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Central Government, Local Government

Hong Kong govt tackles perceived rise in corruption

By Robin Hicks | 5 May 2009

A poor economy is likely to lead to a rise in corruption in both the public and private sector, a survey by Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has revealed.

The 2008 ICAC Annual Survey found that while 65.7 per cent of respondents expected the corruption situation would remain steady, 25 per cent anticipated that cases of corruption might increase - the highest percentage in the past four years.

Among those who shared this belief, the majority - or 85.2 per cent - believed that: “People were eager to earn quick money due to the poor economy” or “the difficulty to earn a living in Hong Kong”.

An ICAC spokesman said: “Amid the current economic downturn, the temptation to cut corners is less resistible. The worry is understandable and appears to tally with the latest trends in corruption reports.”

In the first quarter of 2009, the ICAC received 811 reports of corruption, representing a rise of 23 per cent when compared with 659 reports in the same period last year.

Of the total reports received, 512 - or 63 per cent - concerned the private sector. Complaints against government departments took up 32 per cent, while the remaining five per cent was against other public sector bodies.

Despite more reports in recent months, the ICAC spokesman assured the public that the anti-graft agency was taking positive steps to tackle corruption through intensified training and enhanced investigative capability.

The ICAC would also bolster its community education efforts to reinforce the probity messages and remind the public that corruption was a high-risk crime, the spokesman added.

The survey, which was carried out by a professional research company, polled a random sample of 1,543 persons in Hong Kong by phone in November 2008.

According to the survey, Hong Kong was generally perceived as a clean society - the proportion of respondents who said that corruption was uncommon rose to a record 71.2 per cent.

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