Chief Executive CY Leung yesterday denied allegations that he had pressured airport officials into breaking regulations for his daughter’s benefit on Monday.
Yesterday Apple Daily reported that Leung had allegedly pressured airport officials into retrieving his 23-year-old daughter’s carry-on luggage, which she apparently forgot in the unrestricted area of the airport.
The report had also said that Leung’s wife, Regina Tong, had accompanied their daughter into the restricted area due to her “special status”, and that he spoke to airport officials on the phone, insisting that they call him “Chief Executive Leung” instead of “Mr. Leung”.
The chief executive denies that Tong had accompanied their daughter past the departure hall and that his daughter had asked him for help to retrieve her luggage. He also denied that he spoke to airport authority officials and that he had told airline staff to address him as “Chief Executive Leung”.
Here’s the full statement:
The Chief Executive issued the following statement on a news report by Apple Daily today (April 7) regarding an incident of his daughter, Leung Chung-yan, leaving behind her hand luggage at the airport:
1. Leung Chung-yan followed the boarding procedures and used the passage used by regular passengers when departing that day. Mrs Leung was only seeing her off at the departure hall used by regular passengers. Mrs Leung did not enter the airport restricted area or boarding gate area as claimed by the news report, and she did not wear any “special identity” as claimed by the news report.
2. Leung Chung-yan did not ask for the Chief Executive’s “help” regarding her leaving the hand luggage behind. The Chief Executive only knew about the incident when he called Chung-yan by habit to say goodbye, and understood from Chung-yan that she and his wife were handling the matter.
3. During the whole incident, the Chief Executive did not have any contact with Airport Authority officials, let alone exerting pressure on them.
4. The Chief Executive had, through Chung-yan’s mobile phone, learnt from the airline staff assisting Chung-yan about the arrangements for claiming the hand luggage left behind in the case where Chung-yan was to depart Hong Kong first.
5. The Chief Executive did not request any one to “address me as Chief Executive Leung” and did not exercise any privilege at that night.
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