Hong Kong’s corruption and antitrust watchdogs arrest 20 suspects over building maintenance project bid-rigging

In joint action carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday, Independent Commission Against Corruption and Competition Commission arrest 17 men and three women

Suspects allegedly took part in anticompetitive practices to manipulate bidding processes for building maintenance work, exaggerating contract amounts

2-MIN READ2-MIN

ICAC headquarters in North Point. The agencies raided about 40 premises, including residences and offices of the contractors. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 8:06pm, 18 Apr 2024Updated: 11:41pm, 18 Apr 2024

Hong Kong’s graft-buster and antitrust watchdog have arrested 20 suspects in their first joint operation against corruption and bid-rigging involving building maintenance projects.

In the joint action carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Competition Commission arrested 17 men and three women aged between 36 and 70.

They included suspected key figures and backbone members of the corruption syndicate, which comprised contractors, consultants, middlemen, members of incorporated owners’ committees and property management firms.

The agencies raided about 40 premises, including homes and offices of the contractors, consultancies and property management companies, seizing electronic devices and documents related to building maintenance projects.

“The joint operation conducted by the ICAC and the Competition Commission demonstrated the determination of the two agencies in cracking down on corruption and potential anticompetitive activities in building maintenance,” the agencies said.

A building in Kennedy Town. Individual contracts were worth between several million to tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, for a total of about HK$180 million. Photo: Sun Yeung

The suspects had allegedly taken part in corruption and anticompetitive practices to manipulate bidding processes for building maintenance work, exaggerating contract amounts and helping associated contractors to secure the projects and consultancy jobs.