Hk Scholar Cleared Of 'Mishandling Donation'

A Hong Kong scholar has been cleared of suspicion of mishandling a donation to the city's top university handed on by an organizer of last year's pro-democracy protests, local media reported Friday.



The former University of Hong Kong law dean, Professor Johannes Chan, had come under attack from pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po in recent months after his support for colleague and protest organizer Benny Tai.



Moreover, reports have said that government officials had asked the university not to appoint Chan as a pro-vice-chancellor, a position he had been tipped for. The case had raised fears of increasing political interference in the academic affairs of the former British colony's universities.



The university's audit committee, made up of members from outside the institution, looked into Tai's receipt and use of HK$1.45 million ($187,000) in donations, partly for protest-related activities from 2013-2014.



Citing people with knowledge of the audit committee's report, the South China Morning Post reported that Chan -- who dealt with a donation of HK$300,000 transmitted by associate professor Tai to the law faculty -- was found to have not been at fault.  



"The reviewers agreed that Professor Chan used all the money for academic conferences and seminars," the report "ed an anonymous source as saying. "The use did not deviate from the stated purpose of the donation."  



Some allegedly pro-Beijing, the council members reportedly insisted that the committee make punishment recommendations -- a feature missing from the committee's terms of reference.



That resulted in the council's chairman Leong Che-hung calling the report "interim" and requesting a "final" report.



Tai responded by saying he did not understand the report being designation as "interim."



"The audit committee has made extensive enquiries with all parties involved... [The council's decision] gives an impression that they are deliberately dragging out the case," the Post "ed him as saying.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Hong Kong