ICAC Complaints Committee Annual Report released

     The 2018 Annual Report of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Complaints Committee was released today (July 10). The report gives a summary of the Committee's work in 2018.

     The Committee is tasked with the responsibility of monitoring the handling of non-criminal complaints against the ICAC and its officers. The Committee takes an independent view on the ICAC's investigation findings on the complaints received, reviews the ICAC's procedures which may lead to complaints, and makes recommendations for improvement.

     In 2018, the Committee received 11 complaints involving 22 allegations against the ICAC or its officers. An additional allegation was registered in 2018 in respect of a complaint received in 2017. Among these 23 allegations registered in 2018, 30 per cent were related to misconduct, 57 per cent to neglect of duty and four per cent to abuse of power by ICAC officers. The remaining nine per cent were related to inadequacies of ICAC procedures.  

     The ICAC submits investigation reports to the Committee after conducting full investigation into complaint cases, while assessment reports are submitted for complaints which do not warrant full investigation. During 2018, the Committee held three meetings to consider the investigation reports of 17 complaint cases received in 2017 or 2018. These complaints contained a total of 88 allegations. Five allegations in four of these complaints were found to be substantiated or partially substantiated concerning a total of five ICAC officers, leading to two of them receiving a verbal warning and three being given advice by their senior officers. In the year, the Committee also considered and endorsed nine assessment reports. Preliminary assessment showed that there were no grounds or justifications in these complaints that would warrant formal investigation, and the Committee agreed that no further investigative actions should be taken.

     In the course of considering the complaints, both the Committee and the ICAC scrutinised the internal procedures, guidelines and practices of the ICAC. After careful examination of the issues identified in the investigation reports considered during 2018, the ICAC organised a number of internal briefing sessions and strengthened the training programmes for frontline officers to enhance their vigilance, technique and knowledge in answering public enquiries, dealing with requests from complainants and suspects, and handling of items seized during search operations. Commencing in 2018, additional modules focusing on emotion management and effective interpersonal communication skills have also been included in the induction/preparatory courses for new recruits and officers who newly take up duties in the ICAC Report Centre.    

     The annual report of the Committee is available on the Administration Wing website (www.admwing.gov.hk/eng/links/icac.htm) and also at the ICAC's regional offices.