A minister has rejected suggestions the appointment of a former transport official as head of Hong Kong’s aviation academy represents a conflict of interest, insisting the government is sticking to rules restricting senior civil servants from taking up private sector posts following their departure.

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said his department’s decision to allow Simon Li Tin-chui, former director general of civil aviation, to assume the company position was made on the grounds that the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy was performing a valuable public service role and was technically a statutory body.

“There are absolutely no so-called conflicts of interest or deferred benefits. These allegations are completely unfounded,” Nip told journalists on Monday as he responded to media reports.

Simon Li took the helm of the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy in June this year.

Li left the director general post on April 9 last year, serving during his time in the role as an ex officio member of the Airport Authority’s board of directors.

On June 15 this year, he joined the aviation academy as CEO – 14 months into a typically three-year period limiting the ability of a senior ex-employee to take up posts in the private sector, commonly known as “being rinsed in cold water” or “garden leave”.

The government rules prohibit senior civil servants from taking up commercial work within a year of leaving office.

The following two years are referred to as the control period, during which any appointment must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Civil Service Bureau. Officials must take issues such as conflict of interest and public perception into account when making a decision.

Li was involved in discussions on establishing the academy when he was serving the government but was not part of talks on matters such as the CEO’s salary, Nip said.

The civil service chief added the work of the academy involved a “strong element of public service” given the city leader’s 2016 policy address set out to establish Hong Kong as an international aviation hub.

“The nature of the international aviation academy’s work means it is not like leaving the government to work in a private company,” Nip said.

“In managing and considering this case, the most important thing we saw is that we need talent in this area, and the nature of the academy is to train aviation management talent, so this is in the spirit of public interest.”

The Airport Authority established the civil aviation academy, the city’s first, in 2016 to train aspiring industry professionals.

In December 2019, the academy became a member company of Hong Kong International Airport Subsidiary Holdings.

Since the Airport Authority is a statutory body, the academy has the same status by extension, according to Nip.

Civil service chief Patrick Nip.

Nip said Li passed a 12-month period barring him from employment but was granted permission to work during his two-year control period in light of the academy’s “public interest nature”.

“When [Li] discussed the establishment of the international aviation academy ... he did so as a member of the government. But I also know that when discussing the aviation academy recruitment or the salary of the relevant position, [he] did not participate in the discussion,” he said.

Li’s case is the second time in the past month that Nip has responded to suggestions of a potential conflict of interest.

In July, Nip said he would comply with rules on declaring interests following media reports that his barrister son would represent a man charged with attempted rape.

The accused was present at a hotpot dinner attended by three senior security officials that led to the trio being fined and sparked a row over Covid-19 rules when the event came to light.

Nip did not confirm whether his son was hired by the accused, a mainland Chinese businessman, but stated he would “continue to make the necessary declarations” to avoid the perception of any conflict of interest.