Vote rigging at Wang Fuk Court went unchecked before deadly fire, inquiry hears

Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a former management committee member of the owners’ corporation at Wang Fuk Court, said on Monday that the abuse of proxy votes was a long-standing problem that had enabled his predecessors to maintain a firm grip on power until they were ousted over a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project.

The inferno that raged across seven of the Tai Po residential estate’s eight buildings in November last year was the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since 1948, killing 168 people and leaving nearly 5,000 homeless.

All eight towers had been under renovation and covered with bamboo scaffolding and mesh netting since the summer of 2024.

Prestige Construction and Engineering, which submitted the costliest bid among 57 proposals, won the renovation contract under unusual circumstances, with 570 votes reportedly cast at a January 2024 meeting attended by only 293 people.

Tang Kwok-kuen, the chairman of the committee at the time, reportedly ignored calls to overturn the decision, while forcing homeowners to pay up to HK$180,000 per flat within six months.