Ex-Hong Kong logistics head denied award as 3 staff face action in water scandal
Civil service chief Ingrid Yeung says staff failed to perform duties, lacking awareness, judgment and analytical ability to identify issues
Hong Kong authorities will hold three officers from the logistics department accountable over their roles in a bottled water procurement scandal, while its former head had his Silver Bauhinia Star nomination rescinded despite being cleared of direct oversight.
Civil service chief Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said on Tuesday that an investigation into the scandal involving the HK$166 million (US$21.3 million) bottled water procurement contract last year found that two staff members from the Government Logistics Department would face a disciplinary hearing.
The third officer, who reported the incident to their superior, will not be included in the disciplinary hearing, but their salary will be affected.
She said staff failed to perform their duties, lacking the awareness, judgment and analytical ability to identify issues and report them to their superiors in time, adding that such shortcomings were widespread in the department.
While Yeung said Carlson Chan Ka-shun, a former department director, was cleared of any direct role in the scandal, he is believed to be the highest-ranking civil servant to be linked to the probe.
Yeung declined to name the three other civil servants, citing privacy concerns.
