3 d. ago Hong Kong official urges ‘heightened alertness’ among staff after water scandal

Hong Kong’s logistics chief has issued a set of guidelines to senior civil servants, urging them to “heighten their alertness” and conduct due diligence to prevent potential fraudulent acts by tenderers and contractors, following a recent drinking water procurement scandal. “In light of the recent incident on procurement of bottled drinking water for which fraud elements involving the contractor are revealed, it is of utmost importance for bureaus and departments to step up efforts to prevent...

Politics

4 d. ago Hong Kong invests HK$30 million in water pipe robots to detect leakages

Hong Kong authorities have invested HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) in developing water pipe robots, modelled after endoscopes, to navigate the city’s complex urban infrastructure and detect leaks, addressing the risks posed by the ageing water network. The Water Supplies Department announced on Monday the opening of the Pipeline Robots Joint Laboratory, a collaboration between the department, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and mainland robotics company Shenzhen Bwell Technology. The...

Economics

4 d. ago Hong Kong invests HK$30 million in water pipe robots to detect leaks

Hong Kong authorities have invested HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) in developing water pipe robots, modelled after endoscopes, to navigate the city’s complex urban infrastructure and detect leaks, addressing risks posed by an ageing network. The Water Supplies Department announced on Monday the opening of the Pipeline Robots Joint Laboratory, a collaboration with Polytechnic University and mainland Chinese robotics company Shenzhen Bwell Technology. Under the two-year collaboration, researchers...

Economics

1 week ago Water scandal another blow to public trust in Hong Kong government

It is quite unimaginable that Hong Kong continues to struggle with basic necessities such as water. However, that is the case, at least when it comes to the government. Ten years ago, opposition lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan found excessive levels of lead in drinking water that was later discovered to have affected 11 public housing estates, involving 29,000 households. That led to an independent, judge-led inquiry in 2016. The investigation yielded 17 recommendations, including for the water...

Politics

1 week ago No separate inquiry needed to probe Hong Kong water scandal, treasury chief says

Hong Kong’s treasury chief has dismissed calls to set up a separate commission of inquiry to investigate officials’ roles in a bottled water procurement scandal, arguing that the government’s auditors will be able to identify lapses in a “professional and independent” manner. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu, the head of a newly formed task force that is reviewing the case, on Sunday defended the adequacy of having the Audit Commission conduct its...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Very disappointed’: John Lee speaks for first time on Hong Kong’s water scandal

Hong Kong’s leader has expressed deep disappointment over the Government Logistics Department’s failure to detect fraudulent documents before awarding a HK$52.9 million (US$6.78 million) contract to a bottled water supplier, urging authorities to plug loopholes in the procurement process as soon as possible. Commenting on the water supply scandal for the first time, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said the treasury minister’s response to the incident had been timely and appropriate. Lee...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong urged to expedite government accountability system after water scandal

A vague public apology and blaming a procedural “flaw” have failed to quell public discontent over the government’s water procurement scandal, political analysts have said, urging Hong Kong’s leader to accelerate developing a civil servant accountability system. Analysts made the call on Friday as the government told the Post that the central tender board, chaired by a permanent secretary of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, had given the final approval to the bottled water...

Politics

2 w. ago Apology for Hong Kong water scandal not enough to stem public’s anger: experts

A vague public apology and blaming a procedural “flaw” have failed to quell public discontent over the government’s water procurement scandal, political analysts have said, urging Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu to accelerate developing a civil servant accountability system. Analysts made the call on Friday as the government said that the central tender board, chaired by the permanent secretary of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, had given the final approval to the bottled water...

Science

2 w. ago Hong Kong water scandal: tougher vetting of tender bidders needed, lawmakers say

Hong Kong lawmakers have called for tougher vetting of bidders for government tenders, accusing authorities of accepting information submitted by companies at face value after awarding a HK$52.9 million (US$8.8 million) bottled water contract to a firm suspected of deception. The calls for stricter background checks came as a senior official apologised for the first time over the growing procurement scandal, which came to light at the weekend after the government was forced to terminate a...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong logistics official admits system failed to detect water fraud

Hong Kong’s procurement system has failed to detect document fraud and authorities are taking immediate steps to strengthen it, the head of the logistics department has said, apologising to the public for the first time amid a growing water scandal. Treasury chief Hui Ching-yu, meanwhile, said on Thursday that his task force reviewing the system would provide a mid-term investigation report with suggested measures instead of waiting for the investigation to be completed in three months. After...

