Over HK$9 million Hong Kong taxpayer money spent on rent, salaries for ex-leader Carrie Lam’s office last year

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP— Hong Kong’s government has revealed that it spent HK$9.17 million on rent, salaries and other expenses to fund former leader Carrie Lam’s office last year, a figure 32 per cent higher than the previous year. Authorities set up an office for Lam after she finished her term as chief executive in 2022, as is standard […]

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP—HK$3.75m in monthly expenses for Covid isolation facilities ‘not waste of taxpayer money,’ Hong Kong gov’t says. The Hong Kong government has defended its monthly spending of HK$3.75 million to maintain defunct Covid-19 isolation centres after one legislator described the bill as “shocking.” Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn addressed lawmakers in the Legislative Council on Wednesday as meetings to discuss the financial year’s budget continued. As part of initial questions asked by lawmakers […]

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP—Hong Kong gov’t defends ‘mega events’ funding as HK$192 million approved since scheme’s 2023 launch. Hong Kong’s government says it approved spending of over HK$192 million since 2023 on “mega events” designed to attract tourists, and had put rules in place to guard against potential conflicts of interest. In a written response to lawmakers on Wednesday, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said the committee overseeing the “Mega Arts and […]

Fortune—Chris Pratt’s decision to demo a historic home he bought for $12.5 million last year has ignited public outrage: He has ‘more money than taste’. The well-preserved mid-century home was one of Ellwood’s few remaining designs.