Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that he believes the University of Hong Kong is able to deal fairly with any complaints under the existing mechanism.

His comments came as a controversy came to light involving the university's council and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang.

The council had planned to hold a special meeting to handle a number of complaints against Zhang, but he sent a letter to the council through his lawyer asking for the meeting to be postponed, saying he needed more time to prepare a response to the allegations.

In a statement, Zhang said some people were spreading rumours by leaking the council's internal information and correspondence.

He said they had targeted the university and himself by taking things out of context and deliberately distorting the facts.

He added that he had sought professional legal advice on the matter as he believed the allegations could amount to serious defamation.

In response, the CE said he believes the university understands that it has to meet public expectations in dealing with any matter.

"The management of the affairs of the University of Hong Kong is an internal matter for the university council and the vice-chancellor to do what they are required to do under the system," he said.

"They have clear responsibilities under the current guidelines, so it's a matter for the council and the vice-chancellor to deal with. The important thing is that things are done in accordance with the established procedures and that any matter is dealt with in a fair and impartial manner."