ICAC rises to challenges while remains steadfast in anti-graft mission
2025-3-3
The four independent advisory committees, responsible for overseeing different aspects of the work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), highly commended the Commission for its contributions and breakthroughs in the previous year in relation to law enforcement, corruption prevention, education and international cooperation. The four committees support the ICAC to keep up its efforts in innovations and reforms while upholding its graft fighting mission and advancing the international anti-corruption cause.
Hosting a joint press conference today to review the work of ICAC’s advisory committees in 2024 were the Hon Chan Kin-por, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption; Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the Operations Review Committee; Dr Kelvin Wong Tin-yau, Chairman of the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee; and Professor Simon Ho Shun-man, Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations.
Mr Chan Kin-por remarked that the four committees highly commended ICAC's work in the past year. The Commission continued to effectively fulfil its anti-graft mission with its “three-pronged” strategy encompassing law enforcement, corruption prevention, and education, while at the same time made various breakthroughs on different fronts.
“The ICAC demonstrates adaptability in the fight against corruption, achieving remarkable results repeatedly with its relentless pursue of breakthroughs and eagerness to embrace opportunities and challenges. Its accomplishments not only showcase the organisation’s good governance but also underscore the team’s competence and professionalism,” Mr Chan commended.
To showcase Hong Kong’s anti-corruption story to the world, the ICAC initiated a new strategy of “Anti-Corruption Tripartite Partnership” by fostering synergy with the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) and the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption (HKIAAC). Last May, the ICAC joined hands with the IAACA to co-host the 8th ICAC Symposium for exchanging anti-corruption initiatives and broadening international graft-fighting network with international organisations and law enforcement agencies. Last week the Commission also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the anti-corruption agency of the United Arab Emirates. It was the eighth MoU the ICAC entered into with different countries or international organisations since last year.
Last year, the HKIAAC organised 23 training programmes for overseas anti-corruption agencies, attracting over 2,200 participants from over 70 countries. Included in these programmes were visits to different cities in the Mainland for participants to experience first-hand the country’s remarkable achievements in anti-corruption work and social development. Such arrangement demonstrated a perfect example of Hong Kong’s role as a “super-connector”, said Mr Chan.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Mr Bernard Chan noted that the corruption situation in Hong Kong continued to remain well under control. The Commission received 2,058 non-election related corruption complaints with pursuable complaints stood at 1,636. The figures respectively registered an increase of 3 per cent and 4 per cent compared with 2023. Public support for the ICAC’s anti-corruption work remained strong with 71 per cent of the complainants identified themselves when reporting corruption.
While private sector complaints took up 70 per cent, those related to government departments and public bodies accounted for 23 per cent and 7 per cent respectively. In the private sector, the three industries attracting the most complaints were Building Management, Construction Industry and Finance and Insurance.
During the year, the ICAC took resolute actions against illicit activities in the aforementioned three industries in the private sector. For the first time, the Commission collaborated with the Competition Commission to crackdown a newly-rising syndicate allegedly engaged in manipulating tendering exercises of building maintenance projects through bribery and bid-rigging. The Commission also joined hands with the Securities and Futures Commission and the Macao Judiciary Police to mount a joint operation in relation to suspected cross-boundary corruption, fraud and misconduct, demonstrating the close collaboration of the two cities’ law enforcement agencies.
Mr Bernard Chan also noted that the ICAC would continue to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude and take robust action against bribe-taking in the construction industry for assisting workers to secure employment.
On the preventive front, Dr Wong noted that the ICAC completed 69 assignment reports and provided corruption prevention advice for government departments and other organisations on 1,783 occasions. The ICAC adopted a “prevention-at-source” strategy and attached particular importance to areas of public concern and those involving substantial amount of public money, providing timely corruption prevention advice. Initiatives in the past year included issuing an updated Sample Guide on Conduct Matters for Civil Servants in collaboration with the Civil Service Bureau, launching the Integrity and Corruption Prevention Guide for National Sports Associations to enhance its governance and internal control, and reviewing student admission procedures of tertiary education institutions and offering corruption prevention advice.
