Tai Po fire: 150% surge in building renovation corruption complaints after deadly blaze

Complaints of suspected corruption in major renovation projects surged by 150 per cent in the first four months of 2026 following the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire, Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has said. (Left to right) Simon Ho, Kelvin Wong and Bernard Chan, chairmen of the ICAC advisory committees, on June 17, 2026. At a press conference on Tuesday, four advisory committees overseeing the work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) reported the latest complaints figures.

While overall corruption complaints in Hong Kong registered a year-on-year decrease last year, complaints about suspected corruption in major renovation projects increased more than 1.5 times in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, the commission said. Kelvin Wong, Acting Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption, said that the reports could help the ICAC prevent corruption at an early stage: “Following the Wang Fuk Court fire, public concern over building maintenance works surged, leading to a significant rise in related complaints.”

Last November’s blaze at Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidised housing estate in Tai Po, killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents. Last week, the ICAC and the police charged seven people linked to the consultancy and construction firms that oversaw renovation works at Wang Fuk Court with 25 offences, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice, and tax evasion. ‘Problematic industry’ Wong also said that the issues that led to the Tai Po fire were not “isolated,” adding that it was a structural problem affecting the entire sector.

But even with extensive work to prevent corruption, “this does not mean it can be eradicated forever, just as people still get sick despite advancements in modern medicine,” he said. Wang Fuk Court on May 4, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Also speaking at the press conference, Chairman of the Opera