Scandal deepens over missing documents related to shoddy work allegations at Hong Kong’s costliest railway project
- Chief executive ‘very regretful and disappointed’ by steady stream of bad news from project
- News comes day after officials revealed 40 per cent of documents certifying work on two approach tunnels had gone missing
A construction scandal plaguing Hong Kong’s most expensive railway project deepened on Thursday as the operator revealed a trove of key documents it first reported as missing had never even been submitted by the main contractor.
The stunning admission by the MTR Corporation raised serious questions over how Leighton Contractors (Asia) had been allowed to carry out work, without the required certification countersigned by the operator, at Hung Hom station on the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 million) Sha Tin-Central link.
The latest revelations prompted Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to express deep disappointment and expand a high-level inquiry into allegations of shoddy work to include more parts of the affected station.
The government also revealed plans to conduct a thorough inspection of other stations besides Hung Hom. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council, it said the Highways Department, under the supervision of an expert team from the Transport and Housing Bureau, would conduct checks in phases, beginning with To Kwa Wan and Diamond Hill stations.
