Police arrest two in govt water procurement scandal

Hong Kong police have launched a fraud investigation into a company accused of supplying counterfeit bottled water to government offices, arresting two suspects and issuing a warrant for a mainland Chinese man.

The case centers on Xin Ding Xin Trading Co., which won a government tender in mid-June to supply "Xin Le Guan Yin Shan" bottled water.

Authorities became suspicious after the purported mainland manufacturer, Robust (Guangdong) Drinking Water Co., denied any involvement, stating it had never produced the water, collaborated with Xin Ding Xin, or supplied any products to the Hong Kong government.

Husband-and-wife duo arrested

Police detained the trading company’s 61-year-old shareholder and 57-year-old director, a married couple, during raids at their North Point office and a residential unit in Lei King Wan on Sunday. 

Officers seized signed tender documents, computers, and phones as evidence.

Investigations revealed the water was sourced from a factory in Dongguan, Guangdong, then shipped via logistics firms to a Yuen Long storage warehouse, where 2,600 bottles from the same batch were seized.

About 30,000 bottles had already been distributed to government departments before the scam was uncovered.

Suspected forgery of water quality reports

The mainland manufacturer’s representative claimed no knowledge of the suspects but said Xin Ding Xin had previously requested water quality test reports—raising concerns about potential document forgery.

Police will travel to Dongguan to probe the factory’s hygiene standards and the roles of those arrested and the wanted suspect.

(Update at 3.45pm)