Six held over alleged use of non-compliant materials at HOS project
2000-5-27
The ICAC has arrested six employees of the main contractor for a Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) construction project in Tung Chung in a corruption investigation connected with the use of non-compliant steel bars for the construction of superstructures.
Four men and two women were arrested in an operation which commenced on Tuesday. Four Housing Department (HD) site supervisory staff members were also interviewed.
The six arrestees were a contract director, a construction manager, a quality control engineer, a site agent, an assistant general foreman and a senior purchasing officer of the project's main contractor.
The $761 million project at Tung Chung Area 30 Phase 3 comprises four HOS blocks.
The investigation originated from a corruption complaint, alleging that some HD site staff might have accepted advantages from the main contractor and its subcontractors for allowing the use of non-compliant building materials.
ICAC enquiries revealed that between January and May last year, five batches of reinforcement steel bars, weighing about 210 tons, had failed laboratory tests on yield stress or mass density.
Instead of returning the steel bars to suppliers, the arrestees had allegedly conspired together to apply the failed steel bars to the superstructures of the four public housing blocks.
The construction manager allegedly conspired with the quality control engineer, the site agent and the senior purchasing officer to falsify dockets for submission to the HD with the consent of the contract director, purporting to show that the steel bars had been returned.
All steel bars which failed the laboratory tests would be required to be sprayed red at their two ends.
The quality control engineer was alleged to have directed his subordinates at the construction site to change the colour to green to purportedly show that they had passed the tests.
The assistant general foreman was said to have applied them to the construction of the housing blocks, despite that he was aware the steel bars were non-compliant.
The HD has rendered full assistance and co-operation to the ICAC during its investigation.
All the six arrestees, aged between 27 and 45, have been released on ICAC bail. Enquiries are continuing.
Four men and two women were arrested in an operation which commenced on Tuesday. Four Housing Department (HD) site supervisory staff members were also interviewed.
The six arrestees were a contract director, a construction manager, a quality control engineer, a site agent, an assistant general foreman and a senior purchasing officer of the project's main contractor.
The $761 million project at Tung Chung Area 30 Phase 3 comprises four HOS blocks.
The investigation originated from a corruption complaint, alleging that some HD site staff might have accepted advantages from the main contractor and its subcontractors for allowing the use of non-compliant building materials.
ICAC enquiries revealed that between January and May last year, five batches of reinforcement steel bars, weighing about 210 tons, had failed laboratory tests on yield stress or mass density.
Instead of returning the steel bars to suppliers, the arrestees had allegedly conspired together to apply the failed steel bars to the superstructures of the four public housing blocks.
The construction manager allegedly conspired with the quality control engineer, the site agent and the senior purchasing officer to falsify dockets for submission to the HD with the consent of the contract director, purporting to show that the steel bars had been returned.
All steel bars which failed the laboratory tests would be required to be sprayed red at their two ends.
The quality control engineer was alleged to have directed his subordinates at the construction site to change the colour to green to purportedly show that they had passed the tests.
The assistant general foreman was said to have applied them to the construction of the housing blocks, despite that he was aware the steel bars were non-compliant.
The HD has rendered full assistance and co-operation to the ICAC during its investigation.
All the six arrestees, aged between 27 and 45, have been released on ICAC bail. Enquiries are continuing.