Politics

2 w. ago Bottled water brands seize on Hong Kong procurement scandal to promote products

Some bottled water brands in Hong Kong are taking advantage of a growing government procurement scandal to promote their products. Watsons Water posted on social media on Wednesday that its products were “safety and quality assured”, highlighting its strictly controlled production processes, which included multiple filtration and high-temperature distillation. The post received almost 380 reactions. Another local drinking water manufacturer, Swire Coca-Cola, posted on Facebook on Tuesday night...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong centre takes legal action against firm involved in water scandal

A testing centre, where a Hong Kong lawmaker serves as a director, has taken legal action against a company suspected of procurement fraud for falsely claiming that the body had issued safety certificates for 1.88 million bottles of water supplied to government offices. The Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre clarified on Wednesday that it had not provided any services to Xin Ding Xin Trade, the water supplier suspected of defrauding the government in the HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million)...

Economics

2 w. ago Hong Kong man charged with fraud, wife bailed in water procurement scandal

A 61-year-old Hong Kong businessman has been remanded in custody after being charged with defrauding the government to secure a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract for supplying drinking water to its offices. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu acknowledged on Tuesday that there were “shortcomings” in the procurement deal and said a task force he chaired would meet this week for discussions. Police escorted Lui Tsz-chung, who claims to be a...

Politics

2 w. ago Pouring over the facts: what is behind Hong Kong’s water procurement scandal?

Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of being at the centre of a rapidly unfolding controversy surrounding a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to some government offices. The pair allegedly defrauded the government and are suspected of breaching the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by providing false information about the product manufacturer. The unprecedented fiasco over the contract, which was among the first of its kind awarded to a mainland...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong police arrest couple over HK$52.9 million bottled water contract fraud

Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of defrauding the government in connection with a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to civil service offices. Kung Hing-fun, the senior superintendent of the Commercial Crime Bureau of Police, said on Monday that the man, 61, and woman, 57, were arrested the previous day. Kung added that the married couple were the owners of a company that had secured a 36-month water deal, and that a mainland Chinese man...

Events

2 w. ago Couple arrested for fraud in HK$52.9 million water procurement scandal

Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of defrauding the government in connection with a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to civil service offices. Kung Hing-fun, the senior superintendent of the force’s commercial crime bureau, said on Monday that the man, 61, and woman, 57, were arrested the previous day. Kung added the married couple were the owners of a company that had secured a 36-month water deal, and that a mainland Chinese man was...

Economics

2 w. ago Couple arrested for fraud in HK$52.9 million Hong Kong water procurement scandal

Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of defrauding the government in connection with a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to civil service offices. Kung Hing-fun, the senior superintendent of the force’s commercial crime bureau, said on Monday that the man, 61, and woman, 57, were arrested the previous day. Kung added the couple were the owners of a company that had secured a 36-month water deal, and that a mainland Chinese man was still at...

Economics

2 w. ago Couple held over Hong Kong water procurement scandal linked to another fraud case

A married couple arrested in Hong Kong over a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) suspected water procurement fraud that targeted the government are already under investigation for allegedly using false documents to obtain trade loans two years ago, the Post has learned. Police said on Monday that the man, 61, and woman, 57, were arrested the previous day on suspicion of defrauding the government in connection with a contract to supply drinking water to civil service offices. A source said records...

Politics

2 w. ago Calls for Hong Kong government to speed up probe into pricier water deal

Hong Kong authorities are facing mounting pressure to explain how a company offering more expensive bottled water and without an operating factory could win a tender, while a civil service union leader has said workers are now worried about their health and are buying their own water. Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon on Monday questioned the deadline of three months that the government had set for itself in its investigation to produce preliminary conclusions on its bottled water procurement...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong government faces scrutiny over bottled water procurement scandal

Lawmakers have called for a comprehensive review of the authorities’ procurement process following allegations that a company supplied infringing mainland Chinese-branded bottled water to government offices, prompting a police investigation. The Post also found that the directors of the company involved, Xin Ding Xin Trade, were linked to unpaid loans of HK$8 million (US$1.1 million) via another firm, just one day after its HK$52.9 million contract with the Government Logistics Department was...

Politics