Recent ICAC Cases
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Hong Kong Police Force (Police) launched a joint operation codenamed “Double-edged” on Tuesday (June 23) to crack down on a crime syndicate controlled by members of the local football circle, resulting in the arrest of 19 individuals. The syndicate is suspected of operating an illegal bookmaking ring involving both local and international matches, including World Cup matches, as well as bribing football players to fix match results in local games for illicit profits.
The syndicate’s illicit activities were revealed during an earlier ICAC investigation into another corruption case involving match-fixing. Following thorough investigations, the mastermind and backbone members of the syndicate were arrested. The arrestees include a serving coach and serving and former football players from local football clubs.
Nine arrested by ICAC for local football match-fixing corruption
The ICAC arrested nine men aged between 22 and 49 during the operation, and one of them was also arrested by the Police. Among the nine arrestees are two coaches, one from a First Division of Hong Kong (First Division) club and another form a Hong Kong Premier League U-22 League (U-22) club, and one of the duo also acted as a betting agent. The remaining arrestees are seven football players: six who play for three First Division clubs, and one who is a footballer-turned-betting agent of the syndicate having played for various clubs across different divisions
The arrestees are suspected of breaching the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance by fixing the results of local football matches through bribery to enable the bookmaking syndicate to make profits.
The ICAC investigations revealed irregularities in at least four First Division matches in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, as well as a U-22 match in the 2025/26 season. While the coach and the player acting as betting agents are suspected of collecting bets for the syndicate, a portion of these bets was allegedly used to bribe other football players to fix matches in local games so that the syndicate could profit from the match results.
During the operation, search warrants were executed by ICAC officers at various premises, including the residences of the arrestees. As the relevant corruption investigation is still ongoing, the ICAC will continue to probe the matter thoroughly and does not rule out further enforcement actions.
Illegal gambling den raid by Police, 11 arrested for bookmaking
During the operation, Police officers from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau arrested nine men and two women, aged between 24 and 58, for “conspiracy to commit bookmaking” and “betting with a bookmaker”. Among the arrestees were five core members of a criminal syndicate and six gamblers, including active local football league players. Searches were conducted at an office and the residences of the arrestees, leading to the seizure of a small quantity of betting slips, $120,000 in cash, a laptop, and other electronic equipment.
Investigations revealed that the mastermind of the syndicate created multiple accounts across illegal gambling websites. These accounts were entrusted to associated football players, who managed finances and accepted illegal bookmaking bets from acquaintances, including individuals within the football community. The illegal betting activities covered both professional and amateur football matches, locally and overseas, at various levels. The syndicate had been operating for approximately two to three years, handling an estimated total of over $6 million in illegal bets. Police believe that the joint operation has successfully dismantled the criminal syndicate and cut off its sources of income. The operation remains ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.
Safeguarding sports integrity through ICAC’s “three-pronged” anti-graft strategy
The ICAC has always strived to maintain local sports integrity through a three-pronged anti-corruption approach comprising law enforcement, prevention and education. In addition to robust law enforcement, the ICAC has launched the Integrity and Corruption Prevention Guide for National Sports Associations (NSAs) to help enhance the governance and internal controls of NSAs.
The ICAC continues to organise integrity training for footballers playing at different divisions, particularly young football players, to instil positive values. The ICAC is grateful to the Football Association of Hong Kong, China for providing expert assistance in identifying suspicious match-fixing activities in various matches.
ICAC and Police do not tolerate any illegalities
The ICAC does not tolerate any corrupt attempts to undermine the integrity of the local sports community or the Hong Kong society. Corruption will be fully investigated by the ICAC. If members of the public suspect any corrupt practices, they should report them to the ICAC immediately.
With the quadrennial World Cup currently underway, members of the public are reminded not to be influenced by peers or the tournament atmosphere into participating in any illegal gambling activities. Under the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148), anyone who unlawfully engages in bookmaking commits an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a maximum fine of $5 million and imprisonment for seven years. Even if a gambling website is based outside Hong Kong, citizens who participate in the operation of such websites while in Hong Kong may still breach the relevant ordinance. Meanwhile, anyone who places a bet with a bookmaker, regardless of whether the bet is placed within or outside Hong Kong, commits an offence. Upon conviction, offenders are liable to a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine and imprisonment for nine months. Members of the public are urged not to defy the law.