To foster cooperation with partners from different sectors to enhance corruption prevention awareness and governance, the ICAC had partnered with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce to promote the “Business Sector Integrity Charter” to its member companies; while the “Banking Industry Integrity Charter” was launched in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks.
The ICAC also collaborated with the Digital Policy Office to kick-start digital corruption prevention work and to optimise the current “Digital Corruption Prevention Framework”. To continue to promote anti-corruption work in Hong Kong, the ICAC is partnering with local and Mainland scholars to conduct research projects in relation to various corruption prevention topics.
On the education front, Professor Ho commended the ICAC for its comprehensive reform in its publicity and education strategy to further enhance the effectiveness in promoting anti-corruption messages to the public. Café "1974", which opened last November, had attracted over 50,000 visitors within three odd months. The initiative was a notable example showcasing not only the innovative advancement in ICAC’s community education efforts but also a significant step towards the integration of anti-corruption education with the community.
Professor Ho added that a series of promotional videos for the "1974" Café produced by the ICAC had attracted over 10 million views on social media, setting a historic record for the Commission. The expansion of anti-corruption education across both online and offline platforms had enabled the ICAC to spread its messages far and wide.
Cultivating the value of integrity among young people is another focus of ICAC’s work. Tertiary and senior secondary students who had a passion for anti-corruption work are recruited through the “ICAC ELITE Youth Leadership Programme”. Last year, participants took part in exchange visits to Xi’an and Macao to deepen their understanding of the country’s anti-corruption efforts. Earlier this year, they also joined an ICAC delegation to Brunei to share their experience in youth engagement in integrity promotion. Together with representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), they promoted the “Meaningful Youth Engagement in Anti-Corruption Work”, a policy guide jointly produced by the ICAC, the UNODC and the IAACA.
Looking ahead, the ICAC will launch a more diverse range of short videos on social media, featuring different facets of ICAC’s work and latest updates, while publicity in the international arena will also be enhanced. A “Kids Theatre” themed “Honesty” will be launched this year for kindergarten pupils. In addition, a territory-wide building management summit will be organised to promote integrity in building management.
The committees fully support the ICAC to continue to strive for innovations and breakthroughs, maintain Hong Kong’s reputation as a global benchmark for a corruption-free city and contribute to the country’s anti-corruption development.
Hosting a joint press conference today to review the work of ICAC’s advisory committees in 2024 were the Hon Chan Kin-por, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption; Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the Operations Review Committee; Dr Kelvin Wong Tin-yau, Chairman of the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee; and Professor Simon Ho Shun-man, Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations.
Mr Chan Kin-por remarked that the four committees highly commended ICAC's work in the past year. The Commission continued to effectively fulfil its anti-graft mission with its “three-pronged” strategy encompassing law enforcement, corruption prevention, and education, while at the same time made various breakthroughs on different fronts.
“The ICAC demonstrates adaptability in the fight against corruption, achieving remarkable results repeatedly with its relentless pursue of breakthroughs and eagerness to embrace opportunities and challenges. Its accomplishments not only showcase the organisation’s good governance but also underscore the team’s competence and professionalism,” Mr Chan commended.
To showcase Hong Kong’s anti-corruption story to the world, the ICAC initiated a new strategy of “Anti-Corruption Tripartite Partnership” by fostering synergy with the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) and the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption (HKIAAC). Last May, the ICAC joined hands with the IAACA to co-host the 8th ICAC Symposium for exchanging anti-corruption initiatives and broadening international graft-fighting network with international organisations and law enforcement agencies. Last week the Commission also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the anti-corruption agency of the United Arab Emirates. It was the eighth MoU the ICAC entered into with different countries or international organisations since last year.
Last year, the HKIAAC organised 23 training programmes for overseas anti-corruption agencies, attracting over 2,200 participants from over 70 countries. Included in these programmes were visits to different cities in the Mainland for participants to experience first-hand the country’s remarkable achievements in anti-corruption work and social development. Such arrangement demonstrated a perfect example of Hong Kong’s role as a “super-connector”, said Mr Chan.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Mr Bernard Chan noted that the corruption situation in Hong Kong continued to remain well under control. The Commission received 2,058 non-election related corruption complaints with pursuable complaints stood at 1,636. The figures respectively registered an increase of 3 per cent and 4 per cent compared with 2023. Public support for the ICAC’s anti-corruption work remained strong with 71 per cent of the complainants identified themselves when reporting corruption.
