’s office could be relocated from Pacific Place to other premises, including government property.
Lam had already expressed her willingness to cooperate with the relevant arrangements, her office said.
In response to HKFP, the Administration Wing said on Monday that the Pacific Place lease would expire next May, and that the government was handling the matter in accordance with “policies and procedures.”
Since leaving office over two years ago, Lam has largely kept a low-profile. Most recently, local media reported that she spoke at an opening ceremony for the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen’s School of Public Policy in September.
Lam led Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022, overseeing some of the most turbulent periods in the city’s post-colonial history, including the protests and unrest in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic the following year.
Use of public money questioned
Traditionally, the government sets up offices for Hong Kong’s chief executives following the completion of their terms. The offices are meant for the ex-leaders to conduct activities including receiving guests and taking part in media interviews, according to the Administration Wing.
Each former leader has a senior personal assistant, an assistant clerical officer and a personal chauffeur. Each office also has one staff member to oversee daily clerical and reception duties.
Lam attended over 700 “promotional/protocol-related functions” in her capacity as an ex-chief executive, the government has said.
Figures showing the expenditure on Lam’s office revealed earlier sparked questions from lawmakers about the costs incurred.
Lawmaker Michael Tien asked the government in May whether it had considered a larger venue that could accommodate all former leaders or exploring other ways to save costs, such as considering premises outside of Hong Kong’s central business districts.
In response, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said the government had to take into account that the office has to be “commensurate with the status of a former [chief executive].” Given “operation requirements,” the Central and Admiralty districts were considered most suitable, he said.
Chan did not respond directly to Tien’s question about whether the government might consider only setting up offices for the most recent three ex-leaders.
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