Tai Po Councillor Huang Bijiao Under Investigation for Alleged Fraudulent Authorization Votes
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Civil Administration Department confirmed on Wednesday, August 26, that it has referred allegations concerning alleged "death authorization votes" collected by Tai Po District Councillor Wong Bik-kiu to relevant law enforcement authorities for follow-up action. The allegations surfaced during proceedings of the Hung Fuk Estate Independent Investigation Committee, which disclosed that Wong had obtained 131 authorization votes across two owner meetings. Recent media reports allege that members of Wong's team helped solicit these authorization forms, including at least three cases where individuals had already passed away in both 2021 and 2024 .
Key Points
- Investigation Committee reveals Wong Bik-kiu obtained 131 authorization votes at two Hung Fuk Estate owner meetings held in 2021 and 2024 respectively
- Media investigation identifies five individuals on Wong's authorization list who served on the old Tai Wo Estate Management Committee, including chair Tam Lai-har, who previously ran for the District Council under the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong but lost
- The old Tai Wo Estate Management Committee was overthrown in September 2016 after residents discovered a 27 million dollar renovation contract that was later reduced to 700,000 dollars following anti-cartel protests
- Committee member Yiu Kam-cheung was documented pushing an elderly volunteer who was filming the ballot counting process, causing the volunteer to strike his head against a marble counter before falling and requiring hospital treatment
- Tai Wo Estate's former engineering consultant company "Hoshi Building Engineering Consultants" submitted a low bid of merely 150,000 dollars to facilitate the inflated renovation project and also tendered for Hung Fuk Estate's Registered Inspector position
Why It Matters
This case highlights potential vulnerabilities in Hong Kong's property management governance system, where authorization vote manipulation could enable the consolidation of voting power through deceptive means. The involvement of individuals with prior history in controversial estate management controversies suggests possible patterns of vote manipulation that could undermine the integrity of owner decision-making processes in private housing estates across Hong Kong .
This case highlights potential vulnerabilities in Hong Kong's property management governance system, where authorization vote manipulation could enable the consolidation of voting power through deceptive means. The involvement of individuals with prior history in controversial estate management controversies suggests possible patterns of vote manipulation that could undermine the integrity of owner decision-making processes in private housing estates across Hong Kong .