Combating corruption in a year of
unprecedented challenges

Despite the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus, major findings of the 2020 ICAC Annual Survey revealed at the same press conference indicated that Hong Kong continued to benefit from a deep-rooted culture of probity.

Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations Professor Timothy Tong Wai-cheung said the poll found that 98.4% of the respondents had not encountered corruption personally in the past 12 months. If however corruption was encountered, 81.7% was willing to report it, the highest percentage registered since the question was asked in 2010.

The survey also showed that the public remained highly intolerant of corruption. On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 representing total rejection and 10 total tolerance of corruption, the latest mean score continued to reflect a zero tolerance (0.4). Moreover, 93.2% considered the ICAC deserved their support.

Apart from an “All-for-Integrity Signature Event” to be rolled out this year to reinforce public support for the anti-graft mission through a variety of community activities, the ICAC’s Community Relations Department would continue to engage young people through both online and offline platforms, Professor Tong noted.

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption strategy demonstrates a unique synergy of enforcement, education, and prevention. On the preventive front, last year the ICAC’s Corruption Prevention Department provided prevention advice for government departments and other organisations on over 970 occasions.

Meanwhile, a total of 65 corruption prevention assignment studies were completed last year, covering areas including public works, procurement, licensing and enforcement.

As regulatory enforcement was by nature more prone to corruption and abuse, Chairman of the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee Mr Adrian Wong Koon-man said a prevention guide was introduced to non-disciplined service departments and public bodies to enhance their corruption prevention capability and awareness when carrying out regulatory enforcement work under their purviews.

The Legislative Council Election originally set for 2020 was postponed to September this year due to the pandemic. Various measures for enhancing the integrity of the operations in polling and counting stations were proposed to the relevant government bureau. The Commission would continue to assist the government in strengthening procedural controls against corrupt and illegal practices in upcoming elections.