A : No. Failure to provide full information or a complete account of the details while lodging a complaint does not mean that you are making a false accusation. False accusation implies that a person knowingly makes a false statement or accusation to the ICAC, who may breach section 13B of the ICAC Ordinance (Cap. 204).

A : Not necessarily. In general, the court requires a witness to give evidence in court if the defendant denies having committed the offence and the witness's evidence can help determine whether the defendant is guilty or not. In other words, if the defendant pleads guilty or the court accepts your written statement as evidence, there is no need for you to go to court. Whatever the circumstances, we will keep in touch with you to make suitable arrangement.

A : The ICAC handles all complaints in strict confidence to protect the complainant's identity and content of the complaint. Only designated officers are allowed to gain access to the information on a "need-to-know" basis.

A : The ICAC encourages complainants to report in person to give more detailed and accurate information that is crucial to effective follow-up and investigation. Where appropriate, we will inform the complainant of the investigation outcome.

A : Under normal circumstances, the ICAC will contact complainants within 48 hours. If the report is not corruption-related, the ICAC will contact the complainant within two working days to obtain consent for referring the report to an appropriate authority. Please visit Investigation Procedures to learn more.

A : The ICAC will notify complainants of the investigation outcome in accordance with the "Victims of Crime Charter".

A : No. Any person, including the complainant, who discloses details of investigation or the identity of the subject person to other people without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, shall be guilty of an offence under section 30 of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap. 201). For more details, please refer to the Text of the Law.

A : The ICAC will consider referring reports that are not corruption-related and with no allegation of criminal offence to the appropriate authority with the complainant's consent while reports alleging criminal offences may be referred to the Police or other law enforcement agencies without the complainant's consent.

A : This depends on the individual case and the progress of the investigation. If further information or assistance is required, the ICAC will contact the complainant. The complainant can also contact the responsible officer of the case directly to enquire about the investigation progress or to provide further information.

A : The ICAC will consider the content of the report, rather than the manner in which it is made, when deciding whether to take follow-up action. If you make the report in person, you can give a more detailed account of the case to the duty officer and that will improve the chance of the case being followed up or investigated.

A : For security reasons, the ICAC encourages complainants to make reports in person.

A : The ICAC encourages complainants to leave their personal contact details when lodging complaints, which is helpful to the follow-up investigation. If necessary, the ICAC will invite the complainant for interview for a statement to be taken or to provide further information.

A : To keep the identity of the complainant confidential and to prevent information leakage that will affect the subsequent investigation, the duty officer will meet the complainant alone to ensure the content of the report is kept confidential. The complainant should also keep the details of report confidential.

A : The ICAC will consider the content and nature of the complaint when deciding whether it should take up the case or refer it to other government departments. The complainant will be informed of the decision where practicable.