In April, the 70th month since Beijing imposed the national security law, the Hong Kong government applied to the court to seize assets belonging to Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

On National Education Day, a top Chinese official delivered a warning about those who “politicised” the deadly Tai Po fire and tried to “stir up chaos” in the city.

Gov’t seeks to seize Jimmy Lai’s assets

The Hong Kong government filed an application with the High Court on April 2 to seize “offence-related” properties owned by jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai on national security grounds.

In a statement issued the same day, the government mentioned Lai’s earlier convictions under the Beijing-imposed national security law. It said the High Court had found that he was the “mastermind and driving force behind the case, consciously using Apple Daily and his personal influence” to undermine local and Beijing authorities.

In a writ dated April 2, the secretary for justice listed HK$127 million in assets to be “forfeited” to the authorities.

The assets include credit balances in bank accounts belonging to or linked to the Apple Daily founder.

Fifteen bank accounts under Lai’s name – 10 with HSBC, two with Hang Seng Bank and three with Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank – have over HK$32 million.

The government is also seeking to seize bank accounts belonging to 17 companies linked to Lai. It is also demanding that Lai give up shares in 17 companies, some of which overlap with the 17 firms whose assets the government is seeking to seize.

Among the companies whose assets and shares the government wants to seize are Dico Consultants Ltd, which has over HK$404,302 in its HSBC account, and Lai’s Hotel Properties Ltd, which has over HK$3.1 million in its four HSBC accounts.

Lai has been summoned to the High Court on July 8 to hear the government’s application. The case will be presided over by Esther Toh, one of the three judges who heard his national security trial.

The move to seize Lai’s assets came after the government designated three companies linked to Lai’s now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid “prohibited organisations” in late March and removed them from the corporate registry. Police cordoned off the Apple Daily building in Tseung Kwan O a day later.

The three firms were tried and convicted alongside the Apple Daily founder in his high-profile national security case. Lai was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in early February, while the companies were each fined over HK$3 million.

Political commentator appears in court

A Hong Kong political commentator charged with disclosing details of a national security investigation appeared at the District Court on April 28.

Wong Kwok-ngon, known by his pen name Wong On-yin, has been detained since his arrest in December for allegedly divulging in a YouTube video details of enquiries made by police during a national security investigation.

Judge Stanley Chan said the pre-trial review would take place behind closed doors on August 11, and the trial would begin on October 9.

Wong’s offence falls under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a homegrown security law known as Article 23. It was added to the ordinance in May as part of subsidiary legislation, and Wong is the first to be charged under the new law.

He is also charged with sedition over videos posted on YouTube between January 3 and December 6 last year. He plans to plead not guilty to both charges.

The defendant, who continues to represent himself, told the court he had dropped his legal aid application.

Asked by the judge whether he had legal knowledge for self-defence, Wong said he had “three law degrees” and was confident of handling the case.

Nat. security clauses for restaurant licences

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said in early April that all Hong Kong restaurant licences would include national security clauses from September.

Tse made the remarks on April 7, nearly a year after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) introduced the provisions for restaurant licence renewals in May.

“With restaurants renewing their licences gradually, we expect that by September this year, all restaurant licences will contain the clauses,” Tse told reporters, according to RTHK.

Retiree jailed over seditious Facebook posts

A Hong Kong man was jailed for a year under the city’s homegrown national security law after pleading guilty to making seditious remarks on Facebook, including comments supporting Hong Kong’s and Taiwan’s independence.

Raymond Chong pleaded guilty before national security judge Victor So at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on April 14 to one count of knowingly publishing publications with a seditious intention – an offence under the city’s local security law, also known as Article 23.

The magistrate handed Chong, a retiree in his early 60s, an 18-month sentence but discounted it by six months after considering his guilty plea.

Chong was accused of making 53 seditious social media posts between March 2024 and November 2025, local media reported.

