A senior Hong Kong government officer who oversaw faulty lift installation work that stalled the launch of a new block at Queen Mary Hospital was asked to resign and left her post last month to take responsibility for the defects, the South China Morning Post has learned.
But the Architectural Services Department (ASD) denied any “forced resignation” was involved in a reply to the SCMP on Saturday night.
The officer tendered her resignation for personal reasons and gave three months’ notice, leaving the civil service in the middle of last month, it added. Complaints about the malfunctioning lifts extend back to last year, soon after the block opened.
Experts have criticised the authorities’ handling of civil service management missteps, which bypassed the established disciplinary mechanism, saying it lacked transparency.
Multiple sources said that Tuesday Li Pak-yee, a chief project manager at the ASD who oversaw the multibillion-dollar development at the hospital in Pok Fu Lam, left her directorate pay-level post in August.
The SCMP has reached out to Li for comment.
