Fake concrete has been found at the two subsidised blocks in Sha Tin where substandard piling was detected, a Housing Authority source said yesterday.
'Some of the concrete taken out for testing was found to be fake. It's a case of syndicated fraud involving corruption. It's the most serious case in many years,' the source said. The materials used in the fake concrete were not revealed.
Work was suspended on the two Home Ownership Scheme blocks in Yuen Chau Kok three weeks ago after substandard piling was found. None of the piling checked has reached the standard depth of 40 metres.
The fresh revelations yesterday came as chairwoman of the Housing Authority Rosanna Wong Yick-ming announced the appointment of an independent inquiry team to look into the defective piling work and whether any officials should be held responsible.
All members of the team would come from outside the Housing Authority and Housing Department. 'It would be regrettable if some Housing Department staff were found to have conspired to defraud,' she said.
Ms Wong also proposed banning the contractor responsible for the buildings, Zen Pacific Civil Contractors, from future projects.
The source said although Tung Chee-hwa had not asked for a full investigation, the authority had decided to take the unusual move in view of the seriousness of the case and the grave public concern.