ICAC chief shares HK's anti-corruption experience in Australia
2007-10-25
Good laws, the political will plus effective enforcement, and the community's support based on an anti-corruption culture are the three major ingredients for building integrity in the public sector in Hong Kong.
The Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Mr Timothy Tong Hin-ming, made these remarks at the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2007 in Sydney today (Thursday).
The conference is organised by the three leading anti-graft agencies in Australia –'96 the Independent Commission Against Corruption in New South Wales, the Crime and Misconduct Commission in Queensland, and the Corruption and Crime Commission in Western Australia.
Addressing a plenary session of the conference this morning, Mr Tong stressed that determined law enforcement was the first and most important step in building public sector integrity.
In Hong Kong, the once rampant corruption problem in the public sector had been brought under control following strong enforcement actions, including arrests and convictions.
Graft reports against the public sector dropped from 87 per cent of all corruption reports in 1974 to less than 40 per cent in recent years. The number of public officers charged also came down from over half in the early years to about 10 per cent curre ntly.
Despite these positive results, Mr Tong pointed out that corruption in the public sector nowadays was far less blatant than before and took a more subtle form of "misconduct in public office."
Since 1998, 38 public officers had been prosecuted with misconduct in public office offences, resulting in 18 convictions.
Mr Tong also highlighted the importance of preventive efforts in minimising corruption opportunities in the public sector.
In Hong Kong, the ICAC's Corruption Prevention Department adopts a "partnership approach" to help government departments and public bodies set up mechanisms to regularly review various functions and other operational procedures.
The Department has made their recommendations based on three primary principles: procedural simplicity; operational transparency; and accountability in the systems, Mr Tong said.
On the other hand, government departments are also encouraged to set up integrity steering committees to oversee staff integrity issues. These committees have worked very well especially in the disciplined services departments, including the Police and C ustoms, in promoting a healthy life-style and helping their staff handle financial matters.
The ICAC also provides consultative services to the government for the formulation of new legislation, policies and procedures to ensure corruption prevention safeguards are built in at the early stage.
Mr Tong also elaborated on the Community Relations Department's efforts to help enhance integrity in the public sector.
The Department has helped government departments develop codes of conduct, conducted experience-sharing sessions with real case studies on corruption pitfalls, and introduced a programme for each government department to assign a senior officer to plan an d implement anti-corruption strategies.
Looking ahead, Mr Tong said the Commission saw the need to expend greater efforts to combat private sector corruption to maintain a level-playing field for business.
"As Hong Kong has evolved from a manufacturing base to a world leading financial centre, we must safeguard the integrity of our securities and futures market," Mr Tong stressed.
After attending this conference, Mr Tong will pay a visit to the Australian Federal Police tomorrow (Friday) and meet with its senior officials.
In the evening, he will attend the Hong Kong-Australia Business Association's New South Wales Business Awards 2007 Gala Dinner and speak on Hong Kong's efforts and achievements in upholding a fair and clean business environment.
Mr Tong will return to Hong Kong on Saturday (October 27).
The Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Mr Timothy Tong Hin-ming, made these remarks at the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2007 in Sydney today (Thursday).
The conference is organised by the three leading anti-graft agencies in Australia –'96 the Independent Commission Against Corruption in New South Wales, the Crime and Misconduct Commission in Queensland, and the Corruption and Crime Commission in Western Australia.
Addressing a plenary session of the conference this morning, Mr Tong stressed that determined law enforcement was the first and most important step in building public sector integrity.
In Hong Kong, the once rampant corruption problem in the public sector had been brought under control following strong enforcement actions, including arrests and convictions.
Graft reports against the public sector dropped from 87 per cent of all corruption reports in 1974 to less than 40 per cent in recent years. The number of public officers charged also came down from over half in the early years to about 10 per cent curre ntly.
Despite these positive results, Mr Tong pointed out that corruption in the public sector nowadays was far less blatant than before and took a more subtle form of "misconduct in public office."
Since 1998, 38 public officers had been prosecuted with misconduct in public office offences, resulting in 18 convictions.
Mr Tong also highlighted the importance of preventive efforts in minimising corruption opportunities in the public sector.
In Hong Kong, the ICAC's Corruption Prevention Department adopts a "partnership approach" to help government departments and public bodies set up mechanisms to regularly review various functions and other operational procedures.
The Department has made their recommendations based on three primary principles: procedural simplicity; operational transparency; and accountability in the systems, Mr Tong said.
On the other hand, government departments are also encouraged to set up integrity steering committees to oversee staff integrity issues. These committees have worked very well especially in the disciplined services departments, including the Police and C ustoms, in promoting a healthy life-style and helping their staff handle financial matters.
The ICAC also provides consultative services to the government for the formulation of new legislation, policies and procedures to ensure corruption prevention safeguards are built in at the early stage.
Mr Tong also elaborated on the Community Relations Department's efforts to help enhance integrity in the public sector.
The Department has helped government departments develop codes of conduct, conducted experience-sharing sessions with real case studies on corruption pitfalls, and introduced a programme for each government department to assign a senior officer to plan an d implement anti-corruption strategies.
Looking ahead, Mr Tong said the Commission saw the need to expend greater efforts to combat private sector corruption to maintain a level-playing field for business.
"As Hong Kong has evolved from a manufacturing base to a world leading financial centre, we must safeguard the integrity of our securities and futures market," Mr Tong stressed.
After attending this conference, Mr Tong will pay a visit to the Australian Federal Police tomorrow (Friday) and meet with its senior officials.
In the evening, he will attend the Hong Kong-Australia Business Association's New South Wales Business Awards 2007 Gala Dinner and speak on Hong Kong's efforts and achievements in upholding a fair and clean business environment.
Mr Tong will return to Hong Kong on Saturday (October 27).