Chief Executive candidate Henry Tang has offered assurances that he did not file false plans for his houses in Kowloon Tong to the Buildings Department. The dwellings have come under scrutiny following disclosure that there were illegal structures on both houses.

After releasing his full election platform on Tuesday, Tang pledged to remove the unauthorized building structures as soon as possible. Tang said he had signed the papers to appoint authorized professionals to liaise with the Buildings Department concerning the structures.

The former chief secretary and financial secretary promised more explanations and disclosures about the matter after the structures are removed.

"I admit that I have not been able to correct my negligence in time, and that I have been careless. But I had not intended to hide anything," said Tang.

Tang's declaration was made in response to accusations in the media on Tuesday. Ming Pao reported that an architect responsible for building Tang's house at 7 York Road claimed that the occupation permit issued by the Buildings Department when the house was completed did not include any underground work.

The underground work, including a basement garage under the swimming pool, was inconsistent with the plan filed to the government, the report said. Tang, who said he knew about the construction of the extended space, had explained that it was used to store objects and not wine.

The architect said it was not possible that unauthorized building work was carried out under his responsibility. He said if there were any illegal structures, it would have been built after the house was completed and also after he had withdrawn from the project.

Meanwhile, Apple Daily reported that the house construction was supervised by Tang's wife Lisa Kuo Yu-chin, according to sources. One source said Kuo had requested that the engineers hand back the plans to her.

The source also said that staff members from the Buildings Department did visit the house before issuing the occupation permit. Inspections to determine whether there were illegal structures should have been carried out then. Tang, however, did not confirm whether his wife had been involved in the project. Although the title to the house on 7 York Road, adjacent to where Tang and his family reside at 5A York Road, does belong to Kuo.

The CE candidate remained reticent about saying when the illegal structures were built. He declined to answer reporters when asked whether he would have disclosed of the illegal structures were it not for media exposure.

andrea@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 02/15/2012 page1)