ICAC’s advisory committees affirm the Commission’s anti-graft work
2022-7-6
The four independent advisory committees, responsible for overseeing different aspects of the work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), affirmed the Commission’s work in the previous year in relation to law enforcement, corruption prevention, education and international cooperation. They also commended ICAC officers for their dedication to the anti-corruption cause and upholding Hong Kong’s clean and competitive economy.
The four advisory committees, namely Advisory Committee on Corruption (ACOC), Operations Review Committee (ORC), Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC) and Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR), today (July 6) reported their work last year to the Chief Executive in their 2021 Annual Reports.
“Despite the tremendous impact arising from the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, ICAC remained relentless and committed to achieving its anti-corruption mission through law enforcement, corruption prevention and community education. Facing the great challenges together with ICAC, ACOC spared no efforts to ensure the Commission’s effective tight rein on corruption as ever,” ACOC Chairman Mr Martin Liao Cheung-kong said in the report.
Mr Liao also noted that the ACOC supported the ICAC’s adoption of a holistic approach integrating robust law enforcement, meticulous prevention and comprehensive public education to ensure that the Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections and the 2021 Legislative Council General Election were held in a fair and corruption-free manner. The all-out effort made by ICAC officers in the two public elections was manifestation of their unwavering commitment and utmost professionalism, said Mr Liao, adding that the ACOC also appreciated the Commission’s efforts in consolidating integrity education in the community through various publicity and engagement activities.
On the law enforcement front, Mr Benjamin Tang Kwok-bun, former Chairman of ORC which oversaw Operations Department’s investigative work, said in the annual report that the Committee received reports on 41 completed major investigations during the year, and considered and advised on 2,027 completed minor investigations and 507 non-pursuable complaints of corruption.
Mr Tang said in 2021, the ICAC received 2,264 non-election related corruption complaints, representing an increase of 18 per cent when compared with the number of 1,924 complaints in 2020. There was also a corresponding rise of 19% in pursuable complaints, from 1,457 to 1,738. The Committee noted that the increase was attributed to the rise in the number of complaints concerning the private sector following the gradually reviving economic activities amid the pandemic. The Committee also noticed that public support towards ICAC’s anti-corruption work remained strong with 70% of the complainants identifying themselves when reporting corruption.
Mr Tang noted the Committee was pleased to learn that ICAC officers had remained steadfast to their job and discharged their duties with strong commitment and dedication during these trying times under the global outbreak of the pandemic. “Graft fighting is never an easy task. The Committee is confident that ICAC will remain resolute even in face of the tough challenge and will continue to pursue the anti-graft mission in accordance with the law without fear or favour,” he concluded.
On the preventive front, CPAC Chairman Mr Adrian Wong Koon-man said the Committee considered 69 assignment reports presented by the Corruption Prevention Department (CPD) in last year mostly concerning the work of government bureaux/departments and public bodies, while the CPD had also provided advice to them on 462 occasions (excluding corruption prevention seminars). In addition, corruption prevention advice was offered to private organisations on 1,205 occasions (excluding corruption prevention seminars) upon request. The department also handled 787 public enquiries through its hotline service. During the year, the CPD conducted 234 corruption prevention seminars, reaching an audience totalling over 11,460 persons.
Mr Wong said the Committee supported CPD’s corruption prevention strategy to assist public and private sectors in enhancing and strengthening their corruption prevention capabilities. “CPAC affirms the work performed by CPD past year, in particular its professional and conscientious efforts in upholding clean elections under the electoral system,” he noted.
On the education front, Professor Tong Wai-cheung, former Chairman of CACCR which monitored and advised on the work of Community Relations Department (CRD), said during the year, the Committee discussed and advised on measures to consolidate a probity culture through face-to-face contacts with different segments of the community and effective use of the mass and new media. The Committee also endorsed CRD’s community engagement strategy to put across anti-corruption messages amongst different sectors of the community and garner their support.