A waitress charged by the ICAC was convicted today (June 25) at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts of offering bribes consisting of a supermarket voucher and cash worth totalling $350 to two staff members of the Labour Department (LD) for assisting her in filing a claim for wages and severance payment against her former employer. Her offers were rejected by the LD staff.
Ting Shuk-fan, 52, was found guilty after trial of two counts of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Magistrate Mr Tobias Cheng Yun-chung adjourned the case to July 15 for sentencing, pending the defendant’s background report. The defendant was remanded in custody of the Correctional Services Department.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the LD. Between February 2012 and June 2019, the defendant was employed by a caterer. In mid-August 2024, she submitted a claim form to the LD regarding her claim against the caterer for wages and severance payment.
Under the Employment Ordinance, there is a statutory time limit of three months for filing a claim for severance payment. As the defendant filed her claim after this deadline, an Assistant Clerical Officer of the LD assisted her in applying for an extension of the time limit to facilitate her claim and to arrange a conciliation meeting between herself and her former employer.
The court heard that on August 30, 2024, the defendant offered a supermarket cash voucher worth $50 to the Assistant Clerical Officer of the LD for assisting her in continuing her claim against her former employer. The Assistant Clerical Officer immediately declined the offer and reported the matter to a supervisor.
The defendant was later informed by an Assistant Labour Officer of the LD that her former employer would not send a representative to attend the conciliation meeting as the defendant had resigned voluntarily. The Assistant Labour Officer then advised the defendant to pursue the claim through the Labour Tribunal.
On December 16, 2024, the defendant offered $300 in cash to the Assistant Labour Officer by registered mail for assisting her in continuing her claim against her former employer. The Assistant Labour Officer immediately reported the matter to a supervisor.
The LD rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Bernard Yuen, assisted by ICAC officer Stanley Cheung.
The ICAC reminds the public that bribing public servants is a serious offence carrying a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of $500,000 upon conviction.
An asset management company owner was convicted today (June 23) at the District Court of laundering approximately $64 million in crime proceeds through multiple companies and individuals, as revealed in an ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint.
Xiao Rui, 37, an owner of Augustine Holdings Limited (AHL), was found guilty after trial of four counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (commonly known as money laundering). He was also convicted of one count of using copies of false instruments, contrary to Section 74 of the Crimes Ordinance.
In convicting the defendant, Deputy Judge Bernard Chung remarked that the offences committed by the defendant were serious in nature. While the case was adjourned to July 23 for mitigation and sentencing, the defendant was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department. The ICAC has applied to the court today for confiscation of the criminal proceeds involved in this case; the related hearing will be scheduled for a date to be fixed.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant and other individuals jointly set up AHL, an asset management company, along with three subsidiaries. Between March 2014 and November 2023, a total of 38 transactions amounting to over $64 million were deposited into the defendant’s personal bank accounts via at least 12 companies and 12 individuals, which had no business dealings with AHL and its subsidiaries, and were not clients of the companies.
Additionally, in 2013, the defendant submitted copies of a false certificate of deposits and a false passbook to the Immigration Department for asset declaration in support of a Hong Kong residency application under the then Capital Investment Entrant Scheme.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Noelle Aileen Chit, assisted by ICAC officer Jeff Ng.
The four independent advisory committees overseeing different aspects of the work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) affirmed the Commission’s professional and effective discharge of its statutory duties in 2025. The committees supported the ICAC to uphold a zero-tolerance attitude in the unwavering fight against corruption to safeguard integrity, justice and social stability in Hong Kong.
Dr Kelvin Wong Tin-yau, Acting Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption cum Chairman of the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee; the Hon Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the Operations Review Committee; and Professor Simon Ho Shun-man, Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations, hosted a press conference today (June 16) to report on the advisory committees’ oversight of the work of the ICAC in law enforcement, corruption prevention, education and international cooperation last year.