The posts had wording such as “dissolving the Chinese Communist Party is the most important thing” and “Hong Kong independence is within sight.”

The defendant posted on a public Facebook page called “Holy Raymond,” which features the Chinese phrase “Heaven will destroy the Chinese Communist Party, God bless Hong Kong” as its profile picture.

During mitigation ahead of sentencing, his lawyer argued that Chong was a Falun Gong believer who had come to hate the Chinese Communist Party because of false information that the CCP engaged in live organ harvesting.

Beijing official warned of ‘politicising’ Tai Po fire

China’s top official in charge of Hong Kong affairs warned of some people who “politicised” the deadly Tai Po fire and tried to use the disaster to “stir up chaos” in Hong Kong.

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, delivered his remarks on April 15 via a recorded video shown at a National Security Education Day ceremony.

In his speech, Xia mentioned the massive fire that broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidised housing estate in Tai Po, on November 26, killing 168 people.

“After the Tai Po fire, some malicious people politicised the tragedy, attempting to use the disaster as a means to disrupt Hong Kong,” Xia said in Mandarin, without giving further details.

“Once again, it reminds us that along Hong Kong’s path toward prosperity under good governance, there will be various risks and challenges.”

Speaking at the same event, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee also warned that some people were “using the disaster to stir up chaos” and “to incite hatred” in Hong Kong.

“Only through the government’s swift action and decisive law enforcement has the situation been able to return to normal,” Lee said in Mandarin.

French journalist denied entry to city

A French journalist was denied entry to Hong Kong in November, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in late April, accusing the city’s authorities of “weaponising visas” against foreign media workers.

Antoine Vedeilhe, who was shooting a documentary for French public broadcaster France Télévisions, was questioned upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on November 2 last year, RSF said in a statement on April 24.

He was detained for three hours before being deported without being given a reason, it added.

The press freedom NGO said Vedeilhe was the 13th foreign media worker who had been denied entry or a visa by the city’s authorities following Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in 2020.

“In the journalist’s view, his detention was a reprisal for his work on a documentary examining Beijing’s grip on Hong Kong,” RSF said.

Another cameraman for the documentary was able to enter the city, RSF said, but he was followed by “unidentified individuals that he suspects were Hong Kong’s national security police.”

“In the following days, there was a hacking attempt on Vedeilhe’s private email account and his sources in the documentary were harassed by the national security police,” the NGO said.

In an emailed reply to HKFP’s enquiries, the Hong Kong government said it “strongly condemns the smearing remarks and distorted narratives by” RSF.

Prosecution and arrests figures

As of April 1, a total of 394 people have been arrested for “cases involving suspected acts or activities that endanger national security” since Beijing’s national security law came into effect, according to the Security Bureau. That figure includes those arrested under Article 23 and for other offences.

Of the 208 people and five companies that have so far been charged, 180 people and four companies have been convicted or are awaiting sentencing.

In total, 100 people and four companies have been charged under Beijing’s national security law, with 79 persons and three companies convicted. Thirteen people have been charged under Article 23, 10 of whom have been convicted.

The administrator of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court has said it will seek to extend the statutory deadline for holding a homeowners’ meeting, citing the need for more time to verify owners’ signatures and find a suitable venue.

In a letter to Wang Fuk Court flat owners on Wednesday afternoon, Hop On Management confirmed that on April 29, the company had received a requisition for a general meeting from Wang Fuk Court homeowners.

The company is currently seeking legal advice and will also apply to the Lands Tribunal to extend the statutory deadline for holding the meeting, it added.

The Chinese-language letter was issued exactly one week after a group of homeowners published a statement, saying that they had delivered a petition to Hop On on April 29, requesting a general meeting with the property management firm.

The petition collected 247 handwritten signatures – more than 12 per cent of households at Wang Fuk Court.

Hong Kong’s Building Management Ordinance requires 5 per cent of all homeowners to call a general meeting. Upon receiving such a requisition, the management committee should issue notice of the meeting within 14 days and hold the general meeting with owners within 45 days, according to the ordinance.

