Hong Kong fire: chairman, former head of Wang Fuk Court owners’ group arrested
Post learns pair arrested by ICAC as part of investigation into renovation works linked to the city’s deadliest fires in decades
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has arrested the current and former chairmen of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation as part of an investigation into renovation works linked to the city’s deadliest fire in decades, the Post has learned.
The owners’ corporation has come under heavy scrutiny after the contractors it chose were found to have covered the estate buildings with substandard protective nets and foam boards, which are believed to be the cause of the unusually fast spread of last month’s fire.
The blaze engulfed seven of the Tai Po estate’s eight blocks, resulting in at least 160 deaths and displacing nearly 5,000 people.
The two men were seen leaving the ICAC’s headquarters in North Point, but refused to comment when approached by the media.
The current owners’ corporation chief took up the role in September last year. His predecessor had served as chairman since 2012 and had been a committee member since the organisation’s first term.