Keep faith in the work of the ICAC

Hong Kong has a well-deserved reputation for being largely corruption-free. The success owes much to the good work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. It is imperative the watchdog remain professional, credible and free from politics.

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Lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung demands Paul Chan Mo-po, Secretary for Development, to step down as he files a complaint against Chan to ICAC in North Point. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 12:00am, 13 Aug 2013Updated: 2:52am, 13 Aug 2013

Hong Kong has a well-deserved reputation for being largely corruption-free. The success owes much to the good work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. It is imperative the watchdog remain professional, credible and free from politics.

However, concerns have been raised whether the graft buster has been abused by politicians to undermine rivals, after a series of complaints involving political appointees. For instance, former development minister Mak Chai-kwong was given a suspended jail term last week for a housing allowance fraud decades ago. And accusations were levelled at two members of the chief executive's cabinet. The agency concluded there was no evidence Franklin Lam Fan-keung had benefited from advance information of a special stamp duty when selling properties last year. It judged there was insufficient evidence to pursue a complaint against Barry Cheung Chun-yuen in connection with business borrowings. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the ICAC should not be used as a political tool, and noted that those who had filed the complaints against Lam and Cheung had not apologised.

Judged by the contrasting outcomes of the Mak case and the others, the commission is doing a good job of deciding what to pursue. Cases with grounds are thoroughly probed, brought to court, and justice is served; those lacking prima facie evidence are turned away. This is what the public expects of a professional and independent law enforcement agency.

A former top ICAC official has expressed concerns that some people deliberately publicise complaints they filed to inflict damage on opponents. The outgoing prosecutions chief shared his concerns as to whether complaints are motivated by something other than a desire to ensure justice is done. True, it cannot be ruled out that some complaints are filed with a political agenda. It is essential the ICAC stay neutral and avoid being abused. If a case is a matter of public concern and there are sufficient grounds to proceed, it is for the public good that criminals are investigated and brought to justice.

The public's perception of the extent to which Hong Kong is corruption-free has fallen to a 15-year low, according to an opinion poll. But the ICAC remains an institutional pillar, without which the city would not have been one of the cleanest in Asia. The public should not lose faith in its work. News media and politicians also need to be more responsible.