The Ombudsman yesterday accused civil servants in charge of food and environmental hygiene inspections of lying to cover up their mistakes.
The office examined 33 cases that had been dropped over the past three years because they had not been prosecuted within the statutory six months.
In two cases, officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had misplaced the summons files and the cases were never prosecuted. But staff misled the complainants and witnesses about why they were dropped, the latest Ombudsman's report stated.
One complaint about a cockroach found in food at an unlicensed restaurant, which subsequently closed, was not prosecuted because the file was misplaced and the time limit expired. The complainant was told it was due to the restaurant's closure.
A case involving littering was dropped because of lack of evidence, the department told a witness, but the file reached the prosecution office two months after the time limit.
Twelve cases failed to make it to court because of delays and 11 because the government laboratory issued reports after the deadline. Others involved mistakes, ignorance of legal requirements, misplacement of files or delayed advice from the Department of Justice.
