Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Seven individuals and two companies charged by Police and ICAC with 25 offences of manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, etc over Wang Fuk Court fireThe ICAC’s prosecution list:The Police laid charges against three individuals and two companies with jointly five counts of manslaughter
On June 10, 2016, Wang Fuk Court received a statutory notice under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme. In this connection, through respective tendering processes, Will Power was appointed for preparing a building inspection report and monitoring the repair works; Prestige was appointed for carrying out the prescribed repair works.
Following careful study of the case details and a comprehensive review of numerous documents and statements from parties concerned, the Police revealed that the companies and persons-in-charge responsible for the major renovation project are suspected of serious breach of duty of care, resulting in gross negligence in the supervision of construction materials and procedures. Investigation revealed that issues arising from the repair works include the use of non-fire-retardant safety nets and canvases; the use of flammable foam boards; and the creation of window openings at the fire escape routes of staircases for workers’ access to the external wall scaffolding. These construction arrangements are suspected of severely compromising the fire safety of the buildings, causing the fire to spread rapidly and obstructing escape routes, resulting in a large number of causalities.
The charges mainly cover four areas: (1) fraud in tendering process; (2) fraud in project supervision; (3) “money laundering” by project consultancy firm’s director; and (4) attempting to pervert the course of public justice in ICAC’s investigation.
Area 1: Fraud in the tendering process of Wang Fuk Court’s major renovation project(involving two counts of conspiracy to defraud)
Another charge alleges that during the same period, Will Power’s director Wong Hap-yin, Will Power and an employee of the company conspired together to defraud the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) by causing a tender analysis report containing false information to be published onto the URA’s electronic platform for access by flat owners of Wang Fuk Court, facilitating the award of the major renovation project.
Area 2: Fraud in project supervision at Wang Fuk Court and other estates(involving one count of conspiracy to defraud)
Area 3: “Money laundering” by project consultancy firm’s director(involving five counts of “money laundering” and 10 counts of tax evasion)(involving two counts of attempting to pervert the course of public justice)
The two cases were adjourned to September 2, 2026 for mention at the West Magistrates’ Courts. As the relevant investigations by the Police and the ICAC are continuing, further law enforcement actions would not be ruled out.
Issued at HKT 18:50
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