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Rise in Hong Kong corruption complaints to ICAC attributed to more allegations about private sector as city economy recovers

  • Adviser to Independent Commission Against Corruption says increase in complaints last year caused by more allegations involving private sector
  • The ICAC received 2,001 allegations of corruption last year, up 9 per cent on 2022, with 204 people taken to court and 139 convictions

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The Independent Commission Against Corruption says increase in complaints due to private sector. Photo: Jelly Tse
Corruption complaints in Hong Kong went up last year but remained below the number recorded before the coronavirus hit, with advisers to the city’s anti-graft agency attributing the increase to a jump in private sector corruption as the economy recovered.
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Bernard Chan, the chairman of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s operations review committee, revealed on Monday that the agency received 2,001 allegations of corruption last year, a 9 per cent increase on 2022.

“Many different commercial activities are back now that the pandemic is over,” Chan said. “Of these, there are some bad apples who were looking to corrupt others for short-term benefits.

“However, I think it is important for the commission to spread the message [against graft] through large-scale operations.”

(From left) Simon Ho, the chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations, Bernard Chan, Martin Liao and Kelvin Wong of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, highlight the city’s anti-graft results last year. Photo: Dickson Lee
(From left) Simon Ho, the chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations, Bernard Chan, Martin Liao and Kelvin Wong of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, highlight the city’s anti-graft results last year. Photo: Dickson Lee

There were 1,439 complaints about the private sector in 2023, which accounted for 72 per cent of the total, a 22 per cent rise on the year before, but 13 per cent lower than the figures for 2019.

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