Wednesday was the deadline to issue a notice for the homeowners’ meeting. It is unclear whether Hop On has made an application for an extension.

In the letter, the management company also said it would need extra time to verify the signatures of each homeowner, citing previous owners’ meetings that were embroiled in controversies about proxy votes and statutory quorums.

Hop On will conduct searches at the Land Registry to verify the owner of each unit, compare their signatures against the samples kept in the owners’ existing property records, and request signatories to present their Hong Kong identity cards in person to verify their identities.

If the requisition is signed in the capacity of an Administrator of Estate or an Executor, Hop On will review copies of the relevant Letters of Administration or Grant of Probate to verify the legal authorisation to act on behalf of the deceased owner.

The company said it would also need time to find “a suitable venue capable of accommodating at least 1,000 people and of hosting a continuous six-hour meeting.”

Speaking to HKFP on the condition of anonymity, a Wang Fuk Court homeowner who signed the petition accused Hop On of working too slowly and unprofessionally.

He also questioned why Hop On did not announce the decision to delay the meeting and the procedures to verify the signatures during the Zoom briefing session on Tuesday.

“Today is the deadline [for issuing notice of a meeting]. Why didn’t they talk with us about this yesterday?” he said. “I think Hop On should understand more about its role – it is a management company to serve homeowners.”

‘Sincere communication’

Hop On Management was appointed by the government in early January to act as administrator of Wang Fuk Court after the Lands Tribunal dissolved the owners’ board of the Tai Po residential estate in the wake of the deadly fire.

The company, a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group, said its work as administrator is pro bono.

Hop On also said on Wednesday that it would maintain “sincere communication” with homeowners.

“As the administrator, Hop On’s responsibility is to represent and serve all owners of Wang Fuk Court, rather than communicating only with a portion of owners or specific individuals,” the company said.

Displaced homeowners, who are scattered across Hong Kong following the deadly fire, have urged Hop On to call a general meeting, but to no avail.

Earlier this year, the company rejected the demand to hold a meeting after more than 430 homeowners signed an online petition.

After being criticised for lacking direct communication with the residents, Hop On set up a website to facilitate communication in early February.

The Hong Kong government has launched a public consultation on proposed amendments to the city’s fire safety law, six months after the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po.

According to a government statement on Tuesday, the one-month consultation aims to enhance “public safety, regulatory coherence, enforcement effectiveness and accountability,” as well as to respond to public expectations for improved fire safety following the deadly blaze in November.

The proposed amendments will cover the Fire Services Ordinance and three subsidiary pieces of legislation on fire safety equipment in buildings, the professionals who oversee them, and the Fire Services Department’s powers to abate fire hazards, a Security Bureau spokesperson said.

“We will also take this opportunity to appropriately enhance the enforcement powers of the Fire Services Department (FSD) in specific areas and combat illicit fuelling activities, among others,” the spokesperson added.

See also: ‘Not good enough’: Key points from gov’t departments’ testimony at Tai Po fire inquiry

Tuesday marked six months since the fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court on November 26.

The blaze, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents, exposed shortcomings in the FSD’s role in overseeing fire safety during major renovation works at densely populated housing estates, with officials pledging reforms at a public inquiry into the tragedy.

Tuesday’s proposals were made by the government’s Task Force on Strengthening Fire Safety Governance, established after the fire and chaired by Secretary for Security Chris Tang.

Members of the public may submit their views on the proposals by email or regular mail until June 25.

According to the statement, the government hopes to finalise the proposals and table a bill in the Legislative Council later this year.

A maintenance project at the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court should have been classified as high risk, but was instead categorised as minor works requiring no regular inspections, a government surveyor has told a public inquiry.

Nick Yung, a senior maintenance surveyor at the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU), gave his testimony before an independent committee investigating the massive blaze at the Tai Po housing estate on Thursday.

