Five charged in $90m bid-rigging scheme at three housing estates

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has charged five individuals with suspected corruption in connection with bid-rigging for renovation projects at three residential estates, involving contracts worth a total of HK$90 million.

The case was brought before the Eastern Magistrates' Courts for its first hearing on Wednesday (Mar 25) morning.

The charges follow a joint operation conducted by the anti-corruption watchdog and the Competition Commission, which dismantled a criminal syndicate suspected of manipulating the tendering processes for building maintenance projects through bribery and bid-rigging.

The five defendants, four men and one woman aged between 42 and 70, allegedly offered bribes to members of the owners' corporations and owners' representatives of three estates – Yan Tsui Court in Chai Wan,  Hoi Tao Building in Kennedy Town, and Victory Garden in Kwai Chung.

They face a total of eight charges, including seven counts of offering an advantage to an agent and one count of conspiracy to offer an advantage to an agent.

The ICAC stated that the investigation is ongoing and did not rule out the possibility of further prosecutions.