Three companies that printed leaflets in which Legco candidates and their election platforms were mixed up are now under investigation and could be forced to pay for losses and damages.
The printing cost of the leaflets was $698,000, according to the Government Logistics Department, which handled the work.
The department spokeswoman declined to reveal the names of the contractors involved, citing an on-going investigation into the causes of the blunder, which comes out of the public purse. She said the printing work had to be contracted out because the department could not produce such a large volume of leaflets in the eight days required.
The three contractors were chosen through a restricted tendering process. 'We asked over 20 companies to submit tenders and finally selected those three,' she said. 'After the full investigation ... we may claim actual loss and damages if necessary.'
The spokeswoman said a decision on whether to contract out printing works hinged on various requirements, such as the time frame and the volume. 'This year, the number of voters has increased a lot,' she said.
She added that the priority now was to check all the leaflets before sending them out again.
The mistakes came to light on Friday night when the Registration and Electoral Office announced at a hastily arranged press conference that some Legco candidates and their election platforms had been mixed up in the leaflets because they were stapled in the wrong order.
