Civil servant sacked for flaunting Turbojet cabin

Tianjin Liaison Office director post listed as vacant on Hong Kong’s official directory

Ricky Cheng, director of the Hong Kong government’s Liaison Office in Tianjin, has been let go and will face a criminal probe after flaunting alleged free travel upgrades, including a private ferry cabin to Macau and a luxury hotel suite in Tianjin, on social media.

The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau investigated Cheng’s Threads posts following public outcry, the government said last week.

“It has been considered that the incident in which Mr. Cheng’s seat was upgraded on a vessel during his earlier trip to Macau is suspected of breaching the provisions under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance regarding civil servants accepting advantages without permission,” the bureau said.

As a contract employee, Cheng was relieved of his duties immediately, with the matter referred to law enforcement for possible violations of Hong Kong’s Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO).

The law makes it a criminal offense for civil servants to solicit or accept advantages without permission and carries severe penalties, including fines of up to HKD1 million and imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Hong Kong media reported Cheng’s May post thanking a Turbojet executive for a private cabin on his Hong Kong-Macau ferry trip. More recently, he described a complimentary Ritz-Carlton suite upgrade in Tianjin upon assuming his role, writing: “Settled in safely in the Tianjin Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and got a complimentary upgrade to a suite. Feeling quite pleased.”

The Threads posts, now deleted, prompted netizens to question improper advantages. A bureau spokesman said Cheng was hired under the government’s post-retirement service contract scheme this month.

Preliminary investigations found that Cheng covered the costs of his flight upgrade to Tianjin and his accommodation himself.

According to the Civil Service Code, “Civil servants should ensure that no actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest will arise between their official duties and private interests.”

A government source, cited by CNA, noted that while Cheng was employed under a post-retirement contract, he remained a civil servant during his May 16, 2025, Macau trip, per screenshots of his social media post.

Cheng worked as the Fujian Liaison Office director from 2022 to 2025 before his appointment as Tianjin liaison office director.

As of yesterday, the Tianjin Liaison Office position appeared “vacant” in the official directory.