The primary victim of corruption is the society itself. Graft affects us all by undermining the rule of law, erroding fairness, violating human rights, facilitating organised crime and detering foreign investment.
Hong Kong owes much of its success and stability to its disdain for corruption. The level playing field we as a society enjoy has no place for graft, and the best weapon against corruption is prevention.
The first step for prevention is to identify corruption-prone areas. The past ICAC cases reveal that the following areas are vulnerable to corruption that, left unchecked, can have dire consequences.
| Corruption-prone Areas |
| Conflict of Interest |
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A conflict of interest arises when an employee's personal interest is in conflict with his official position, leading him to discharge his duties counter to the best interest of his employer. Examples
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| Misuse of Information of Value |
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Some easily accessible information may appear to have little interest to the public but is of value to the culprits. An employee may be bribed for misusing such information for personal gain. Examples
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| Sweetening Process |
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Corruption does not usually start with a direct bribe at the outset, but often with offers of free meals or small gifts. This sweetening process softens the receiver who feels obliged to reciprocate and then falls into the corruption trap without noticing it. Examples
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| Indebtedness |
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Employees easily succumb to corruption if they are facing financial problems. Examples
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