Regarding a press report saying that the ICAC had not included food items in the list of gifts presented by former ICAC Commissioner Timothy Tong Hin-ming during his tenure which had been submitted to the Legislative Council (Legco), the Commission admitted that it had not given thorough consideration in categorising the items due to time constraint. The ICAC stressed that the Commission had absolutely no intention to conceal any information, and apologised for any misunderstanding caused by the misjudgment.

Given the volume of accounting records, the Commission needs more time to conduct a thorough search and ascertain if there are any other relevant records to be retrieved. The ICAC would provide Legco and the media as soon as possible should there be any more relevant information.

In addition, when asked by the press yesterday if he had dined with officials of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong (Liaison Office), ICAC Commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu had replied in the negative, meaning that he had not hosted any meals for the Liaison Office with public funds. The ICAC added that Mr Peh and five directorate officers of the ICAC had been invited to a dinner hosted by the Liaison Office in November last year. Meanwhile, the ICAC’s Centre of Anti-Corruption Studies had organised a seminar on “The Development and Management of Anti-Corruption Systems in Hong Kong and Mainland China” in February this year. A number of guests attending the seminar, including an official of the Supervision Office under the Liaison Office, were invited to a welcome dinner hosted by the ICAC.