Tai Po Councillor and Prestige Construction Directors Deny Corruption Allegations
Quick Look
District councillor Peggy Wong and Prestige Construction directors Gordon Ho and Hau Wah-kin deny allegations of gift bag exchanges for proxy votes and bid-rigging in Wang Fuk Court renovation contract selection.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Allegations of corruption and bid-rigging surfaced during the selection of a renovation contractor for Wang Fuk Court.
A district councillor, Peggy Wong Pik-kiu, who has been criticised for her links to the former owners’ committee of the Tai Po complex, also rejected allegations of exchanging “gift bags” for proxy votes and denied soliciting or submitting proxies in a meeting that selected the contractor for renovation works at the estate. Gordon Ho Kin-yip and Hau Wah-kin, directors of Prestige Construction and Engineering, denied bid-rigging allegations in witness statements released on the website of the independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire on Wednesday night. Ho said that profit margins in the renovations industry were squeezed, and relationships between rival bidders were hostile, making collusion impossible. He “respectfully and verily” denied all allegations that Prestige had tacitly colluded with any other contractors.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Independent committee to release full investigation findings within the next 6 weeks.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Outcome of the independent investigation
- Extent of potential corruption in the contracting process
