Race to make bid-rigging criminal offence by April
Officials said on Friday they aim to criminalise bid-rigging by April as well as enhance enforcement through the establishment of an inter-departmental task force. Competition Commission chief executive Rasul Butt said the watchdog would be consulting lawmakers over the proposed amendments “very soon” before seeking opinions from stakeholders. “The government and, of course, the relevant…
Officials have set their sights on making bid-rigging a criminal offense by April, alongside bolstering enforcement through the creation of an inter-departmental task force. Rasul Butt, the Competition Commission chief executive, indicated that the watchdog would be consulting lawmakers and stakeholders on the proposed changes before seeking approval from Legco.
The task force, comprising representatives from the commission, police force, and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, will be led by Chris Tang, Secretary for Security. The aim is to make the fight against bid-rigging more efficient by facilitating intelligence and database sharing among the task force members. Currently, the bid-rigging offense is only civil, but with the task force in place, joint operations, proactive measures, and enhanced collaboration in cracking down on such activities are expected.
Task force members will attend owners corporations meetings at high-risk buildings to identify potential bid-rigging. However, the task force will also depend on intelligence, undercover operations, and informers for successful investigations.
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