ICAC Chief resumes overseas duty visits to present Hong Kong’s narrative

The ICAC has always attached great importance to international anti- corruption cooperation and is committed to building closer partnerships with overseas counterparts. With the easing of the pandemic, ICAC Commissioner Danny Woo Ying-ming has resumed overseas duty visits to meet the ICAC’s overseas counterparts face-to-face. He also seized the opportunity to brief them on the Commission’s latest anti-graft strategies, Hong Kong’s strong rule of law and stable social environment.

Following his visit to Singapore in September 2022, Mr Woo led another delegation to Malaysia and Thailand in mid-December to exchange the latest anti-graft initiatives and foster cooperation with local anti-corruption and law enforcement authorities.

Mr Woo and the delegation met with the Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and exchanged views on the latest anti-corruption work in the two places, followed by a visit to the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Academy. The delegation also met with the Advisory Board Chairman of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre and the Deputy Director of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption.

In Thailand, the delegation met with the President of the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand and Secretary-General of the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission respectively, to strengthen graft-fighting collaboration and liaison.

Mr Woo also took the opportunity to visit the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China of the two places. The two Ambassadors expressed their support for the ICAC's international cooperation work and the anti-corruption collaboration in the local areas.

The ICAC chief found the trip very fruitful as not only cooperation with anti-corruption counterparts in Southeast Asia was deepened, but their hosts were also provided on first-hand information on the Commission’s latest anti-graft strategies and Hong Kong’s development. The delegation also took the opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings the international community might have about Hong Kong, assuring that the implementation of the National Security Law had effectively safeguard the strong rule of law and stable social environment in Hong Kong.

Towards normalcy—strengthening cooperation with overseas anti-corruption agencies

The gradual relaxation of inbound anti-epidemic control measures in Hong Kong saw a gradual comeback of overseas anti-corruption agencies (ACAs). The first overseas organisation visiting the ICAC since the outbreak of the pandemic in October 2022 was the Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority (ADAA) of the United Arab Emirates. The delegation met with the ICAC Commissioner and heads of departments to explore closer collaboration on corruption prevention. The visitors were also briefed on ICAC’s anti-corruption strategy and work on law enforcement, prevention, education, and international cooperation, followed by a tour to ICAC’s facilities.

Meanwhile, the ICAC’s long-standing training for Indonesian prosecutors since 2016 had been suspended due to the pandemic. In November 2022, the Commission was honored to receive a delegation of the Consulate General of Indonesia in Hong Kong, led by Mr Raymond Ali, Legal Consul, for an exchange on Hong Kong’s experience in combating corruption and to discuss the resumption of training collaboration in 2023.

The ICAC also treasures every opportunity, including online platforms, for international anti-corruption cooperation. In November 2022, Assistant Director of Corruption Prevention of the ICAC attended online a seminar themed “E-anticor.uz Electronic Platform and Practice of Assessing Corruption Risks” organised by the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan and shared the corruption prevention strategies of the ICAC, in particular the methodology of assessing corruption risks. During the question-and- answer session, participants showed a keen interest in Hong Kong’s strategies in the area.

Partnership in graft fight continues between Hong Kong and Macao

While the pandemic situation is still volatile, communication and cooperation between the ICAC and the Commission Against Corruption of Macao (CCAC) remains non-stop. In November 2022, Commissioner Danny Woo Ying-ming hosted an online meeting with the Commissioner of CCAC Chan Tsz-king to exchange views on the anti-corruption work in both places. Commissioner Woo and Commissioner Chan expressed the common intention to meet face-to-face for in-depth exchange on anti- corruption collaboration between the two agencies once quarantine-free travel resumes.