ICAC remains resolute in the fight against corruption despite challenges
2014-1-27
Despite various challenges in the past year, the ICAC remained resolute in the fight against corruption to safeguard the core values of Hong Kong and uphold integrity within the civil service, said Advisory Committee on Corruption (ACOC) Chairman Mr Chow Chung-kong.
Speaking at a press conference today (Monday), Mr Chow said in 2013, the ICAC received 2,652 corruption complaints, representing a drop of 33% compared to 3,932 complaints received in 2012, with pursuable complaints dropping by 41 per cent.
Noting the 36 % decrease of complaints in the building management sector, Mr Chow said the sharp drop in corruption complaints might be due to various reasons, including the heightened public awareness of corruption prevention as a result of the Commissio n’s enhanced efforts in preventive education.
Joining Mr Chow at the annual press conference to review their work were chairpersons of three other advisory committees –'96 Operations Review Committee (ORC), Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR), and Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC).
CACCR Chairman Professor John Leong Chi-yan said to identify the reasons for the drop in corruption complaints, public views were gauged through the ICAC annual survey.
According to the preliminary findings of the latest ICAC annual survey, public tolerance of corruption remained low at a mean score of 0.8 (0 being total rejection and 10 being total tolerance of corruption), while most of the respondents (80.6%) were wil ling to report corruption. A large majority of the respondents (95.3%) considered the ICAC deserved their support.
Professor Leong said the ICAC’s Community Relations Department (CRD) would continue to step up its efforts through various channels to encourage the public to report corruption.
ORC Chairman Mr Michael Sze Cho-cheung said while there was a significant decrease of corruption complaints, the corruption scene remained stable with no evidence of worsening.
While the high-profile approach might compromise the ICAC’s investigations, Mr Sze encouraged members of the public to report any suspected corruption so long as the complaints were made in good faith.
On the challenges faced by the ICAC in 2013 as a result of the controversies surrounding the former Commissioner, Mr Chow said the ICAC accepted all the recommendations of the Audit Commission, the Independent Review Committee and the Legislative Council’s Public Accounts Committee.
Mr Chow said the ICAC had taken steps to implement improvement measures, including a comprehensive review of the Commission Standing Orders, the promulgation of new guidelines, and the formulation of a new audit unit answerable directly to the Commissione r.
In following up on the recommendations, Professor Leong said the CRD had started to approach the government bureaus and departments not reached in the past five years to review their preventive education needs.
The department would contact all the 17 degree-awarding tertiary education institutions and secondary schools to promote integrity for their students, Professor Leong added.
On the corruption prevention front, CPAC Chairman Mr Albert Au Siu-cheung noted that in 2013, the ICAC’s Corruption Prevention Department (CPD) continued to focus its efforts on areas of public concern or interest.
Examples cited by Mr Au included the toolkit updated to facilitate corruption prevention in managing building maintenance projects; the corruption prevention guide produced for Chinese medicine practitioners and Chinese medicine clinics; and the best prac tice checklist issued for food bank operators.
Mr Au added that this year, the CPD would continue to provide timely corruption prevention services, including assisting public bodies in reviewing their codes of conduct; co-operating with the construction industry to develop a corruption prevention pack age; and developing a similar package for the catering industry.
It was also noted at the press conference that the ICAC would enter its 40 th Anniversary in 2014, with various community activities and education projects, including the Open Day and the TV drama series, to be launched in the coming months.
Speaking at a press conference today (Monday), Mr Chow said in 2013, the ICAC received 2,652 corruption complaints, representing a drop of 33% compared to 3,932 complaints received in 2012, with pursuable complaints dropping by 41 per cent.
Noting the 36 % decrease of complaints in the building management sector, Mr Chow said the sharp drop in corruption complaints might be due to various reasons, including the heightened public awareness of corruption prevention as a result of the Commissio n’s enhanced efforts in preventive education.
Joining Mr Chow at the annual press conference to review their work were chairpersons of three other advisory committees –'96 Operations Review Committee (ORC), Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR), and Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC).
CACCR Chairman Professor John Leong Chi-yan said to identify the reasons for the drop in corruption complaints, public views were gauged through the ICAC annual survey.
According to the preliminary findings of the latest ICAC annual survey, public tolerance of corruption remained low at a mean score of 0.8 (0 being total rejection and 10 being total tolerance of corruption), while most of the respondents (80.6%) were wil ling to report corruption. A large majority of the respondents (95.3%) considered the ICAC deserved their support.
Professor Leong said the ICAC’s Community Relations Department (CRD) would continue to step up its efforts through various channels to encourage the public to report corruption.
ORC Chairman Mr Michael Sze Cho-cheung said while there was a significant decrease of corruption complaints, the corruption scene remained stable with no evidence of worsening.
While the high-profile approach might compromise the ICAC’s investigations, Mr Sze encouraged members of the public to report any suspected corruption so long as the complaints were made in good faith.
On the challenges faced by the ICAC in 2013 as a result of the controversies surrounding the former Commissioner, Mr Chow said the ICAC accepted all the recommendations of the Audit Commission, the Independent Review Committee and the Legislative Council’s Public Accounts Committee.
Mr Chow said the ICAC had taken steps to implement improvement measures, including a comprehensive review of the Commission Standing Orders, the promulgation of new guidelines, and the formulation of a new audit unit answerable directly to the Commissione r.
In following up on the recommendations, Professor Leong said the CRD had started to approach the government bureaus and departments not reached in the past five years to review their preventive education needs.
The department would contact all the 17 degree-awarding tertiary education institutions and secondary schools to promote integrity for their students, Professor Leong added.
On the corruption prevention front, CPAC Chairman Mr Albert Au Siu-cheung noted that in 2013, the ICAC’s Corruption Prevention Department (CPD) continued to focus its efforts on areas of public concern or interest.
Examples cited by Mr Au included the toolkit updated to facilitate corruption prevention in managing building maintenance projects; the corruption prevention guide produced for Chinese medicine practitioners and Chinese medicine clinics; and the best prac tice checklist issued for food bank operators.
Mr Au added that this year, the CPD would continue to provide timely corruption prevention services, including assisting public bodies in reviewing their codes of conduct; co-operating with the construction industry to develop a corruption prevention pack age; and developing a similar package for the catering industry.
It was also noted at the press conference that the ICAC would enter its 40 th Anniversary in 2014, with various community activities and education projects, including the Open Day and the TV drama series, to be launched in the coming months.