He was the second ICU official questioned by Victor Dawes, lead counsel for the committee, after senior maintenance surveyor Andy Ku on Wednesday.

Yung said that the maintenance project on the outer walls of all eight buildings at Wang Fuk Court was classified as low risk for the convenience of homeowners, which created a “loophole” in safety regulation, local media reported.

The surveyor said the renovation project should have been considered high risk, as it involved work on the entire outer wall of each building. However, because it was classified as minor works, it did not warrant regular inspections.

The ICU only conducts inspections when complaints are received, Yung added.

Extensive repairs on the exterior of the Tai Po estate were under way when the fire broke out in late November, ripping through seven of its eight buildings. The blaze, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents, was the city’s deadliest fire since 1948.

Combustible wooden boards

During previous hearings, the committee heard that the removal and replacement of fireproof stairwell windows and fire escape doors with combustible wooden boards may have breached fire safety rules and allowed smoke to enter and spread rapidly in the building.

But Yung told the inquiry on Thursday that he had mistaken the wooden boards for a protective measure to cover damaged windows.

That prompted Dawes to point out that windows on every fifth floor were replaced and asked why Yung did not find it suspicious that so many windows had been damaged.

The surveyor replied that not all the windows had been removed.

Yung said that the ICU relied on the contractors to self-regulate and admitted that the unit’s review mechanism was “very problematic.”

Dawes said, “If even professionals fail to detect these safety issues, how can you expect residents to notice that there are problems? How could an ordinary person know that this is such a serious issue?”

Yung said the openings were not clear in photos but admitted they would have been visible if seen directly on site. Dawes responded: “Exactly, but you didn’t go down there yourselves.”

The surveyor also told the committee that it was only in January – more than a month after the fire – that the ICU was notified by the Buildings Department of “a new policy,” which came into effect in 2023, requiring random inspections of 20 per cent of minor works.

The ICU would have followed up if it had been aware of the arrangement, Yung said.

“It feels to us as though you are shirking responsibility,” said Judge David Lok, who chairs the committee.

Yung denied Lok’s contention, saying he only meant that the ICU would have had the opportunity to conduct inspections if it had been aware of the new policy.

Some Wang Fuk Court residents have said they “are given no choice” over the government’s plan to buy back their flats, urging authorities to reconsider rebuilding the fire-hit estate on site.

Residents continued to return to the housing complex in Tai Po on Wednesday, half a year after the massive fire in November, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands. They were permitted to visit their flats for a second time to retrieve personal belongings, following an initial round of trips last month.

Speaking to the media outside the cordoned area, several residents expressed dissatisfaction with the buyback plan. The government has given flat owners until the end of August to accept the offer, while those who opt in before June 30 will be given priority in selecting flats in a special sales scheme.

“We are given no choice,” a Wang Tao House resident surnamed Lee told reporters in Cantonese. “It’s either sell your flat or sell your flat,” she said.

A Wang Shing House resident, surnamed Sze, said his family were inclined to accept the buyback plan, calling it the “only rational option.”

“We have concerns about how to conduct our lives after selling the flat, because it has not been made clear,” Sze told InMedia in Cantonese. “It’s not an easy decision [to sell the flat], but people will understand that, in our situation, we don’t really have many options.”

A Wang Tao House resident, surnamed Lai, criticised the government’s June 30 deadline for early flat selection as “putting the cart before the horse.”

“A sensible way would be to let us pick what we really want to buy, before making us sell the flat,” he told local media outlet The Collective in Cantonese.

Another Wang Shing House resident, identified only as Mrs Wong, similarly slammed the deadlines in the government buyback plan.

“Why do we have to decide before June 30 or the end of August? Why can’t we wait until the report by the independent committee?” she said in Cantonese. She was referring to a public inquiry that is due to report on a range of issues relating to the blaze by September.

