Fighting Corruption The Successful Formula

Three-Pronged Attack
When planning the establishment of the ICAC, the Hong Kong Government realised that
the Commission could not win the battle against corruption only by punishing the corrupt.
It must also improve the bureaucratic systems and machinery and bring about fundamental
changes in public attitudes towards corruption. It therefore adopted an integrated three-
pronged attack on corruption based on the strategic components of investigation,
prevention and education.
The Operations Department receives reports and investigates complaints. This
investigative and enforcement role is without doubt the most visible activity of the
Commission, attracting intense public and media interest in major cases. The corruption
cases are identified from complaints received from a number of sources including a 24-
hour hot-line report centre and referrals from Government departments.
The Community Relations Department is responsible for the education, publicity and
moral leadership roles of the Commission. Its role is directed towards mobilising public
support in the fight against corruption.
The Corruption Prevention Department’s mandate is to prevent corruption within
organisations by examining their internal operations and systems and proposing
corruption-resistant measures. This objective has been successfully implemented within

---

4
the public sector organisations by the establishment of effective and transparent systems,
thus providing an example of the principle that prevention is much better than cure
Factors of Success
Needless to say, an organisation, no matter how well structured and equipped, cannot fight
corruption on its own. Apart from a dedicated and professional agency like the ICAC,
there are several important factors without which the battle against corruption could not be
won.