Timothy Tong was serving under Regina Ip when he was the Undersecretary for Security in the Security Bureau of Hong Kong, and together they helped advocating the passage of Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23.[2] Tong's role in lobbying public support on the bill led to criticism on his violation of political neutrality.[3] Protests against this bill resulted in a massive demonstration on 1 July 2003. In the aftermath, two Executive Committee members resigned and the bill was withdrawn after it became clear that it would not get the necessary support from the Legislative Council for it to be passed. The bill was then shelved indefinitely.
In 2013, Tong became the subject of a special inquiry launched by Hong Kong's Legislative Council after serious allegations surfaced regarding gifts and other expense claims he made during his ICAC tenure.[4]
^Cheung, Chor-yung (2009). "Public Service Neutrality in Hong Kong: Problems and Prospects". Australian Journal of Public Administration. 68 (1): 22. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8500.2009.00619.x. ISSN0313-6647.