Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang was jailed for 20 months today for misconduct in public office, making him the most senior city official to serve time behind bars in a ruling some said reaffirmed the financial hub's vaunted rule of law.  

The former Hong Kong chief executive driven out of court in a prison van after being sentenced to 20 months behind bars, making him the highest-ranking ex-official to be jailed in the city's history.

"Today is a very dark day. My family and I are very disappointed and sad at the court's decision today. Donald and I have been greatly troubled and felt immense pressure in the past five years," Tsang's wife, Selina said.

The court found Tsang guilty of misconduct in office between 2010 and 2012 for hiding negotiations with a property tycoon over a luxury penthouse in mainland China while Tsang's cabinet rubber stamped a broadcasting license to a company in which the same tycoon held a major stake.

His sentence was reduced by 10 months after the judge took into account Tsang's longstanding public service over forty years during which he was knighted by outgoing British colonial rulers in 1997.

A number of Hong Kong figures wrote letters vouching for Tsang's good character pleading for a lower sentence for the former leader.

Though his legal battles aren't over yet. Tsang is set to face a retrial for another bribery charge later in the year.

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