The End of a Corruption-Free Era? The Story of Hong Kong

<p dir="ltr">Unlike China and other Asian economies, Hong Kong has long had a reputation as one of the most corruption-free territories in the world. It was ranked 12th among 180 countries according to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index. It is widely believed that this success has been largely owed to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The ICAC was set up in 1974 to tackle corruption, marking a milestone in Hong Kong’s anti-corruption history. Before its establishment, corruption had been rampant in the public sector. However, following the handover of sovereignty in 1997, the level of corruption in Hong Kong has been perceived as worsening by the general public, according to the data from the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute. This trend coincided with the jailing, owing to corruption, of several former senior government officials, including former Chief Executive, Donald Tsang. This chapter seeks to discuss how the establishment of the ICAC, together with the enactment of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, in the 1970s has enabled Hong Kong to control corruption effectively. Furthermore, this chapter concerns whether this institutional advantage of Hong Kong, inherited from its colonial past, may have faded away in the decades after the handover.</p>