Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on a syndicate and arrested 28 people allegedly involved in bid-rigging, including board members of contractors and consultancy firms, in the first operation by a joint task force set up after the release of a scathing report on the devastating Wang Fuk Court fire.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Friday that the task force, set up to tackle bid-rigging, had also established a 24-hour hotline for the public to report any suspicious activities and would offer monetary rewards in appropriate circumstances.
Authorities also arrested another 38 people in the two-day operation after raiding five illegal gambling dens and two vice establishments believed to have been financed by proceeds from the syndicate’s bid-rigging activities.