She also questioned how the HK$2 billion fire insurance covering Wang Fuk Court would be claimed if the government decided not to rebuild the estate.

“Why can’t you use that HK$2 billion to rebuild? We can wait. I am not dying,” she told The Witness. “But [the government] is not giving us a choice.”

‘Never communicated directly’

Lee, the Wang Tao House resident, said her flat was not affected by the fire and expressed hope that she could live there in the future. She supports the idea of rebuilding the estate, she added.

She also called on the government-appointed administrator, Hop On Management, to organise an owners’ meeting to facilitate communication and improve transparency.

Wang Tao House resident Lai also appealed for an owners’ meeting, saying it would allow residents to communicate their preferences regarding the government buyback plan as well as to communicate directly with the government.

“Often, residents’ voices are only heard through the media. In fact, the government has never communicated with us directly,” he said.

More residents have been calling on the government to reconsider rebuilding Wang Fuk Court in media interviews. Some have also expressed this wish through handmade posters and drawings displayed in their flats’ windows.

The second round of visits will run until May 29. It is unclear whether residents will be allowed to make more trips in the future.

The authorities have said the buyback plan is final. So far, there have been no announcements regarding the arrangements for those choosing not to accept the buyback offers.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said in February that the government would study whether “special legislation” would be needed if some owners refused to sell their flats.

Hong Kong’s top leader has defended a management firm’s delay in holding a meeting with owners displaced by the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire, saying those procedures must be carried out “in accordance with the law.”

Chief Executive John Lee said at a Tuesday press conference that Hop On Management “has always given people the impression that it is serious,” citing two briefing sessions held online last month and arrangements for maintenance fee refunds.

“My requirement is that they need to handle all matters in accordance with the law,” Lee added.

Lee replied to a reporter’s question about whether the government would take any steps regarding the Lands Tribunal’s decision to deny Hop On’s bid to extend the statutory deadline for an owners’ meeting.

After receiving a petition from Wang Fuk Court homeowners in late April, the firm originally had to call a meeting by May 13 and hold it by June 13.

The Lands Tribunal ruled last week that postponing the deadline would affect homeowners’ rights to have a meeting. Judge Gary Lam said in his ruling that Hop On remained in breach of its statutory obligations and added that it should “convene and hold the meeting as requested as soon as possible.”

Lee said that the tribunal had acknowledged difficulties faced by Hop On, from verifying the petition’s 247 signatures to putting together a complete register of owners’ particulars.

He said that some of the people killed in the fire may have been flat owners and that probate certifications would be needed to account for those cases.

“Hop On needs to make residents understand that it will handle all matters in accordance with the law,” he said, adding that the government would continue to assist the firm.

See also: Wang Fuk Court administrator to study ruling after court rejects bid to extend meeting deadline

Following the tribunal’s ruling, Hop On told HKFP last week that it “is doing its utmost to discharge its duties in accordance with the law, even in difficult times.”

“Hop On is currently conducting a thorough review of the judgment, and will continue with its work in verifying owners’ signatures and identifying a suitable venue, aiming at convening the owners’ meeting while safeguarding the rights and interests of all owners of Wang Fuk Court,” it said.

A deadly blaze engulfed seven residential towers at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26, 2025, killing 168 people. The names of the victims were released on June 10, 2026 by the judiciary, and are listed below as they appeared in a court document.

Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog has arrested seven people for alleged corruption in building maintenance projects, including the owner of a contractor firm who concealed his control over a company tasked with overseeing tendering.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said in a statement on Tuesday that it arrested five men and two women, aged from 37 to 75, who were part of a corruption syndicate in the building maintenance industry.

Among them were the chairman of an owners’ board, the proprietor of a maintenance contractor, the directors of a consultancy firm, and a registered inspector.

After investigating a report alleging corruption in the tender exercise for maintenance work at a building in Mong Kok, the ICAC found that the project contractor’s proprietor “allegedly controlled the project consultancy firm through his associates.”

