The number of corruption complaints against the construction industry has dropped - the first fall in the sector since the uncovering of a series of piling scandals over the past three years.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption received 137 complaints against the construction industry in the first seven months this year, 15 per cent down from the 162 cases in the same period last year.
The anti-corruption watchdog released the figures after the conclusion last week of two of the highest-profile cases involving short-piling work on Home Ownership Scheme buildings.
The fall reversed the rising trend over the past three years. In 1999 there were 183 complaints, 261 in 2000, and 296 last year.
The cases uncovered include the short-piling scandals at two HOS blocks - Yuen Chau Kok in Sha Tin and a residential project above Tung Chung MTR Station.
In the Yuen Chau Kok case, three people from a subcontractor company were jailed for up to 12 years last Tuesday after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the Housing Authority in 1998.