MORE resources should be provided to beef up the ICAC to prevent the spread of corruption in the run-up to 1997, legislator Mr James To Kun-sun said yesterday.
His call follows the recent arrest of a number of government officials during investigations into separate cases.
At least nine customs officers were arrested by the ICAC in a crackdown on cross-border smuggling in February, while two former civil servants were detained during an investigation into an export quota scam last month.
According to government figures, the number of pursuable corruption reports involving government departments has risen by 29 per cent, from 513 in 1990 to 661 in 1992.
The police alone recorded a rise of 40 per cent.
The total number of pursuable reports increased by 20 per cent, from 1,390 to 1,679, in the same period.
The ICAC has been allocated $386 million for the current financial year, a rise of only 1.8 per cent over last year's revised estimate of $379 million.