TNAG-0493-FCO40-558-Establishment-of-Anti-Corruption-Commission-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 105

VDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

Telephone 01-

23

J Cater Esq CBE

Your reference

Independent Commission Against Corruption our reference 4th floor, Beaconsfield House Queen's Road Central

Hong Kong

NKK14/4

Date

8 February 1974

13

Dear Jack,

STAFFING OF THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION

(12)

1.

We have seen Hong Kong telegram no. 114 about the retirement of Chief Superintendent Harknett who is joining the Commission. This has led our masters to ask me how you see the future shape of staffing for the Commission. I know that you have some seconded officers (e.g. Trevor Bedofrd); others like Harknett are now resigning from the public service to join you; and we have at last been able to tie up the visit of Anning, which should result in one or more policemen coming to you from the UK (with apologies incidentally for the delay. As you know, we were constrained to work through the Home Office for reasons of their prestige and their mills grind exceeding slowly.).

2.

This will give you a mixed bag of sources for your staff. The question is whether you regard this as the ideal mix to provide enough local expertise without being accused of being too much part of the Hong Kong establishment. The fact that Harknett is no longer a member of the Hong Kong police is in one sense a clear gain for independence. But if he and others like him became part of the permanent structure of the Commission Against Corruption, we might start to run up against accusations that the Hong Kong police had merely moved across to take over the anti-corruption investigations and to keep out outsiders. Presumably, however, Harknett will be on a short- term contract with you, in which case he would not be a fixture in the Commission.

3.

Perhaps in due course you could let me have a note on your philosophy of recruitment for the information of interested Ministers etc. here?

Yours

Redraw

A C Stuart

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

CONFIDENTIAL

Midée

By

2 March

for submission

ол

23r

new

Andi

Coruption

Commission.

рпк

19/2

Ace minte

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