Hong Kong fire inquiry blames renovation contractor and consultant as government moves to make bid-rigging a crime

High Court judge David Lok led the committee, which handed its findings to Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, on Oct. 22 after 30 days of hearings. The text is not public yet. Citing NowTV, Hong Kong Free Press reported that it places the blame on the two firms and names no individual officials. Sources quoted by The Standard said four government bodies are faulted: the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau, which carries the heaviest share, and the Buildings, Fire Services and Labour departments.

According to Sing Tao, The Standard's sister paper, the government will make bid-rigging on building maintenance a criminal offence, overhaul how large repair jobs are approved and supervised, and sharply raise maximum fines for contractors and professionals. Amendments to the Buildings Ordinance are due at the Legislative Council by year-end. The Chief Secretary will head a steering group that oversees them along with changes to the Building Management and Fire Safety ordinances. The Competition Commission has floated prison terms of up to 10 years for the new offence.

The fire spread through seven blocks of the subsidised estate during a facade renovation. Hearings showed that Will Power won the consultancy for an unusually low fee and then gave Prestige the top score on its court record, although the contractor had 24 workplace safety convictions between 2017 and 2023, Resonate reported. Prestige then landed the works contract, worth HK$336 million (US$42.8 million). Whether the tender was rigged was outside the inquiry's remit. Several people involved already face criminal charges, so the government plans to black out parts of the report before release.