ENG-2006 — Page 392

324 Public Order

To provide an international forum for exchanging ideas and experiences in the fight against graft, the ICAC hosted the Third ICAC Symposium Corporate Corruption, Integrity and Governance in May 2006. The three-day international conference was attended by more than 400 delegates from 41 jurisdictions.

The ICAC continued to enjoy a high degree of public confidence. According to an opinion survey conducted by an independent research company in 2006, an overwhelming 98.9 per cent of respondents expressed support for the anti-graft body. During the year, 73 per cent of complainants revealed their identities when lodging corruption reports to the commission the highest since its inception.

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) applies to Hong Kong. It came into effect in February 2006, establishing an important milestone in Hong Kong's cooperation with the world in combating corruption.

Corruption Situation

The corruption situation in Hong Kong remained stable in 2006. During the year, the ICAC received 3 339 corruption reports, excluding election-related complaints, a drop of 9 per cent from the previous year. Of these, 32 per cent or 1 068 concerned government departments while 61 per cent or 2 037 were related to the private sector. The remaining 7 per cent or 234 reports were against public bodies.

In 2006, the commission received 57 complaints alleging corrupt or illegal conduct relating to public elections, which included the District Council by-elections, the Legislative Council election, the Rural Committee elections, Village Representative elections and by-elections, and the Election Committee Subsector elections.

Investigation

As a result of vigorous enforcement actions, corruption in Hong Kong has become a high-risk crime. The ICAC's Operations Department looks into every pursuable corruption complaint and is proactive in exposing unreported cases. The department maintains close ties with other disciplined services, government departments, regulatory bodies and key industries in order to crack down on corruption more effectively.

During the year, a number of public servants were prosecuted for misconduct in public office and corruption related to the awarding of contracts and connivance in substandard works or services. In the private sector, a number of commercial fraud and bribery cases were exposed. These cases involved listed companies, massive bank loans, embezzlement of corporate funds, fraudulent insurance claims and the awarding of contracts and tenders.

At year-end, the department was dealing with 1 438 corruption cases, which included 41 election-related ones. Some of the cases were of a sophisticated and complex nature, and required more intricate and protracted investigations. During the year, 341 people were prosecuted and 45 cautioned in accordance with the advice of the Department of Justice. The overall conviction rate soared to a record high of 88 per cent during the year.