Raphael Chan* entered Hong Kong’s construction sector in the mid-1990s convinced that quality building works could improve people’s lives. But he quit more than two decades later, disillusioned by what he called rampant corruption in the industry.
The former senior project manager at a consultancy company said he had witnessed how syndicates, often led by triad-linked masterminds, plotted bid-rigging as early as 10 years in advance, bribed key stakeholders and pocketed up to 50 per cent of the earnings from maintenance contracts.
Chan has also helped the Independent Commission Against Corruption with its investigations into such syndicates.
Advertisement
He shared his experiences in the industry with the Post, after the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire last month, which killed at least 161 people and led to arrests linked to corruption and fraud.
The Tai Po residential estate had been under renovation since July last year and was covered in scaffolding and green mesh. Authorities suspect flammable foam panels used to seal windows and nets that failed fire-retardant tests fuelled the blaze’s rapid spread across seven of its eight blocks.
Advertisement
After graduating from the then Technical Institute – now the Institute of Vocational Education – Chan joined an architectural consultancy as a draftsman.