2024-7-10

For the first time, the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption (HKIAAC) and the Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific (ACI) jointly organised the Professional Development Programme on Innovative Investigative Technologies in Hong Kong to offer professional training to ACI members to enhance their capabilities in investigating corruption using technologies and advance the global anti-corruption cause. The ACI, jointly launched by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), supports countries in the region in formulating and implementing anti-corruption strategies.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Programme today (July 10), ICAC Commissioner Woo Ying-ming noted that the experience the ICAC gained through the past decades had helped maintain Hong Kong as one of the cleanest cities in the world. The Commission took the historic moment of the organisation’s golden jubilee to establish the HKIAAC, an international platform for advancing the global anti-corruption cause. This Programme was an excellent demonstration of ICAC’s commitment to eradicating corruption.

“The ICAC recognises the importance of international cooperation and is fully committed to collaborating with other countries and regions in shaping a global network to eliminating corruption together,” Woo said.

Earlier on, Woo had revealed ICAC’s plan to expand networking with international and regional anti-corruption organisations, including ACI of ADB and OECD, through collaboration in training programmes and thematic projects.

Mr Chiawen Kiew, Advisor and Director of Prevention and Compliance Office of Anticorruption and Integrity of ADB, noted in the opening ceremony of the Programme that the ACI, with members from 34 economies, aimed to advance anti-corruption efforts in Asia and the Pacific.

Kiew also noted that tackling corruption had become even more challenging amidst the increasingly fragmented global landscape with fast-moving technologies. To counter corruption, investigators had to work harder than ever to stay ahead of the criminals. The ACI was honored to partner with the ICAC to enhance the technological investigative capabilities of law enforcers of member economies. The Programme also underscored the ACI’s commitment to collaborating with key regional partners.

The three-day programme attracted 29 law enforcement officers from 10 jurisdictions, namely Hong Kong, the Mainland, Macao, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Programme was hosted by seasoned ICAC officers, covering computer forensics, investigations into virtual assets and using technological tools in corruption investigations. Participants also visited the cargo examination facilities of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department which are located at the Super Terminal One and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, and were briefed by representatives of the relevant organisations on the application of innovative technologies in law enforcement work.

In recent years, the ICAC has proactively shared with its international counterparts how the Commission leveraged technological advancements in the fight against corruption. In July last year, the ICAC was invited by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to host an anti-corruption workshop for members of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities for the first time in Vienna.