Hong Kong Bar Association Urges Clear Definition of Bid‑Rigging Offences and Whistle‑blower Protections

The Hong Kong Bar Association has urged the government to define the criminal thresholds and address whistle‑blower immunity provisions as part of its proposal to criminalise bid‑rigging after the tragic Tai Po fire.

A task force convened by the Association, representing Hong Kong’s barristers, examined four legal domains over ten months and issued a 140‑page report on Sunday, aiming to guide reforms in response to the shortcomings exposed by the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire in November.

Although the government incorporated the Association’s proposal to criminalise bid‑rigging—originally presented in May—as part of a broader reform package released last week, the Association emphasized that the statutory elements, such as the precise definition of bid‑rigging, evidentiary burden, and mental element (mens rea), must be explicitly defined.

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