2 bid-rigging syndicates ‘potentially linked’ to estate destroyed in Tai Po fire

Hong Kong's Competition Commission has disclosed that at least two separate bid-rigging syndicates may be connected to the renovation contract for Wang Fuk Court, the public housing estate devastated by the recent Tai Po fire, the city's deadliest in decades. During the fourth session of a judicial hearing, the watchdog's executive director for legal services, Lester Lee Hiu-leung, stated that law enforcement is probing whether fraud was involved in steering residents to approve a HK$336 million renovation proposal from Prestige Construction and Engineering—the most expensive among 57 options.

The commission has not ruled out applying to the Competition Tribunal for financial damages from the project's consultant, Will Power Architects Company, and contractor, Prestige. While these two firms were not named in a formal complaint filed the previous day targeting eight companies and 12 individuals over rigged bids at 11 estates, the investigation into the Tai Po tragedy remains active and separate. The revelation points to a potentially widespread corruption network influencing public housing contracts, with the commission urging public patience as its complex probe continues.