Hong Kong’s graft-buster to set up academy to teach tactics to overseas officers

Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), also known as the graft-buster, has announced plans to establish an academy. The purpose of this academy is to share their expertise with anti-corruption officers from around the globe. This announcement came after the conclusion of a pilot training programme. ICAC Commissioner Danny Woo Ying-ming stated that the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption would be established in February of the coming year. He believes that the end of the pandemic has created an ideal opportunity for global collaboration in the fight against corruption. He also mentioned that there has been an increase in demand for professional sharing from various anti-corruption authorities. The training programme, which lasted a week, focused on tackling corruption in infrastructure projects. It attracted participants from seven African countries and six Asian countries that are beneficiaries of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Representatives from Macau also participated. The participants included representatives from anti-corruption agencies in South Africa, Mali, Nigeria, Thailand, Mongolia, and Pakistan. They also spent three days in Guangdong, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan on a study tour. Paul Lau Chi-ho, a principal investigator from ICAC's operations department, stated that the aim of the programme was to establish a platform for graft-busters from all countries to exchange their experiences and thoughts in person. Mdumiseni Wiseman Nxumalo, a senior manager in risk from South Africa's special investigating unit, expressed his hope to learn more about preventing corruption during his week in the city. He mentioned that they were able to see many demonstrations of how mega-infrastructure projects were being run in Hong Kong. Hawaly Kone, an auditor investigator from Mali, highlighted the opportunity to exchange views with professional counterparts from different backgrounds. He found the sharing of experiences insightful, as it provided solutions to challenges he had been facing in his country.