ICAC steps up clean building management campaign
2005-3-27
The ICAC will step up its efforts to promote clean building management through seminars, talks and visits for Owners Corporations (OCs) and property management companies to enhance their understanding of the anti-corruption laws and help them adopt corrup tion preventive measures.
Earlier this month, the ICAC Commissioner, Raymond Wong Hung-chiu, has met a group of representatives from OCs in Tai Po District to learn first hand their issues of concern in building management and brief them the Commission's anti-corruption efforts in related areas.
In recent years, the ICAC has set up a Building Management Task Force comprising experienced officers from its three departments to tackle the issue in a more comprehensive manner, in view of the relatively large number of complaints arising from building management.
"Partly due to the aging of multi-storey buildings in Hong Kong and inadequate understanding of the relevant laws, this sector has been taking up about 40 per cent of all private sector reports," said Acting Head of the task force, Corinna Wong Kit-mui.
Last year, of the 2,176 corruption complaints related to the private sector, 902 concerned building management. "Though it represented a drop of three per cent over 2003, the large amount of complaints called for our continuous efforts in this area," add ed Ms Wong.
Most of these complaints related to the awarding of building contracts, security staff accepting advantages to allow unauthorised use of common areas, and false accounting involving OCs.
"Though the majority were of a relatively minor nature and have been dealt with expeditiously by the Quick Response Team of the ICAC's Operations Department, a few cases involving large sums of money have surfaced in the past years."
For example, a former chairman of an OC and a director of an engineering consultant were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment for bribery in mid-2003 for their involvement in a $40 million bribery scam over the awarding of fire prevention installatio n and renovation contracts.
To help OCs and property management companies better manage corruption risks, corruption prevention guidebooks on financial management and building contract management have been produced in recent years.
A new guidebook focussing on management of common areas and staff management for OCs is being prepared for publication in the second half of this year.
Earlier this month, the ICAC Commissioner, Raymond Wong Hung-chiu, has met a group of representatives from OCs in Tai Po District to learn first hand their issues of concern in building management and brief them the Commission's anti-corruption efforts in related areas.
In recent years, the ICAC has set up a Building Management Task Force comprising experienced officers from its three departments to tackle the issue in a more comprehensive manner, in view of the relatively large number of complaints arising from building management.
"Partly due to the aging of multi-storey buildings in Hong Kong and inadequate understanding of the relevant laws, this sector has been taking up about 40 per cent of all private sector reports," said Acting Head of the task force, Corinna Wong Kit-mui.
Last year, of the 2,176 corruption complaints related to the private sector, 902 concerned building management. "Though it represented a drop of three per cent over 2003, the large amount of complaints called for our continuous efforts in this area," add ed Ms Wong.
Most of these complaints related to the awarding of building contracts, security staff accepting advantages to allow unauthorised use of common areas, and false accounting involving OCs.
"Though the majority were of a relatively minor nature and have been dealt with expeditiously by the Quick Response Team of the ICAC's Operations Department, a few cases involving large sums of money have surfaced in the past years."
For example, a former chairman of an OC and a director of an engineering consultant were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment for bribery in mid-2003 for their involvement in a $40 million bribery scam over the awarding of fire prevention installatio n and renovation contracts.
To help OCs and property management companies better manage corruption risks, corruption prevention guidebooks on financial management and building contract management have been produced in recent years.
A new guidebook focussing on management of common areas and staff management for OCs is being prepared for publication in the second half of this year.