HONG KONG (Feb 22): Hong Kong’s former chief executive, Donald Tsang, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for misconduct in office, capping a stunning downfall for an official who helped steer the former British colony through its return to China.

High Court Justice Andrew Chan said while handing down the punishment that Tsang, 72, had breached the trust of Hong Kong’s people. On Friday, Tsang was convicted of misconduct for failing to disclose a conflict of interest that arose when he was negotiating rent with a landlord who was applying for a broadcasting license before the city.

The defense said that Tsang may appeal the guilty verdict delivered Friday by a nine-member jury. He’s the city’s first former leader convicted of a criminal charge.

Chan said the “chief executive must be a person of integrity,” adding that the people of Hong Kong and China placed their trust on Tsang. “The breach of trust is the criminality.”

While the jury acquitted Tsang of another count of misconduct in office, it failed to reach a verdict on a third charge that he accepted a bribe related to the HK$3.35 million refurbishment of an apartment he was renting from a businessman with matters pending before the government. The judge has granted a retrial.

Tsang, who served as chief executive from 2005 to 2012, joined the colonial government in 1967, rose to financial secretary under the last British governor and was knighted for his service. The devout Roman Catholic, known for his ever-present bow tie, won widespread praise for his stewardship of the economy during the Asian financial crisis, leading a US$15 billion defense of the Hong Kong dollar.

The conviction comes amid a campaign to choose a chief executive for the next five years. While Hong Kong routinely ranks among the world’s most corruption-free places in surveys, residents have long criticized the government for prioritising business interests and exacerbating the city’s severe wealth gap.

The case is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region v Tsang Yam-kuen Donald, HCCC484/2015, Hong Kong High Court.