‘Dual role’

According to the ICAC, the proprietor “secured the consultancy contract for the grand maintenance project at a low price, and concealed his dual roles as project contractor and consultant, along with his conflicting interests during the tendering process,” with the intention to induce the owners’ board “to select his company as the project contractor.”

The contractor eventually failed to secure the HK$20 million contract after property owners suspected irregularities in the tender exercise.

The ICAC also suspected the owners’ board chairman of bribery and alleged that the registered inspector, who maintained a full-time job in the finance industry, might not have carried out her duties in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance when signing inspection reports.

The consultancy firm and the contractor also concealed their affiliation in two other maintenance projects currently undergoing tender exercises – one in Tai Hang and another in Sham Shui Po – with contracts worth about HK$6 million.

The watchdog raided the offices of the consultancy firm and the contractor, as well as the suspects’ homes, seizing documents and accounting records related to the maintenance projects.

“The ICAC successfully intercepted these illicit activities and reminded property owners of potential corruption risks during contract awards,” it said.

“As the relevant corruption investigation is ongoing, the ICAC does not rule out further enforcement actions.”

The latest arrests come after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court brought to light bid-rigging and other illicit practices in the industry.

The watchdog appears to have ramped up anti-corruption arrests in maintenance projects in the months since the fire broke out.

The government-subsidised housing estate in Tai Po was undergoing large-scale maintenance work under a mandatory government order when the blaze broke out in November. The inferno – the biggest in Hong Kong in nearly eight decades – killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents.

Two out of three journalists say the working environment in Hong Kong has changed “for the worse” in the past year, according to the latest survey by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

The 2026 FCC Press Freedom Survey, which received 78 responses from members, found that “67 per cent of respondents said the working environment for them as a journalist had changed for the worse in the last 12 months.”

The FCC pointed out that the survey “happened to take place” after Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was convicted and sentenced to jail, as well as Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong, the Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS), summoned representatives of several major foreign media outlets, shortly following the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire.

At the meeting, the OSNS warned that some media organisations had spread false information and smeared the government in reports on the massive blaze at the housing estate in Tai Po, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents.

‘Watershed moment’

One respondent said that the warning by the OSNS to foreign journalists “should be seen as a watershed moment here in Hong Kong. It has created an increased chilling effect.”

About a quarter of respondents said they experienced minor or significant interference in their work, with most describing incidents while covering the Tai Po fire. One journalist said they were told to leave when they were “speaking to survivors in a corner, disturbing no one.”

Another respondent said that the 20-year sentence handed down to Lai “only further chills the local reporting environment.”

More than 50 per cent said sources had become less willing to be quoted during the same period, the survey found.

One respondent was quoted as saying that “the scope of what is ‘acceptable’ in terms of who can be quoted” has narrowed each year.

“It has reached the point where non-political voices who question policy-making or have reservations about certain aspects of it will get cut or reduced significantly by editors,” the respondent added.

See also: Hong Kong press freedom rebounds slightly from historic low, reflecting ‘resilience,’ journalists’ union says

Fewer respondents had a clear sense of what subjects are sensitive in the most recent survey, down from 78 per cent last year to 65 per cent this year, with one respondent saying the Beijing-imposed national security law “is still rather fluid and capricious.”

Half of the respondents said they were “slightly concerned” about arrest or prosecution in relation to their work as journalists, while 41 said they were not. The remaining 9 per cent said they were very concerned.

A third of respondents said their organisations had downsized in Hong Kong. Among them, a third cited the political and legal environment as well as corporate cost-cutting.

But 17 per cent of respondents said their organisations had increased staff in the city, with 40 per cent of them citing “the growing importance of Hong Kong” and increased investment.

“Press freedom remains engrained in Hong Kong law, but as is apparent from the results of our survey, the sentiment for working journalists in the city has been in flux,” said FCC President Morgan Davis.

