Rafael Hui's wife 'discussed layout of flats with SHKP', court told

The wife of Rafael Hui Si-yan discussed with a Sun Hung Kai Properties representative in 2001 how to fit out two luxury Happy Valley flats developed by the property giant, the High Court heard yesterday.

That discussion took place during Hui's tenure as managing director of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority from June 2000 to August 2003.

From February 2003, Hui lived with his wife at The Leighton Hill without paying rent, the corruption trial involving the former chief secretary, 66, and two SHKP co-chairmen heard earlier.

"[Mrs Hui] did not have much to request about the fitting-out work or the standard of the flats," prosecution witness Stella Woo Yan-fan, an SHKP project manager, told the court. "She is kind of a practical person. She did not want something built and then subsequently it had to be removed … because it would be a waste of money."

Hui's wife also appointed a contractor around March 2001 to handle the interior design of the flats. The work was completed in May 2003, the court heard.

Hui, who faces eight charges related to bribery and misconduct in public office, became a consultant to SHKP in March 2004, after he quit public office.