Criminal investigations ongoing over Sha Tin-Central link scandal: govt

The government said on Wednesday that the law enforcement department continues to conduct criminal investigations into the incidents concerning the construction quality of the MTR Shatin to Central Link project.

The government’s statement came one day after construction company Leighton Contractors (Asia) has been fined HK$40,000 for its substandard work while building the city’s most expensive rail link, which partly caused HK$2 billion in extra costs for the project.

Lawyers for the company yesterday pleaded guilty at a Hong Kong court to violating the Buildings Ordinance, after the company had failed to adhere to an approved plan in the construction of a 1,410 sq ft space at Hung Hom MTR station, part of the railway project which cost nearly HK$100 billion.

But neither Leighton nor others involved in the project were charged for other issues revealed during an independent inquiry into the scandal, such as missing paperwork, subsidence, and building works carried out with unapproved designs.

Responding to media inquiries, the government issued a statement this morning saying the criminal investigation into the incidents concerning the project is ongoing, and that the government will not offer any comment on the case at this stage according to the established policy.

Meanwhile, the Buildings Department said in a statement yesterday that contractors who contravene the relevant provisions of the Buildings Ordinance in carrying out building works may be subject to disciplinary action, liable to be fined, reprimanded, or removed from the registered contractors' register.

Neither did the Buildings Department nor the MTR indicate they will hold relevant parties accountable for other issues revealed in the independent inquiry.