Section 30 of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap. 201) prohibits unauthorised disclosure of investigation details or the identity of a subject person. Any premature disclosure of information jeopardises the investigation and affects the reputation of the subject person.
For a corruption report received against a government officer, there is no legal obligation for the ICAC to inform his or her head of department. But if that government officer is arrested, the head of department will be notified.
Similarly, there is no legal obligation for the ICAC to inform the employer of a private company of any corruption investigation into his or her staff members. But the ICAC may at any stage of the investigation, if necessary, approach the employer for information, e.g. to ascertain whether the suspect has been given permission to accept advantages.