• 11/11/2024

University of Hong Kong body appoints external figures to help probe allegations against school’s head

Hong Kong Free Press

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s governing body has appointed two external members to a panel set up last month to look into whistle-blowing allegations against the school head.

The University of Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
The University of Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

David Sun, the former head of the government’s Audit Commission, and Richard Khaw, a senior counsel, were named as non-HKU Council members in the panel set up to probe misconduct allegations against president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang, council chairperson Priscilla Wong said after a special council meeting on Monday.

The two will join council members Jimmy Ng, Brian Stevenson and Jason Chiu on the panel, which was convened last month after the HKU Council received a string of anonymous emails making accusations against Zhang.

The five-member panel, led by Ng, is expected to submit a report to the council within 12 weeks, Wong said on Monday.

She also told reporters that the choice of these two non-council members were widely agreed upon by the governing body, with Sun an expert in auditing and Khaw having specialised in civil disputes.

Priscilla Wong, HKU council chairperson, meets the press after a special council meeting in HKU's Knowles Building on October, 9, 2023. Photo: Hans Tse/HKFP.
Priscilla Wong, HKU council chairperson. File photo: Hans Tse/HKFP.

“They are familiar and experienced with Hong Kong affairs and widely-recognised as having made contributions in their respective areas,” she said in Cantonese.

The panel “will look into the allegations fairly and impartially and will reach their findings through evidence-based investigation in an unbiased manner,” a statement from the HKU Council on Monday evening read.

Whistle-blowing

The investigation into Zhang centres around allegations of misconduct and mismanagement against the school head after whistle blowers sent emails to members of the HKU Council in September.

Zhang was said to have mishandled a donation from a mainland Chinese corporation, recruited a US head-hunter without following procurement procedures to hire a medical dean and a vice-president, and misappropriated school funds for renovation work.

The Chinese-American physicist – who was appointed as the university’s president and vice-chancellor in 2018 – has repeatedly denied the claims and slammed “rumour-mongers” of leaking confidential information and distorting the truth.

Zhang Xiang
University of Hong Kong president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang. Photo: University of Hong Kong.

Zhang, an ex-officio member of the council, also attended the special council meeting in HKU’s Knowles Building last month with his lawyers. He released a statement expressing concern over the ability of the council to handle the matters in a “fair and impartial manner,” claiming that council members may have leaked confidential information to the media.

Among the accusations directed against Zhang was that under his leadership, the university accepted a donation made by a mainland Chinese firm that was sanctioned by the US over alleged human rights abuses related to forced Uyghur labour.

A 10 million yuan (HK$10.8 million) endowment was made by Ninestar Corporation via the Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF), with HKU confirming receipt of an 8.5 million yuan (HK$9.18 million) instalment from the CRCF in April, according to emails leaked to the university’s governing body and seen by HKFP.

According to HK01, police were investigating after receiving a report about the alleged leak of confidential documents at the university last month. Wong on Monday said she was not aware of the investigation and that she had not been contacted about it.

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https://hongkongfp.com/2023/11/07/university-of-hong-kong-body-appoints-external-figures-to-help-probe-allegations-against-schools-head/