Welcome to another new issue of the ICAC Post, the first in the Year of the Tiger!
The year began on a high note for the Commission as its anti-corruption endeavours continued to earn global recognition. In the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2021 released in January, Hong Kong was ranked the 12th least corrupt place among 180 countries/territories surveyed, denoting the second highest ranking of the city since the index was launched in 1995.
In the same month, with the endorsement of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China and the HKSAR Government, ICAC Commissioner, Mr Simon Peh Yun-lu, was elected the President of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA). The IAACA Secretariat, administered by the ICAC, is set to provide full-scale support to the Commissioner in implementing the IAACA’s international initiatives.
With a view to helping the world to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal to “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” by 2030, the IAACA strives to deepen collaboration among member organisations from over 140 countries and regions and strengthen its involvements and efforts in the global fight against corruption.
While the ICAC has opened up a new frontier in the international anti-corruption arena, its graft fighting efforts continued to bear fruits locally in Hong Kong under the time-tested holistic strategy.
According to 2021 ICAC Annual Survey conducted by an independent research agency commissioned by the ICAC, Hong Kong citizens continued to possess a high anti-corruption awareness and recognise integrity as a core value. The number of respondents who had personally encountered corruption remained extremely low.
On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing total rejection of corruption and 10 representing total acceptance, a mean score of 0.7 was registered. While 98.3% of respondents said they had not personally encountered corruption in the past year. 97.3% felt keeping Hong Kong corruption-free was important to its overall development.
In 2021, corruption remained well under control in Hong Kong. The ICAC received 2,264 non-election related corruption complaints, up 18% comparing with 2020. The surge was mainly attributed to the notable increase in the number of complaints concerning the private sector amidst economic recovery from the pandemic threat. Notwithstanding the increase in the total number of complaints in 2021 compared with 2020, the level was still lower than that in 2019.
Corruption complaints concerning the private sector jumped by 31%, with increases recorded across the board. Building Management, Construction Industry, and Finance and Insurance topped the list in terms of the number of complaints received. The ICAC has stepped up multifaceted efforts comprising law enforcement, systematic prevention as well as community education to plug the loopholes in various strata.
Corruption prevention talks and workshops were organised to enhance the ethical standard of property management practitioners. A new training video was also produced to remind them the importance of upholding integrity and fulfilling their supervisory responsibilities.
For the construction sector, the Hong Kong government has included the “Integrity Management System” (IMS) promoted by the ICAC among the registration requirements for public works contractors. An “Integrity Charter” was also launched to encourage construction companies to adopt the IMS. The ICAC has also stepped up its efforts to promote the anti-bribery law to frontline workers through various educational resources.
Meanwhile, abundant resources were devoted to enhancing the corruption prevention capabilities of the insurance industry. Industry players were offered tailored advisory services and training in collaboration with the Insurance Authority and trade associations. Greater collaboration was established with various financial regulators to fight corruption and other graft-facilitated illicit activities concerning the financial sector. Last year, a Memoranda of Understanding for mutual enforcement cooperation was signed between the ICAC and the Financial Reporting Council.
The public sector in Hong Kong, including the civil service, remained clean and honest. Corruption complaints involving government bureaux/departments slightly rose by 3%, while those concerning public bodies went down by 15% when compared with 2020.
A two-year integrity promotion campaign for public bodies was launched to promote integrity management and corruption prevention capabilities building. Last year, the ICAC also completed around 70 assignment studies and offered timely advice to government departments and public bodies on more than 520 occasions.
Following the implementation of the improved electoral system in Hong Kong, the Election Committee Subsector Elections and the Legislative Council General Election were respectively held in September and December 2021. The ICAC adopted a preventive and intervention approach to curb conduct that might constitute offences of manipulating or undermining elections, including inciting others not to vote or to cast invalid votes. As at the end of 2021, the ICAC received eight and 52 complaints respectively regarding the two elections.
The ICAC would continue to work with the relevant bureaux and departments to map out and implement preventive education and publicity initiatives for the Chief Executive Election to be held later.
Young people have always been a priority of the ICAC’s educational efforts. The Commission strives to pass on to them the core value of integrity as well as the importance of upholding the rule of law. Various projects and activities were tailor-made for students of different age groups to introduce to them Hong Kong’s anti-corruption work. In late 2021, the Commission organised for the first time a three-day training for over 30 teenage students. Under the guidance of ICAC investigators, they were given a glimpse of the work of a graft fighter through planning and executing simulated law-enforcement actions.
Forging ahead with the vitality of the tiger, persistence, faith and concentration, the ICAC is committed as ever to upholding the probity culture of Hong Kong and contributing to the international community in the fight against corruption.
Previous Issue
