Commissioner Against Corruption Woo Ying-ming announced today that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has arrested 12 individuals in connection with the recent five-alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The arrests include engineering consultants, contractors, and scaffolding subcontractors.
The announcement was made during a joint media briefing held at 4:00 pm in the West Wing lobby of the Central Government Offices. Secretary for Administration Eric Chan, Secretary for Security Chris Tang, and Director of Crime and Security Chan Tung were also present to provide updates on the follow-up work to the fire.
Mr. Woo stated that, given the significant public interest involved in the Tai Po fire, the ICAC established a dedicated task force last Thursday (Nov. 27). The investigation revealed that the incident originated after multiple typhoons damaged the protective netting on scaffolding at the estate in July.
According to Mr. Woo, the suspects subsequently purchased replacement netting in batches from a local supplier. Evidence indicates they bought a total of 2,300 rolls, covering approximately 75,000 square meters, for HK$54 per roll. This netting, however, did not meet fire-retardant standards. It was then installed to replace the damaged sections. Mr. Woo calculated that the quantity of this substandard netting was sufficient to cover all eight blocks of the Wang Fuk Court.
Following a fire involving scaffolding netting in Central in late October, the suspects grew concerned their netting might be subjected to random inspections and testing by authorities. In an attempt to evade any potential checks, they purchased an additional 115 rolls (about 3,700 square meters) of compliant, fire-retardant netting from the same supplier at HK$100 per roll. They then installed this compliant netting at the bottom sections of the scaffolding on each building – the areas most likely to be inspected – to create a false impression that the netting passed safety standards.
Mr. Woo emphasized that the Police and the ICAC have formed a joint investigation team. Both agencies, along with the Department of Justice, are currently reviewing the evidence to determine if there is sufficient basis for criminal prosecution.
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