Professor Tong acknowledged remarkable achievements of the CRD in 2021, including an “all-embracing” education and publicity strategy to promote clean elections, the Integrity Promotion Campaign for Public Bodies, i Junior Programme for Primary School and iPlus Training Camp, all of which had brought the anti-corruption and integrity promotion work to a new height. In addition, the latest ICAC Annual Survey showed that the public firmly supported the anti-corruption cause and believed that keeping Hong Kong corruption-free was important to the overall development of the city. “These findings affirmed the persistent efforts of the ICAC in eradicating corruption and spreading the anti-graft message to every corner of the society,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Liao, also a Legislative Council (LegCo) member, tabled the 2021 ICAC Annual Report at the LegCo today. “The ICAC would remain steadfast in upholding and passing on the probity culture in Hong Kong through its effective three-pronged anti-graft strategy, and at the same time embark on a new frontier in the global graft-fighting arena with a leading role to play in the anti-corruption cause thereby sustaining Hong Kong’s international anti-corruption status,” Mr Liao said.
In the Commissioner’s Review of the annual report, outgoing ICAC Commissioner Mr Simon Peh Yun-lu said with the implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and improvements made to the electoral system in 2021, Hong Kong was back to the right track of “one country, two systems”. “A stable social environment and a strong rule of law are essential complements to the effective combat of corruption,” he added.
Mr Peh said following the implementation of the improved electoral system, the Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections and the 2021 Legislative Council General Election were smoothly conducted in September and December last year. On the law enforcement front, apart from robust investigations against election-related offences, the ICAC also adopted a preventive and intervention approach to deter any corrupt and illegal conduct that might manipulate or undermine public elections.
On the polling day of the LegCo Election, about 900 ICAC staff were mobilised for execution of duties at around 600 polling stations. For prevention, the ICAC conducted a review and made a number of recommendations on the polling and vote counting processes of the two elections. For education, election briefings were arranged for political parties, organisations and think tanks to explain the major provisions of the electoral law. An array of education and publicity initiatives were also rolled out to remind the public to abide by the law.
Mr Peh also noted that during the year, the ICAC made use of online platforms to exchange experience with overseas anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) and provided a total of 10 capacity building training programmes to its counterparts with positive feedbacks. In addition, online meetings with senior executives of 19 ACAs were organised to strengthen mutual liaison and experience sharing.
Mr Peh recounted that he and ICAC colleagues sailed through different challenges in the past ten years. “Under the present complex macro environment in which international relations and geopolitical situations, new technological and digital information development as well as economic order are all evolving at an unprecedented speed, the ICAC has to keep abreast of the times and strive for continuous improvement...No matter what the external environment might bring, the ICAC, armed with a solid foundation as well as support from the HKSAR Government and the public, will rise to every challenge with strong resilience,” he concluded.
The four advisory committees, namely Advisory Committee on Corruption (ACOC), Operations Review Committee (ORC), Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC) and Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR), today (July 6) reported their work last year to the Chief Executive in their 2021 Annual Reports.
“Despite the tremendous impact arising from the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, ICAC remained relentless and committed to achieving its anti-corruption mission through law enforcement, corruption prevention and community education. Facing the great challenges together with ICAC, ACOC spared no efforts to ensure the Commission’s effective tight rein on corruption as ever,” ACOC Chairman Mr Martin Liao Cheung-kong said in the report.
Mr Liao also noted that the ACOC supported the ICAC’s adoption of a holistic approach integrating robust law enforcement, meticulous prevention and comprehensive public education to ensure that the Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections and the 2021 Legislative Council General Election were held in a fair and corruption-free manner. The all-out effort made by ICAC officers in the two public elections was manifestation of their unwavering commitment and utmost professionalism, said Mr Liao, adding that the ACOC also appreciated the Commission’s efforts in consolidating integrity education in the community through various publicity and engagement activities.
On the law enforcement front, Mr Benjamin Tang Kwok-bun, former Chairman of ORC which oversaw Operations Department’s investigative work, said in the annual report that the Committee received reports on 41 completed major investigations during the year, and considered and advised on 2,027 completed minor investigations and 507 non-pursuable complaints of corruption.
Mr Tang said in 2021, the ICAC received 2,264 non-election related corruption complaints, representing an increase of 18 per cent when compared with the number of 1,924 complaints in 2020. There was also a corresponding rise of 19% in pursuable complaints, from 1,457 to 1,738. The Committee noted that the increase was attributed to the rise in the number of complaints concerning the private sector following the gradually reviving economic activities amid the pandemic. The Committee also noticed that public support towards ICAC’s anti-corruption work remained strong with 70% of the complainants identifying themselves when reporting corruption.
