London - A British inquiry into allegations that the former governor of Hong Kong, Mr Chris Patten, leaked official secrets to a journalist is to recommend that no action be taken against him, a press report said yesterday. Senior government sources told the London Times that Mr Patten would not face prosecution over the claims that Mr Patten handed secret information to journalist Jonathan Dimbleby. Mr Dimbleby's authorised biography of Mr Patten, The Last Governor, was published last month.
In his book, Mr Dimbleby says the governor spoke of a gentleman's agreement between London and Beijing to renege on assurances that Hong Kong's parliament, the Legislative Council, would be directly elected from 1988. - (AFP)
