Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog has arrested eight people on suspicion of corruption linked to the HK$330 million renovation project at Wang Fuk Court, where a deadly fire has claimed at least 128 lives.
Seven men and a woman, aged between 40 and 63, were arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday. Two were directors of a construction consultancy firm, while two others were responsible for supervising the maintenance work at the decades-old housing estate.
Three other arrestees – including a married couple – were bamboo scaffolding subcontractors. The remaining arrestee was a middleman, ICAC said.
ICAC officers also obtained warrants to search 13 premises, including the offices of the consultancy firm and the subcontractors and the residences of the arrested individuals. Documents related to the construction works and bank records were seized.
The arrestees are currently detained pending investigation.
Police arrested three men earlier on suspicion of manslaughter in connection to the fire which engulfed seven out of eight high-rise residential blocks at the estate.
As of Friday afternoon, around 200 Wang Fuk Court residents are still unaccounted for. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said preliminary laboratory tests found that the netting used to cover the scaffolding at Wang Fuk Court met fire resistance standards, but the Styrofoam boards found outside the buildings’ windows were highly flammable.
The authorities believe the fire started at the netting covering the lower floors of Wang Cheong House and ignited the boards, sending flames rapidly upward.
Wang Fuk Court has around 2,000 residential units and is home to around 4,000 people, according to the 2021 census.
