I hope that he is just publicly saying that he is not practising but is privately continuing the practice.
Huh? I'm puzzled. It seems that you are hoping that he is lying, that he is a liar? If you do not hope that a Buddhist Teacher lies, or that Buddhist Teachers lie, then what are you saying here?
On the contrary, my dear Zhalmed Pawo, I am hoping that he is keeping his samaya with his Gurus.
Just because someone says he is not practising doesn't mean he is not. And i personally believe that it's not because they are lying. One of the best examples i think of is HH Gaden Trisur, who said he did not practise and encouraged people not to practise while he was in office and then only declared after. I heard - not confirmed, but someone told me - that he was advised by DS through oracle that he should remain quiet about his practice until after he finished his term. This makes sense to me, whether it is true or not. Anyway, how can any of us make a judgment on HH Gaden Trisur whether he was lying when he said he did not practise??
So I am not saying HE Choden Rinpoche is lying, definitely not. How dare I call any Sangha member a liar when i am a mere amoeba in Dharma.