Overall corruption complaints in Hong Kong registered a year-on-year decrease last year, with declines recorded across complaints involving government departments, public bodies, and the private sector. Private sector complaints accounted for 70% of total corruption complaints, consistent with figures from previous years, while complaints involving government departments and public bodies took up 24% and 6% respectively.
Excluding election-related complaints, the ICAC received 1,780 corruption complaints in 2025, of which 1,449 were pursuable, representing a decrease of 14% and 11% respectively as compared to figures in 2024. Public trust and support for the ICAC remained strong as 71% of the overall corruption complaints were non-anonymous, meaning that complainants were willing to identify themselves when reporting corruption.
In the government sector, the civil service remained clean and honest. The ICAC acted swiftly and decisively against individual corrupt or improper conduct and maintained close collaboration with relevant government departments to ensure integrity among public officials. In the private sector, the industries attracting the most complaints were Building Management and Maintenance subsector, the Finance and Insurance subsector, and the Construction subsector.
The advisory committees noted that issues relating to building management and maintenance were closely linked to the public, with related complaints consistently accounting for approximately 25% of total corruption complaints in recent years. Following the Wang Fuk Court fire, public concern over building maintenance works surged, leading to a significant rise in related complaints. In the first four months of 2026, corruption complaints concerning major renovation projects increased by more than 1.5 times when compared to the same period in 2025.
Dr Wong Tin-yau said it was encouraging that members of the public actively participated in building management and maintenance affairs of their housing estates. By reporting suspected corruption, the public could help the ICAC to prevent corrupt individuals from interfering in such projects at an early stage. The committee would continue to closely monitor the ICAC’s anti-corruption efforts in building management and maintenance, and support its comprehensive strategy combining law enforcement, prevention, and education to combat corruption in the industry.
He further noted that the ICAC had cooperated fully with the work of the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, submitting a detailed report analysing deep-seated structural issues in the building management and maintenance sector alongside the ICAC’s corresponding efforts. The advisory committees were confident that the ICAC would continue to provide full support and cooperation with government measures targeting corruption and bid-rigging risks in major renovation projects.
Echoing Dr Wong, the Hon Chan noted that the Operations Department maintained a dedicated team of over 50 investigators specifically tasked with combating corruption in the building management and maintenance sector. In response to the sharp increase in corruption complaints triggered by the Tai Po fire, the Operations Department reallocated internal resources to nearly double its manpower for handling such cases, addressing heightened public concern.
He added that over the past few years, the ICAC actively conducted multiple large-scale law enforcement operations cracking down on corrupt individuals in the industry, and widely publicised these real cases through the media to raise public awareness. The ICAC had also strengthened its “early intervention” strategy to prevent works contracts being awarded to criminals by promptly alerting property owners that their housing estates are possible targets of the corrupt.
The ICAC task force set up in response to the fire swiftly took law enforcement actions. Seven individuals and two companies, including the project consultant, the main contractor, and the Registered Inspector involved in the Wang Fuk Court major renovation project, were charged by the Commission with multiple counts of conspiracy to defraud, “money laundering”, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and tax evasion.
On the preventive front, the ICAC completed 67 assignment reports and provided corruption prevention advice for government departments and other organisations on over 1,500 occasions. Dr Wong noted that the ICAC adopted a “prevention-at-source” strategy and attached particular importance to areas of public concern and those involving people’s livelihood, providing corruption prevention advice to relevant bureaux/departments (B/Ds) and public bodies. Last year, the Commission provided advice to the Housing Bureau on “Basic Housing Units” and launched a “Corruption Prevention Guide on Admission of Students for Tertiary Education Institutions”. In addition, the ICAC enhanced corruption prevention effectiveness through digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The ICAC also partnered with regulators and professional bodies from different sectors to strengthen anti-corruption capabilities in the private sector. Initiatives included launching the “Sports Governance and Integrity Alliance” and “Banking Industry Integrity Charter”, and promulgating “Integrity Compliance Management System” to listed companies.
