The Hong Kong government is set to criminalise bid-rigging in building maintenance projects under laws covering triad and corruption offences and allow authorities to take criminal or civil action against such conduct, following the release of an independent committee’s report on the fatal Tai Po blaze.
The regulatory overhaul on bid-rigging was announced on Thursday, as the government released the long-anticipated report of the independent committee investigating the causes of the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, which was undergoing large-scale renovations when the blaze ignited last November.
The change will introduce a criminal offence with penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and fines.