Notes on a scandal: the bribe diaries that sealed top Hong Kong cop's fate

The name Peter Fitzroy Godber is synonymous with corruption in Hong Kong, and three leather-bound logbooks kept by the former police chief superintendent are set to further cement that reputation when they are put on public display for the first time this week.

The bribes listed inside are striking enough, but the meticulous detail with which he kept his accounts and the way the logbooks themselves were protected in zippered leather pouches shed new light on just what kind of man he is or was - his whereabouts are unknown, although it has been suggested he is residing in Spain or the south of England. If still alive he would be 91.

When investigators found the logbooks after a search of Godber's quarters and car in 1973, he knew his fate was sealed.

The books belong to the library of the Independent Commission Against Corruption but have been placed carefully with gloved hands in a special display cabinet on the second floor exhibition hall of the anti-corruption agency's North Point headquarters - ready to be viewed by the public during open days to be held this month in celebration of the ICAC's 40th anniversary.

In 1971, an internal police investigation into Godber's activities codenamed "Havana" made little headway and it was only when he applied for early retirement in 1973 that a tip-off was received about large remittances sent to Canada, Australia, Singapore and other countries.