While private sector complaints took up 70 per cent, those related to government departments and public bodies accounted for 23 per cent and 7 per cent respectively. In the private sector, the three industries attracting the most complaints were Building Management, Construction Industry and Finance and Insurance.
During the year, the ICAC took resolute actions against illicit activities in the aforementioned three industries in the private sector. For the first time, the Commission collaborated with the Competition Commission to crackdown a newly-rising syndicate allegedly engaged in manipulating tendering exercises of building maintenance projects through bribery and bid-rigging. The Commission also joined hands with the Securities and Futures Commission and the Macao Judiciary Police to mount a joint operation in relation to suspected cross-boundary corruption, fraud and misconduct, demonstrating the close collaboration of the two cities’ law enforcement agencies.
Mr Bernard Chan also noted that the ICAC would continue to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude and take robust action against bribe-taking in the construction industry for assisting workers to secure employment.
On the preventive front, Dr Wong noted that the ICAC completed 69 assignment reports and provided corruption prevention advice for government departments and other organisations on 1,783 occasions. The ICAC adopted a “prevention-at-source” strategy and attached particular importance to areas of public concern and those involving substantial amount of public money, providing timely corruption prevention advice. Initiatives in the past year included issuing an updated Sample Guide on Conduct Matters for Civil Servants in collaboration with the Civil Service Bureau, launching the Integrity and Corruption Prevention Guide for National Sports Associations to enhance its governance and internal control, and reviewing student admission procedures of tertiary education institutions and offering corruption prevention advice.
To foster cooperation with partners from different sectors to enhance corruption prevention awareness and governance, the ICAC had partnered with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce to promote the “Business Sector Integrity Charter” to its member companies; while the “Banking Industry Integrity Charter” was launched in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks.
The ICAC also collaborated with the Digital Policy Office to kick-start digital corruption prevention work and to optimise the current “Digital Corruption Prevention Framework”. To continue to promote anti-corruption work in Hong Kong, the ICAC is partnering with local and Mainland scholars to conduct research projects in relation to various corruption prevention topics.
On the education front, Professor Ho commended the ICAC for its comprehensive reform in its publicity and education strategy to further enhance the effectiveness in promoting anti-corruption messages to the public. Café "1974", which opened last November, had attracted over 50,000 visitors within three odd months. The initiative was a notable example showcasing not only the innovative advancement in ICAC’s community education efforts but also a significant step towards the integration of anti-corruption education with the community.
Professor Ho added that a series of promotional videos for the "1974" Café produced by the ICAC had attracted over 10 million views on social media, setting a historic record for the Commission. The expansion of anti-corruption education across both online and offline platforms had enabled the ICAC to spread its messages far and wide.
Cultivating the value of integrity among young people is another focus of ICAC’s work. Tertiary and senior secondary students who had a passion for anti-corruption work are recruited through the “ICAC ELITE Youth Leadership Programme”. Last year, participants took part in exchange visits to Xi’an and Macao to deepen their understanding of the country’s anti-corruption efforts. Earlier this year, they also joined an ICAC delegation to Brunei to share their experience in youth engagement in integrity promotion. Together with representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), they promoted the “Meaningful Youth Engagement in Anti-Corruption Work”, a policy guide jointly produced by the ICAC, the UNODC and the IAACA.
Looking ahead, the ICAC will launch a more diverse range of short videos on social media, featuring different facets of ICAC’s work and latest updates, while publicity in the international arena will also be enhanced. A “Kids Theatre” themed “Honesty” will be launched this year for kindergarten pupils. In addition, a territory-wide building management summit will be organised to promote integrity in building management.
The committees fully support the ICAC to continue to strive for innovations and breakthroughs, maintain Hong Kong’s reputation as a global benchmark for a corruption-free city and contribute to the country’s anti-corruption development.
