ENG-2004 — Page 423

Public Order | 361

conference in Vienna, Austria in November on cooperation in fighting corruption. The Commissioner was also invited to address the China and ASEAN Countries Attorneys- General Conference held in Kunming, China, in July. Senior official delegations from Korea and Madagascar were among the anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies from various parts of the world visiting the ICAC during the year.

Corruption Situation

In 2004, the ICAC received 3 746 corruption reports (excluding election-related complaints), a drop of 13 per cent from the previous year. Of these, 1 286 were made against government departments, down from 1 541 in 2003. There were 2 176 and 284 reports concerning the private sector and public bodies respectively, compared with 2 472 and 297 in 2003. Pursuable reports accounted for 76 per cent of all corruption reports.

A total of 594 election-related reports were received in the year, 570 of which were pursuable. They included 468 reports relating to the District Council Election, 119 concerning the Legislative Council Election, and seven about the Village Representatives Election.

Investigation

In 2004, the ICAC's Operations Department continued to pursue a proactive strategy in unearthing corruption cases, rendering corruption a high-risk crime. The department maintained close ties with other disciplined services through Operational Liaison Groups. Liaison channels were also established with government departments, regulatory bodies and key industries to facilitate cooperation in tackling corruption

cases.

Major cases detected during the year included corruption-facilitated financial fraud involving publicly listed companies, contract and tendering malpractices, and a conspiracy to murder an ICAC witness. There were also corruption allegations involving civil servants and misconduct in public office.

At year-end, the Operations Department's case-load stood at 1 787 (including 473 investigations on election-related cases). A growing number of these cases featured a more sophisticated and complex modus operandi. During the year, 494 persons were prosecuted and 132 cautioned in accordance with the advice of the Department of Justice.

Prevention

The Corruption Prevention Department examines the practices and procedures of government departments and public bodies to identify corruption loopholes, and recommends measures to minimise opportunities for corruption and malpractice.

During the year, the department completed 96 detailed corruption prevention. reviews on a wide range of activities including law enforcement, public procurement, outsourcing, licensing, inspection, contract management and public works. Priority was accorded to problem areas revealed in cases uncovered by the Operations Department, and corruption-prone areas found in corruption complaints or identified through established liaison with government departments.