“The FCC supports journalists’ fundamental right to conduct their work freely and without fear of intimidation or harassment,” the club said in its statement.

“We will continue to safeguard press freedom in the city, via engagement with the journalism community and relevant stakeholders, in order to make sure that Hong Kong remains an international hub for media, business and finance.”

The government-appointed administrator of the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court has outlined a HK$127 million refund plan for displaced homeowners, but has yet to schedule a general meeting for owners to decide on estate matters.

Hop On Management, appointed as the Tai Po housing estate’s administrator after the owners’ board was dissolved in the wake of the fatal blaze, announced the refund plan during an online Zoom briefing with residents on Tuesday.

The briefing was the first of two sessions organised by the management firm to explain its work, the financial situation of the owners’ board, and refund arrangements for the renovation project that was ongoing when the fire broke out in November.

Hop On representatives said during the briefing that the owners’ board had paid about HK$180 million to contractors for the renovation project, and a remaining balance of about HK$127 million in the estate’s renovation fund would be refunded.

Wang Fuk Court flat owners had to pay between HK$150,000 and HK$180,000 in six instalments after the renovation began in July 2024, depending on the size of their homes.

Frankie Chan, Hop On’s service director, said the amount of refund each household is entitled to receive will be based on the instalments they had previously paid.

According to Hop On’s data, 102 households had paid all instalments and would receive a refund ranging from about HK$84,700 to HK$98,840.

A total of 1,766 households had paid five instalments and would receive approximately HK$61,200 to HK$71,400. Meanwhile, 29 households had paid three or four instalments, and their refund would range from HK$15,800 to HK$44,030.

Hop On said that 30 households had paid only one or two instalments, while 57 never paid at all. In total, these households owed the estate’s management between HK$6,600 and HK$80,800.

Chan said the refunds would be distributed starting from June, with details to be announced at a later stage. He did not say whether the company would collect the owed amount from residents.

During a Q&A session, a resident asked why Hop On had not scheduled an owners’ meeting despite 247 of them – comprising around 12 per cent of households at Wang Fuk Court – petitioning for the gathering. An owners’ meeting will allow residents to vote on estate matters.

In response, Chan said he noted that previous owners’ meetings were embroiled in controversies about proxy votes and statutory quorums.

Hop On has to be “strict and precise” in verifying the authenticity of owners’ signatures, he said, adding that the firm is seeking legal advice.

During Tuesday’s briefing, Hop On also said that Wang Chi House – the only block that escaped the blaze – may need more than HK$30 million for repairs.

Hop On said the building sustained damage to its electrical and water systems and fire safety equipment, citing the visual examinations by a team of experts.

A senior surveyor at a government inspection unit has admitted alerting the renovation consultant ahead of site checks at Wang Fuk Court before the estate went up in flames, a public inquiry has heard.

Victor Dawes, lead counsel to the independent committee investigating the fatal fire, questioned Andy Ku, a senior maintenance surveyor at the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU), on Wednesday.

Dawes presented to the committee Ku’s written witness statement, in which the senior surveyor said that the ICU had “no particular role in reviewing or confirming the quality, reliability, and integrity of consultants.”

The committee earlier heard in March that one of the directors of Will Power Architects, the consultancy firm overseeing the large-scale maintenance work at the Tai Po housing estate, had not carried out his duties as a “registered inspector” (RI).

“The RI’s work, in effect, is to act as a regulator. If it’s not up to you to keep them in check, who else would it be?” Dawes asked Ku.

Ku replied that the oversight system is essentially “self-regulating” and that the ICU does not have a formal auditing system.

The committee also heard on Wednesday that for most of its inspections, the ICU had notified a Will Power employee, who was also a representative for the RI. The inspector himself was not there for most of the ICU checks.

Dawes remarked that the ICU’s inspection practice deviated from the norm with other government departments, such as the Labour Department and Buildings Department.