Mr Tang noted the Committee was pleased to learn that ICAC officers had remained steadfast to their job and discharged their duties with strong commitment and dedication during these trying times under the global outbreak of the pandemic. “Graft fighting is never an easy task. The Committee is confident that ICAC will remain resolute even in face of the tough challenge and will continue to pursue the anti-graft mission in accordance with the law without fear or favour,” he concluded.
On the preventive front, CPAC Chairman Mr Adrian Wong Koon-man said the Committee considered 69 assignment reports presented by the Corruption Prevention Department (CPD) in last year mostly concerning the work of government bureaux/departments and public bodies, while the CPD had also provided advice to them on 462 occasions (excluding corruption prevention seminars). In addition, corruption prevention advice was offered to private organisations on 1,205 occasions (excluding corruption prevention seminars) upon request. The department also handled 787 public enquiries through its hotline service. During the year, the CPD conducted 234 corruption prevention seminars, reaching an audience totalling over 11,460 persons.
Mr Wong said the Committee supported CPD’s corruption prevention strategy to assist public and private sectors in enhancing and strengthening their corruption prevention capabilities. “CPAC affirms the work performed by CPD past year, in particular its professional and conscientious efforts in upholding clean elections under the electoral system,” he noted.
On the education front, Professor Tong Wai-cheung, former Chairman of CACCR which monitored and advised on the work of Community Relations Department (CRD), said during the year, the Committee discussed and advised on measures to consolidate a probity culture through face-to-face contacts with different segments of the community and effective use of the mass and new media. The Committee also endorsed CRD’s community engagement strategy to put across anti-corruption messages amongst different sectors of the community and garner their support.
Professor Tong acknowledged remarkable achievements of the CRD in 2021, including an “all-embracing” education and publicity strategy to promote clean elections, the Integrity Promotion Campaign for Public Bodies, i Junior Programme for Primary School and iPlus Training Camp, all of which had brought the anti-corruption and integrity promotion work to a new height. In addition, the latest ICAC Annual Survey showed that the public firmly supported the anti-corruption cause and believed that keeping Hong Kong corruption-free was important to the overall development of the city. “These findings affirmed the persistent efforts of the ICAC in eradicating corruption and spreading the anti-graft message to every corner of the society,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Liao, also a Legislative Council (LegCo) member, tabled the 2021 ICAC Annual Report at the LegCo today. “The ICAC would remain steadfast in upholding and passing on the probity culture in Hong Kong through its effective three-pronged anti-graft strategy, and at the same time embark on a new frontier in the global graft-fighting arena with a leading role to play in the anti-corruption cause thereby sustaining Hong Kong’s international anti-corruption status,” Mr Liao said.
In the Commissioner’s Review of the annual report, outgoing ICAC Commissioner Mr Simon Peh Yun-lu said with the implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and improvements made to the electoral system in 2021, Hong Kong was back to the right track of “one country, two systems”. “A stable social environment and a strong rule of law are essential complements to the effective combat of corruption,” he added.
Mr Peh said following the implementation of the improved electoral system, the Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections and the 2021 Legislative Council General Election were smoothly conducted in September and December last year. On the law enforcement front, apart from robust investigations against election-related offences, the ICAC also adopted a preventive and intervention approach to deter any corrupt and illegal conduct that might manipulate or undermine public elections.
On the polling day of the LegCo Election, about 900 ICAC staff were mobilised for execution of duties at around 600 polling stations. For prevention, the ICAC conducted a review and made a number of recommendations on the polling and vote counting processes of the two elections. For education, election briefings were arranged for political parties, organisations and think tanks to explain the major provisions of the electoral law. An array of education and publicity initiatives were also rolled out to remind the public to abide by the law.
Mr Peh also noted that during the year, the ICAC made use of online platforms to exchange experience with overseas anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) and provided a total of 10 capacity building training programmes to its counterparts with positive feedbacks. In addition, online meetings with senior executives of 19 ACAs were organised to strengthen mutual liaison and experience sharing.
Mr Peh recounted that he and ICAC colleagues sailed through different challenges in the past ten years. “Under the present complex macro environment in which international relations and geopolitical situations, new technological and digital information development as well as economic order are all evolving at an unprecedented speed, the ICAC has to keep abreast of the times and strive for continuous improvement...No matter what the external environment might bring, the ICAC, armed with a solid foundation as well as support from the HKSAR Government and the public, will rise to every challenge with strong resilience,” he concluded.