ICAC charges 23 in largest building work bribes case
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday said it has charged 23 people as part of its largest-ever probe into building work bribes. The alleged corruption is said to involve bribes totalling more than HK$6.5 million in relation to renovation and other projects worth around HK$520 million. The alleged offences, which involve buildings at 10 housing estates, are suspected to have taken place between January 2018 and May this year. Those charged include middlemen, project consultants, building contractors, property management staff and owners' committee members.  Grace Yee, a principal investigator with the ICAC's operations department, said their probe was not easy.  "The buildings involved in the case are spread across Hong Kong, showing that the [alleged] syndicate has a high level of infiltration," she told reporters. "We have raided a number of locations and the operations department has deployed many staff members to investigate the case as it involves the largest number of people and buildings in history." The ICAC called on homeowners to actively take part in the management of their buildings by attending meetings of owners' corporations. All of the 23 people charged have been released on bail and are due in court on September 25.