香港大火揭露樓宇維修業根深蒂固的三合會網絡

Clare Jim 報導By Clare Jim

香港，10月30日（路透社）——香港一處屋苑發生的致命大火，揭露與犯罪幫派有關的圍標網絡如何利用香港利潤豐厚的樓宇維修業弱點，影響價值數億美元的合約。HONG KONG, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A deadly fire at a Hong Kong housing estate has exposed how bid-rigging networks linked to criminal gangs exploited weaknesses in the city's lucrative building renovation industry to influence contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

在這份有關政府資助屋苑宏福苑大火的報告中，名為三合會的組織犯罪集團被提及超過40次。這場火災造成168人死亡，數千名居民流離失所。Organised crime groups known as triads were mentioned more than 40 times in the report on the government-subsidised Wang Fuk Court inferno, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents.

針對報告調查結果，政府提議將樓宇維修圍標列為刑事罪行，最高可判處10年監禁及罰款1,000萬港元（130萬美元）。打擊三合會的法律也將收緊。In response to the report’s findings, the government proposed to make bid-rigging in building renovation a criminal offence, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a HK$10 million ($1.3 million) fine. Laws against triads will also be tightened.

「這麼多年下來，這些犯罪集團已經非常老練，會利用所有法律漏洞，」全港業主反貪腐反圍標大聯盟創辦人兼發言人趙恩來說。"After all these years, the syndicates are so sophisticated that they make use of all the legal loopholes," said Chiu Yan Loy, founder and spokesperson of the All-Hong Kong Owners' Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bid-Rigging Alliance.

他補充，有些網絡會把分配利潤延後數個月，並利用包括加密貨幣在內的管道，使資金流向難以追查。Some networks delay distributing profits for months and use channels including cryptocurrencies, making money flows difficult to trace, he added.

律師和執法人員表示，這項新罪名只有在有助調查人員蒐集確鑿證據時才會奏效。Lawyers and law enforcement officers say the new offence will only work if it helps investigators gather hard evidence.

「我們談的是存在於某種灰色地帶的罪行。犯罪者之間不一定總有交易、賄賂或可證明勾結行為或卡特爾的書面紀錄，」一名執法人員表示。由於議題敏感，該名人員不願具名。"We're talking about offences that exist in a kind of twilight world. There aren't always transactions between offenders, bribery or a paper trail to prove collusive behaviour or a cartel," said one law enforcement officer, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

監管架構鬆散LOOSE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

三合會幫派是結拜兄弟會式的組織，成員以歃血誓言效忠並保守秘密。數十年來，三合會一直被指與勒索、賣淫、販毒及放高利貸有關。Triad gangs — fraternal brotherhoods whose members swear blood oaths of loyalty and secrecy — have for decades been linked to extortion, prostitution, drug trafficking and loan-sharking.

警方和學者表示，與1980年代和1990年代相比，三合會已較不顯眼，但仍然活躍，並從事更複雜的白領詐騙。Less prominent than in the 1980s and 1990s, they remain active and operate more complex white-collar scams, police and academics say.

報告說明，對承建商審查和聘用的監管鬆散、執法不嚴，使三合會得以進入建築產業生態。The report explained that loose regulation and lax enforcement around vetting and hiring contractors let them enter the construction ecosystem.

業界專家表示，政府2012年在推出一項要求業主維修樓齡逾30年建築的計畫時，同步提供數億補助，為承建商創造利潤豐厚的市場，圍標問題也因此惡化。Industry experts say bid rigging worsened when the government introduced hundreds of millions in subsidies in 2012 alongside a scheme requiring owners to repair buildings more than 30 years old, creating a lucrative market for contractors.

維克森林大學副教授湯米・梁（Tommy Leung）表示，他的研究顯示，該計畫啟動後，維修價格上漲約40%。Tommy Leung, an associate professor at Wake Forest University, said his research showed renovation prices rose about 40% after the scheme began.

圍標如何運作BID-RIGGING AT PLAY

宏福苑維修工程的成本，從最初估算的1.52億港元上升至超過3.3億港元，讓外界得以一窺涉嫌操縱工程的手法。The Wang Fuk Court renovation, whose cost rose from an initial HK$152 million estimate to more than HK$330 million, provides a window into alleged methods used to manipulate projects.

根據報告，這項涉嫌操作的計畫，是從取得顧問的影響力開始；該顧問負責協助業主挑選承建商。According to the report, the alleged scheme began with gaining influence over the consultant who helps owners select contractors.

鴻毅建築師（Will Power Architects）以22萬港元（2.8萬美元）的投標價取得該角色，遠低於估計約50萬港元的市場行情，隨後發布具誤導性的招標評估，包括在主承建商宏業建築工程（Prestige Construction）曾有定罪紀錄的情況下，仍給予其安全合規滿分。Will Power Architects secured that role with a HK$220,000 ($28,000) bid, well below an estimated HK$500,000 market rate, then issued misleading tender assessments, including giving main contractor Prestige Construction full marks for safety compliance despite previous convictions.

宏福苑共有8棟31層高樓，住戶超過5,000人。當局已對宏業建築工程、鴻毅建築師及7名個人提出至少25項與宏福苑有關的刑事控罪。報告並未說明這些公司是否與三合會有關。Authorities have brought at least 25 criminal charges related to Wang Fuk Court, which housed more than 5,000 people in eight 31-storey towers, against Prestige, Will Power and seven individuals. The report did not say whether the firms had triad links.

暫時無法取得宏業建築工程和鴻毅建築師的回應。Prestige and Will Power could not be reached for comment.

香港保安局局長、前警務處處長鄧炳強週五表示，政府將「瓦解此類活動背後的犯罪網絡」。Security Secretary Chris Tang, the former police chief, said on Friday the government would "dismantle the criminal networks behind such activities."

香港目前計畫賦予執法部門更大調查權，成立由警方、廉政公署及競爭事務委員會參與的聯合專案小組，並設立一個新的部門監管維修工程。Hong Kong now plans to give law enforcement greater investigative powers, create a joint task force involving police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and Competition Commission, and a new bureau overseeing renovation work.

部分宏福苑前居民並不信服。Some former Wang Fuk Court residents were unconvinced.

「這只是口號。他們會說，『我們會打擊圍標』，但到頭來，什麼事都沒做成，」不願透露全名的Betty說。"It's just a slogan. They'll say, 'we'll crack down on bid-rigging,' but ultimately, nothing gets done," said Betty, who declined to give her full name.

（Clare Jim 香港報導，Greg Torode 與 Carol Mang 補充報導；Anne Marie Roantree 與 Saad Sayeed 編輯）(Reporting By Clare Jim in Hong Kong, additional reporting by Greg Torode and Carol Mang; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Saad Sayeed)