Former Committee Member Exposes Proxy Vote Abuse at Wang Fuk Court Ahead of Deadly Fire Investigation
Jason Kong Cheung-fat reveals longstanding governance issues at Tai Po estate where 168 people died in November fire; renovation contract awarded under disputed circumstances
En resumen
- Former management committee member Jason Kong Cheung-fat exposes proxy vote abuse at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, where a November 2025 fire killed 168 people — the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948.
- The HK$336 million renovation contract was awarded to Prestige Construction and Engineering in January 2024 after 570 votes were cast at a meeting attended by only 293 people, with homeowners forced to pay up to HK$180,000 per flat within six months.
Resumen generado por IA
Por qué importa
Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po suffered Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948, killing 168 people and leaving nearly 5,000 homeless. All eight towers were under renovation with bamboo scaffolding and mesh netting since summer 2024. The tragedy has prompted investigation into governance issues at the estate's owners' corporation.
Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a former management committee member of the owners' corporation at Wang Fuk Court, said on Monday that the abuse of proxy votes was a long-standing problem that had enabled his predecessors to maintain a firm grip on power until they were ousted over a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project. The inferno that raged across seven of the Tai Po residential estate's eight buildings in November last year was the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since 1948, killing 168 people and leaving nearly 5,000 homeless. All eight towers had been under renovation and covered with bamboo scaffolding and mesh netting since the summer of 2024. Prestige Construction and Engineering, which submitted the costliest bid among 57 proposals, won the renovation contract under unusual circumstances, with 570 votes reportedly cast at a January 2024 meeting attended by only 293 people. Tang Kwok-kuen, the chairman of the committee at the time, reportedly ignored calls to overturn the decision, while forcing homeowners to pay up to HK$180,000 per flat within six months.
Qué observar
Perspectiva de IA — posibilidades, no hechos
Investigation will examine whether building safety regulations were violated during renovation
Muy probable · En semanas
Legal proceedings may follow against committee members for proxy vote abuse
Probable · En meses
Preguntas abiertas
- What caused the fire to spread so rapidly across seven buildings?
- Were safety regulations violated during the renovation?
- Will there be criminal charges against the committee members?
- How will the victims and homeless residents be compensated?
