ICAC arrests 10 for alleged construction site bribes
The ICAC operation led to 10 arrests. Photo: RTHK
The ICAC on Wednesday said it has arrested 10 people for allegedly offering or accepting bribes in exchange for lax inspections of steel reinforcement work at a Cheung Kong construction site on Anderson Road in Kwun Tong.
Those arrested in the ICAC operation, dubbed War Drum, include staff members of the main contractor and subcontractors of the project, as well as on-site inspectors hired by a consultancy firm.
The suspects are aged between 29 and 52.
Principal investigator Matthew Chang said the site inspectors were allegedly offered various kinds of advantages.
"The [alleged] bribes included some money and also some lavish meals and also some gift coupons and also nightclub entertainment. We found that for the nightclub entertainment, each time they would spend about HK$20,000 or HK$30,000," he said.
"For having accepted this bribe, the inspection staff member [allegedly] conducted lax work supervision."
Chang said the ICAC had also looked into five other projects under the same main contractor and found no problems.
The Buildings Department had ordered that work be suspended at the site last year. All six blocks of the project there were found to have steel bars that failed to meet standards.
The department said it does not rule out the possibility of ordering the removal of certain structures to comply with building requirements.
It added that it is consulting the Department of Justice about possible future prosecutions.
In a statement responding to the ICAC operation, Cheung Kong said it has been supporting the anti-graft agency in protecting Hong Kong's corruption-free image.
The developer added that it has finished an initial review of the project and will discuss the way forward with the Buildings Department.
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