The road he travelled – sharing of a veteran graft fighter

Graft busters must keep enhancing their capabilities

ICAC Post – Post & & Ricky Yu – Yu

Post: You are a seasoned soldier in the anti-graft battlefield. In your opinion, how should the ICAC gear up for challenges ahead?

Yu: Corruption has become ever more sophisticated and secretive in view of globalisation and advancement in technology. The modus operandi of criminals are increasingly complex and ever changing. To cope with the challenges ahead, we need to keep strengthening our capabilities and expertise. The Operations Department is putting lots of resources on training frontline investigators, especially in computer forensics and forensic accounting to detect complicated corruption cases in recent years.

International cooperation and partnership is another trend. We have taken a proactive approach in recent years by forging closer and stronger ties with anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions. The ICAC regularly organises international symposia and seminars for graft fighters and law enforcers from countries around the world to share expertise and strategies in fighting corruption.

Moreover, under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the ICAC has been designated by the Central People’s Government as the agency in Hong Kong to assist other State Parties in anti-graft capacity building. As the “Belt and Road Initiative” calls for deepening international cooperation and expanding economic ties, the ICAC has also started providing consultancy services and tailor-made training for countries along the route.

Post: Have you ever felt “pressurised” when executing your duties?

Yu: We have been discharging our duties in strict accordance with the law and under a well-established system, without fear or favour. As a law enforcement agency, our mandate is to carry out investigation to find out the truth. Therefore our main and primary focus is to consider the strength of evidence of the case. Nothing else should come in our way.

Post: Lastly, a word of advice for your fellow colleagues?

Yu: The anti-graft journey is not an easy one. Investigators are bound by the principle of confidentiality and it is just natural that they will feel lonely along the road. But it is also a challenging and rewarding journey. I think it all boils down to one’s value and his faith in justice. Maybe the last few lines of the poem “The road not taken” written by American poet Robert Frost will give my fellow colleagues some inspirations: