Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang jailed again for misconduct

Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang has lost his appeal against a conviction for misconduct and will be sent back to prison.

Tsang, who ran the city from 2005 to 2012, was on bail pending the appeal.

The judge reduced his sentence for public service misconduct from 20 months to 12 months

Tsang is Hong Kong's highest official to stand trial for corruption in a city known for his own reputation.

The case concerns his failure to disclose plans for renting a luxury apartment in China.

"It is feared that a person with long experience in government service did not consider the need to make a statement of interest in these circumstances," said the court Friday.

was "particularly serious, considering his pre-eminent position in the community and the harm his actions will have done to Hong Kongers in their confidence in the way the government does business".

Tsang's lawyer said that he had the intention to file an appeal.

Luxury apartments and designers

The conviction of the former director general of the territory in 2017 concerned events that took place towards the end of his term, between 2010 and 2012.

prosecutors accuse Tsang of inappropriate and unreported conflicts of interest, including the renting of a luxury apartment in mainland China from the shareholder of a broadcasting company whose he approved the license applications. They also alleged that the apartment was redecorated for free and that he later named the interior architect for an honor.

The verdict of 2017 found him guilty of misconduct for failing to disclose the lease of the apartment, but dismissed the charge related to the designer and did not render a verdict he's accepted a bribe in the form of the renovation.

A career civil servant, Tsang rose to become Hong Kong's second chief executive after Tung Chee-hwa. ] His deputy, former chief secretary Rafael Hui, was jailed for accepting bribes from a property mogul in 2014.