Several HK officials face disciplinary probe in bottled water scandal
發佈日期: 2025-10-20 20:35
TVB News
An independent probe into the bottled water saga found human error may have been a factor in the matter.
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui said at least ten officials will be subject to a disciplinary investigation, which is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
Back in August, Xin Ding Xin Trade Company was suspected of defrauding the government on the source of its bottled drinking water.
This after being awarded a 52.9 million-dollar contract, to supply water for office use on Hong Kong Island and some outlying islands.
As the fiasco exposed loopholes in the government's procurement process, it was handed over to the Audit Commission for an independent examination.
In its review, the watchdog pointed out that human error may have been a factor in the matter.
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui announced a disciplinary investigation into more than ten officials involved.
Hui said, "We very much rely on the submissions or documents being presented to us. But in this fast-changing world, frauds could take different forms. I think we need to take a more proactive approach in terms of enhancing our due diligence capabilities. We have already issued guidelines to make sure that our colleagues on the procurement side adhere to the due diligence work, including not just about paper exercise, but also checking information online. At the same time, they could do on site inspection to really look into the information being available to them to see if they are genuine or not."
As to whether the former Director of the Government Logistics Department Carlson Chan is also subject to the disciplinary investigations, Hui said the inspections will cover all the officials who took part in the case, regardless if they have retired.
Meanwhile, six measures have been introduced to plug procurement loopholes, they include promulgating internal guidelines which set out specific requirements on conducting due diligence checks, such as preparation of tender documents, tender evaluation and contract management.
The GLD has also revised the Standard Terms and Conditions of Tenders and Contracts to empower the authorities to terminate contracts immediately if contractors are found to have provided false information.
An internal database is also established to share information on contractors' tendering and contract performances, in a bid to help officers to identify high-risk tenderers.
