The Hong Kong Bar Association will propose targeted legislation to criminalise bid-rigging and make key construction safety guidelines legally binding following the city’s deadliest fire in seven decades.
The association formed a task force to review existing legislation after last month’s Tai Po blaze, with one of the preliminary goals being to criminalise bid-rigging, currently classified as “serious anti-competitive conduct” under the Competition Ordinance and punishable only by fines, according to chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet.
“[Bid-rigging] is not in itself a criminal activity and therefore the punishment and the deterrence level may not be sufficient,” Maurellet told the Post.
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The blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which claimed at least 160 lives, has underscored the extent of bid-rigging in the renovation industry and problems in government supervision of the sector and fire safety management.
“When we look at what has happened recently, then you realise that bid-rigging is not just sometimes about paying an extra five dollars or having a slightly less quality product,” Maurellet said. “It can actually cost your life. It can actually harm you and harm your property.”
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Acknowledging the difficulty of proving agreements among parties involved in bid-rigging, Maurellet said that targeted legislation could deter such activities.