Consultants and contractors charged over Wang Fuk fire

The Buildings Department has filed 259 charges against two companies and four individuals in connection with the Wang Fuk Court fire last year that claimed 168 lives. The two companies implicated are Will Power Architects Company, the consultancy firm responsible for the renovation project, and Prestige Construction & Engineering, the main contractor.

The four individuals prosecuted are Wong Hap-yin, the director of Will Power; Ng Yeuk, the registered inspector employed by the company; Hau Wa-kin, a director of Prestige; and Ho Kin-yip, another Prestige director. They are accused of allowing or approving the use of defective materials or those not in line with the Buildings Ordinance during construction works.

The charges also allege that the parties permitted or approved the construction work to be performed in a way that caused injury to people or damage to property. The Buildings Department claims it has intensified regulation, inspection, and enforcement following the Wang Fuk Court tragedy. Additionally, a special operation is underway to inspect scaffold nets and fire safety measures at around 400 buildings undergoing major renovations across Hong Kong.

The Labour Department has also taken action, prosecuting a project contractor, a consultant, and a person over the deaths of five workers during the Wang Fuk Court fire. They have initiated 25 charges for violations under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, related to general duty breaches.