Following the Wang Fuk Court fire, the ICAC provided advice to relevant stakeholders, organisations and B/Ds with the aim of strengthening existing measures or introducing tailored corruption prevention mechanisms, and plugging corruption loopholes in various stages from tendering to works supervision.
On the education front, Professor Ho commended the ICAC for its continuing efforts in innovations to enhance the effectiveness of its integrity promotional and educational initiatives. For example, the ICAC has been cost-effectively using AI technology to produce popular short promotional videos. In addition, after opening Café “1974” in late 2024, the Commission revamped the ICAC Exhibition Hall in mid-2025 by incorporating a host of innovative technologies, and successfully attracted the general public and tourists to experience Hong Kong’s culture of integrity firsthand.
In June last year, the ICAC led the inaugural “Building Management Summit”, bringing together over 300 participants from relevant government departments, regulatory bodies, professional bodies, the 18 District Councils, Owners’ Corporations and property management companies, as well as property owners for exchanges and experience sharing. A practical guidebook “Building Maintenance Guide” was also launched alongside the event. The ICAC will further intensify efforts to engage communities, assisting building management personnel in understanding anti-corruption laws and identifying corruption risks, while raising property owners’ anti-corruption awareness.
On fostering international cooperation, the ICAC fully leveraged Hong Kong’s unique advantage under the “One Country, Two Systems”, aligning with national anti-corruption initiatives in the 15th Five-Year Plan to share the city’s graft-fighting experience with the international community. Last year, delegations led by the Commissioner visited countries in the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while high-level delegations from over 10 countries visited the ICAC.
During the year, the Commission also entered Memoranda of Understanding with three overseas anti-corruption agencies, and effectively explored diverse modes of collaboration. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption organised a total of 20 international capacity building programmes for the anti-corruption agencies of the countries across the Belt and Road Initiative, ASEAN, the Middle East, Africa and South America, attracting about 1,800 participants.
Hong Kong continued to be rated as one of the world’s cleanest regions by various international ranking institutions. In the “2025 Corruption Perceptions Index” released by Transparency International, Hong Kong ranked 12th among 182 countries/territories, rising five places from 2024 and recording one of the largest increases since the index was first published in 1995, placing second in Asia.
effectively using AI technology to produce popular short promotional videos. In addition, after opening Café “1974” in late 2024, the Commission revamped the ICAC Exhibition Hall in mid-2025 by incorporating a host of innovative technologies, and successfully attracted the general public and tourists to experience Hong Kong’s culture of integrity firsthand.
In June last year, the ICAC led the inaugural “Building Management Summit”, bringing together over 300 participants from relevant government departments, regulatory bodies, professional bodies, the 18 District Councils, Owners’ Corporations and property management companies, as well as property owners for exchanges and experience sharing. A practical guidebook “Building Maintenance Guide” was also launched alongside the event. The ICAC will further intensify efforts to engage communities, assisting building management personnel in understanding anti-corruption laws and identifying corruption risks, while raising property owners’ anti-corruption awareness.
On fostering international cooperation, the ICAC fully leveraged Hong Kong’s unique advantage under the “One Country, Two Systems”, aligning with national anti-corruption initiatives in the 15th Five-Year Plan to share the city’s graft-fighting experience with the international community. Last year, delegations led by the Commissioner visited countries in the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while high-level delegations from over 10 countries visited the ICAC.
During the year, the Commission also entered Memoranda of Understanding with three overseas anti-corruption agencies, and effectively explored diverse modes of collaboration. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption organised a total of 20 international capacity building programmes for the anti-corruption agencies of the countries across the Belt and Road Initiative, ASEAN, the Middle East, Africa and South America, attracting about 1,800 participants.
Hong Kong continued to be rated as one of the world’s cleanest regions by various international ranking institutions. In the “2025 Corruption Perceptions Index” released by Transparency International, Hong Kong ranked 12th among 182 countries/territories, rising five places from 2024 and recording one of the largest increases since the index was first published in 1995, placing second in Asia.