The lead counsel also told the hearing that the ICU had conducted a total of 10 inspections at Wang Fuk Court, of which only two were held without advance notice. One of those two inspections was an impromptu check, which Ku conducted himself after a medical appointment in the same district.

“If you didn’t have a medical appointment in Tai Po that day, there wouldn’t have been an inspection?” Dawes asked. Ku agreed.

Dawes then showed the committee screenshots of ICU maintenance surveyor Amanda Lau’s text conversations scheduling an inspection with the RI representative, who then alerted the contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering. Ku confirmed that Lau acted on his orders.

After the fire, the ICU began conducting inspections without advance notice, Ku said.

Dawes asked if the new arrangements meant that the ICU realised there were issues with its old system. Ku replied: “There was room for improvement.”

Scaffolding nets, foam boards

Ku was also grilled on his unit’s oversight of scaffolding nets and foam boards, which a preliminary investigation has blamed for contributing to the spread of the blaze.

The lead counsel brought up the ICU’s checks on the fire retardancy of scaffolding nets used at Wang Fuk Court.

He asked Ku why he told the Buildings Department the nets were up to standard, despite the ICU’s own test showing the nets continued to burn for more than 10 seconds before the flame was extinguished.

Ku said that upon two retrials of the same piece of netting, the net did not catch fire.

Dawes showed a fire retardancy certificate to the committee and asked Ku whether the ICU could verify the legitimacy of the certificate and whether it really corresponded to the same lot of scaffold nets.

Ku said the unit could not verify, as it relied on the contractor’s word.

Despite residents’ complaints, the senior surveyor told the hearing that he did not notice the estate’s windows were covered with foam boards during an ICU inspection in September because scaffolding nets were in the way.

A month later, the contractor and the inspector told Ku that only three floors would have windows covered with foam boards whenever spalling works were carried out.

Ku said he did not ask to see a fire retardancy certificate for the foam boards as he believed the phased arrangement would mitigate fire risks. “There was no basis to ask for a certificate,” he said.

Dawes scrolled through about a dozen photos from the site, most of which showed windows covered with foam boards in clear view. The photos were part of a slideshow report that Ku had previously seen.

Dawes questioned how Ku could have been unaware of the foam boards, to which the government surveyor said he was “focused on the concrete works.”

Ku added that in retrospect, he “had been lied to” and that he did not follow up on the matter because there were no further complaints from residents.

Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has announced that it is considering criminalising bid-rigging, proposing a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

Barrister Jat Sew-tong, chairperson of the Competition Commission, announced on Friday plans to amend the Competition Ordinance to criminalise bid-rigging, local media reported.

The commission hopes to table the amendment by the end of this year, Jat said, adding that the proposed maximum penalty would be seven years in jail.

Under the Competition Ordinance, bid-rigging is currently a civil violation, not a criminal offence, and it is penalised with a fine.

Jat said that he had been discussing the proposal with the city’s leader John Lee and the Hong Kong Bar Association, NowTV reported.

He said Lee had conveyed “orders” or “expectations” but did not specify what.

The commission’s move comes after a deadly fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in Tai Po, in November. The estate was undergoing a large-scale renovation at the time of the fire.

The blaze, which claimed 168 lives, has brought to light the widespread issue of bid-rigging and corruption in major maintenance works at residential buildings.

Residents told HKFP in February that they had suspected graft and bid-rigging in the renovation project, and had attempted to report it to authorities without any success.

Jat also said on Friday that investigations by the Competition Commission revealed triads were involved in rigging bids for many large-scale maintenance projects.

However, due to the Competition Ordinance’s limitations, the commission cannot prosecute the cases and has to transfer them to law enforcement departments.

The Competition Commission is a statutory body established under the Competition Ordinance in 2012.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said in February that the city’s corruption watchdog had received multiple complaints involving bid-rigging in building maintenance works over the past five years.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) received 24 complaints in 2025, more than double the number in 2021, Linn said.