Protesters take pictures with their mobile phones as they block the main street to the financial Central district, outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong
Protesters take pictures with their mobile phones as they block the main street to the financial Central district, outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong September 29, 2014. Hong Kong democracy protesters defied volleys of tear gas and police baton charges to stand firm in the centre of the global financial hub on Monday, one of the biggest political challenges for China since the Tiananmen Square crackdown 25 years ago. The Communist government in Beijing made clear it would not tolerate dissent, and warned against any foreign interference as thousands of protesters massed for a fourth night in the free-wheeling, capitalist city of more than 7 million people. Reuters

Amidst the fury of street protests in Hong Kong, the city state's Democratic lawmakers are up in arms against Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying for what they call his "financial misdeeds." They allege that the leader "lacks political integrity" and did not stand up to the grave allegations of financial impropriety about receiving huge undeclared payments from an Australian company when he was working for a private firm.

Raising the demand, lawmaker Claudia Mo said in the Legislative Council on Wednesday that "Leung Chun-ying has no political integrity and he has not made it clear until now, why he did not make a declaration on the amount he received".

Enquiry by Select Committee

Mo's motion was backed by 20 other lawmakers, who all urged a select committee to investigate the matter. One more complaint against the chief executive by members of the city's Democracy Party is now pending with the City's corruption bureau, reports AFP.

Mo alleged that obviously there is "something fishy that he can't disclose. Are there details that he does not dare to talk about? It is not clear to Hong Kong people what he has been doing." But Mr Leung's office reportedly whitewashed the allegations around the deal and raised by Australian media as "a confidential commercial arrangement and standard business practice" not meriting a declaration. Still, the allegations have clouded his integrity.This is one more embarrassment to the embattled chief executive whose approval ratings are down to an all-time low as demonstrators are still restive and occupying many parts of the city.

Financial Impropriety

The Time magazine had reported about the allegations against the Hong Kong leader which appeared in The Age newspaper in Australia, wherein he has been accused of having pocketed "millions in secret fees from a listed Australian company in lieu of supporting its Asian business ambitions." Leung reportedly received more than $6 million on a deal struck between property-services firm DTZ and the Australian company UGL.

That time Mr. Leung was the Asia-Pacific director of DTZ. A few days before leaving DTZ, Mr. Leung signed a contract that was supposed to earn him millions for refraining from competing with UGL or DTZ and to desist from poaching on their staff. Also he was to act as an "adviser" to UGL from time to time. Leung resigned from DTZ on Nov 24, 2011, hardly three days before he announced his candidature for the office of chief executive. On Dec. 5, UGL acquired DTZ.