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6 Independent Commission Against Corruption

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Introduction to Crime, Law and Justice in Hong Kong
This chapter is in the book Introduction to Crime, Law and Justice in Hong Kong
Within the space of a few decades Hong Kong has gone from being a societyplagued by corruption to having one of the world’s cleanest public services.That is largely due to the success of the Independent Commission AgainstCorruption (ICAC), which has become one of the largest anti-corruptionbodies in the world with an annual budget in excess of HK$600 millionand a staff of more than 1,300 (ICAC, 2006a).Today, the ICAC is internationally respected, not just for its work inHong Kong but also for the advice it offers others elsewhere who are alsoseeking to eradicate bribery. International publications have lavished praiseon the ICAC’s success. But how did Hong Kong produce such a successstory and create a culture of anti-corruption? To answer that question, weneed to turn back to the first legislative attempts to tackle corruption morethan a century ago.The Early DaysAnti-bribery legislation began in Hong Kong with the MisdemeanoursPunishment Ordinance (No. 3 of 1898), which gave the police responsibilityfor investigating corruption among public servants. Five decades later thePrevention of Corruption Ordinance (No. 34 of 1948) was enacted and thepolice established its first unit specifically charged with tackling graft, anAnti-Corruption Squad within the Criminal Investigation Department. Fouryears later, in 1952, this was transformed into a more high-powered Anti-Corruption Branch, headed by an assistant commissioner of police.None of these early steps made much impact on the rampant corruptionthen prevalent within Hong Kong’s public sector. The problem was6Independent CommissionAgainst CorruptionIan McWalters and Anne Carver
© 2009, Hong Kong University Press

Within the space of a few decades Hong Kong has gone from being a societyplagued by corruption to having one of the world’s cleanest public services.That is largely due to the success of the Independent Commission AgainstCorruption (ICAC), which has become one of the largest anti-corruptionbodies in the world with an annual budget in excess of HK$600 millionand a staff of more than 1,300 (ICAC, 2006a).Today, the ICAC is internationally respected, not just for its work inHong Kong but also for the advice it offers others elsewhere who are alsoseeking to eradicate bribery. International publications have lavished praiseon the ICAC’s success. But how did Hong Kong produce such a successstory and create a culture of anti-corruption? To answer that question, weneed to turn back to the first legislative attempts to tackle corruption morethan a century ago.The Early DaysAnti-bribery legislation began in Hong Kong with the MisdemeanoursPunishment Ordinance (No. 3 of 1898), which gave the police responsibilityfor investigating corruption among public servants. Five decades later thePrevention of Corruption Ordinance (No. 34 of 1948) was enacted and thepolice established its first unit specifically charged with tackling graft, anAnti-Corruption Squad within the Criminal Investigation Department. Fouryears later, in 1952, this was transformed into a more high-powered Anti-Corruption Branch, headed by an assistant commissioner of police.None of these early steps made much impact on the rampant corruptionthen prevalent within Hong Kong’s public sector. The problem was6Independent CommissionAgainst CorruptionIan McWalters and Anne Carver
© 2009, Hong Kong University Press

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Contributors ix
  5. 1 Introduction to Crime, Law and Justice in Hong Kong 1
  6. 2 Criminal Law 17
  7. 3 Counting Crime in Hong Kong 35
  8. 4 Hong Kong Police Force 55
  9. 5 Customs and Excise Department 77
  10. 6 Independent Commission Against Corruption 91
  11. 7 Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice 111
  12. 8 Legal Assistance 131
  13. 9 Hong Kong Judiciary 147
  14. 10 Court Interpreters’ Office 169
  15. 11 Correctional Services Department 185
  16. 12 Social Welfare Department 205
  17. 13 Cross-Border Relations in Criminal Matters 223
  18. Appendix. Hong Kong’s Principal Criminal Ordinances and Common Law Offences 243
  19. Index 251
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9789888052424-008

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Contributors ix
  5. 1 Introduction to Crime, Law and Justice in Hong Kong 1
  6. 2 Criminal Law 17
  7. 3 Counting Crime in Hong Kong 35
  8. 4 Hong Kong Police Force 55
  9. 5 Customs and Excise Department 77
  10. 6 Independent Commission Against Corruption 91
  11. 7 Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice 111
  12. 8 Legal Assistance 131
  13. 9 Hong Kong Judiciary 147
  14. 10 Court Interpreters’ Office 169
  15. 11 Correctional Services Department 185
  16. 12 Social Welfare Department 205
  17. 13 Cross-Border Relations in Criminal Matters 223
  18. Appendix. Hong Kong’s Principal Criminal Ordinances and Common Law Offences 243
  19. Index 251
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