ICAC arrests current and former Wang Fuk Court owners' committee chairs over Tai Po fire aftermath

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) arrested the current and former chairmen of the Owners' Corporation at Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday morning, following the devastating blaze that killed 160 people and destroyed around 2,000 homes.

The two men detained are the incumbent chairman, surnamed Hui, who took office in September last year, and the former chairman, surnamed Tang, who led the committee from 2012 until September last year.

Hui was seen leaving ICAC headquarters and declined to comment on the case.

Residents had previously expressed surprise at Hui's quick approval of engineering contracts despite earlier doubts about the companies involved.

Tang was responsible for signing the high-value maintenance contracts during his tenure.

He previously told the media that the process followed Urban Renewal Authority guidelines and involved selecting contractors with recommendations from a consultant.

Since the fire, ICAC has arrested 12 people, including engineering consultants, contractors, scaffolding subcontractors, and intermediaries.

ICAC Commissioner Danny Woo Ying-ming canceled a trip to Doha to lead the executive committee meeting and annual conference in person from December 12 to 14, opting to stay in Hong Kong to oversee the corruption probe related to the fire and attend the conference virtually.

He emphasized his duty to remain in the city during this critical period to ensure thorough and professional investigation progress.

(Updated at 7.26pm)