Graft-busters target Hong Kong food banks

Graft-busters will set their sights on poverty alleviation programmes as government welfare spending continues to increase.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption says it wants to ensure that public money allocated to the poor is really spent on them.

"We will be conducting research with the aim of producing more anti-corruption guidelines for NGOs, social services and welfare providers," the ICAC's principal corruption prevention officer, George Hui Chung-ming, said. "Especially those involving cash handouts - they are more susceptible to corruption."

The agency has already handed out guidelines on preventing corruption to the eight government-supported food banks.

Reselling food and food coupons for a profit was one easy way to abuse the programme, Hui said. Another was for food bank workers to buy goods in bulk from certain merchandisers in return for personal gain.

"With the ICAC's experiences in anti-corruption, we hope to help NGOs take the necessary precautionary measures to prevent any misuse of public funds and to more effectively help the poor," said Hui.