'One small step': Hong Kong residents of alleged bid-rigging estate see subcontractor's confession as winning pivot in war with management
A subcontractor's dramatic courtroom confession of bid-rigging at the Sha Tin estate marks a milestone in a heated two-year war with management
The group, formed by residents from all walks of life, had been taking to the streets in the middle-class Sha Tin neighbourhood near Shek Mun almost weekly.
There, counters were set up and banners displayed as they warned fellow neighbours of a controversial renovation project amounting to HK$260 million taking place at their home.
They were angry because residents of some 1,100 flats in the six residential blocks each had to shoulder a sum of between HK$200,000 and HK$300,000, depending on the size of their flat.
The group said the figure was grossly inflated, although other residents backed the estate's incorporated owners, who said the group had been spreading misinformation.
Those who refused to pay faced an encumbrance order and annual interest rates of 18 per cent for late payments, leaving some defiant owners debt-laden.