Hong Kong’s treasury chief has dismissed calls to set up a separate commission of inquiry to investigate officials’ roles in a bottled water procurement scandal, arguing that the government’s auditors will be able to identify lapses in a “professional and independent” manner. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu, the head of…
Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of being at the centre of a rapidly unfolding controversy surrounding a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to some government offices. The pair allegedly defrauded the government and are suspected of breaching the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by providing false information about the…
Lawmakers have called for a comprehensive review of the authorities’ procurement process following allegations that a company supplied infringing mainland Chinese-branded bottled water to government offices, prompting a police investigation. The Post also found that the directors of the company involved, Xin Ding Xin Trade, were linked to unpaid loans of HK$8 million (US$1.1 million)…