ASIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
CORRUPTION PREVENTION: THE HONG KONG APPROACH Tony Scott, Alastair Carstairs and Doug Roots
Introduction
This article, which we believe is the first in any academic journal on the subject of corruption prevention, is a practical account by three practitioners of the work of the Corruption Prevention Department of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Hong Kong. It does not purport to discuss this subject in the context of academic debate, but we believe that academic readers familiar with this debate will nevertheless find it useful and will be able to place it in a wider context. The Hong Kong approach is the first to stress the preventive aspects of corruption control and this operates in an integrated manner alongside the operations (that is, law enforcement) and the community relations aspects of the ICAC's work.
Legislation
The ICAC Ordinance sets out the duties of the Commissioner Against Corruption and included in these duties are to: "Section 12.(d) examine the practices and procedures of Government departments and public bodies, in order to facilitate the discovery of corrupt practices and to secure the revision of methods of work or procedures which, in the opinion of the Commissioner, may be conducive to corrupt practices; (e) instruct, advise and assist any person, on the latter's request, on ways in which corrupt practices may be eliminated by such person;
Tony Scott is Director, Alastair Carstairs and Doug Roots are Assistant Directors of the Corruption Prevention Department, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong. This article is a condensed version of the text of three speeches made at the Third International Anti-Corruption Conference held in Hong Kong in November 1987.
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ASIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
advise heads of Government departments or of public bodies of changes in practices or procedures compatible with the effective discharge of the...