Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency records uptick in complaints in 2024
Biggest spike in complaints involves Correctional Services Department, with 144 per cent increase over previous year
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency recorded a slight increase in complaints last year compared with 2023, while allegations against correctional services rocketed by nearly 145 per cent.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Monday revealed it received 2,058 complaints in 2024, a 3 per cent increase from the 2,001 cases in 2023.
Bernard Chan, chairman of the agency’s operations review committee, said among the 480 complaints against government departments, 44 were against the Correctional Services Department (CSD), marking a 144 per cent rise on the year before.
But Chan pointed out that no prosecution had yet been launched on those complaints relating to the CSD.
“A complaint does not necessarily equate to prosecution as a result. Complaints are just a set of numbers and data, [we] do not think we should deliberately compare the figures year to year,” he said.
The chairman said that if the public looked at the allegations recorded on average in the past five years – standing at about 548 annually – the city had enjoyed a low record of suspected corruption overall.