Appointment of ICAC committees' non-official members
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    The Government today (December 30) announced the appointment of the Chairmen and Members of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Complaints Committee, the Advisory Committee on Corruption of the ICAC, the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the ICAC, the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee of the ICAC, the Operations Review Committee of the ICAC and the Witness Protection Review Board Panel. Details of the appointments, effective from January 1, 2006, are as follows:

The ICAC Complaints Committee
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     The Government has re-appointed the Hon Andrew Liao Cheung-sing as the Chairman of the ICAC Complaints Committee (ICC). The Hon Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, the Hon Fred Li Wah-ming, Miss Anna Chow Suk-han and Ms Wong Mee-chun are re-appointed as members of the Committee. The re-appointments are for a term of two years.

     The ICAC Complaints Committee monitors the handling of complaints against the ICAC, reviews ICAC procedures and practices which may lead to complaints, and makes recommendations when necessary.

The Advisory Committee on Corruption of the ICAC
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     The Government has re-appointed the Hon Sin Chung-kai, Mr Edward Cheng Wai-sun and Mr Moses Cheng Mo-chi as members of the Advisory Committee on Corruption (ACOC) for a term of two years. Mr Philip Chen Nan-lok and Prof Lawrence Lau Juen-yee are appointed as new members of the committee for a term of two years.

     The ACOC advises the Commissioner, ICAC on any aspect of the problem of corruption in Hong Kong and keeps the operational, staffing and administrative policies of the ICAC under review. The Committee also draws to the Chief Executive's attention any special aspect of the work of the ICAC or any problem encountered by it.

The Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the ICAC
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     The Government has re-appointed Mr Moses Cheng Mo-chi as Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR). Ms Shirley Marie Theresa Loo, Mr Michael Chan Kee-huen, Miss Cecilia Chen Sheau-ling and Dr Maurice Tse Kwok-sang are re-appointed as members of the CACCR. Ms Mar Yuet-har and Miss Lau Man-man are appointed as new members of the committee. The appointments and re-appointments are for a term of two years.

     The CACCR advises the Commissioner, ICAC on appropriate measures to foster public support in combating corruption and to educate the public against the evils of corruption. It also monitors community response to the ICAC's work and public attitudes towards corruption in general.

The Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee of the ICAC
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     The Government has appointed Mr Philip Chen Nan-lok as Chairman of the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC). Mr Dominic Ho Chiu-fai is re-appointed as a member of the Committee and Dr Susan Fan Yun-sun is appointed as a new member. The appointments and re-appointment are for a term of two years.

     The CPAC receives and calls for reports from the ICAC Corruption Prevention Department about practices and procedures of government departments, public bodies and the private sector with a view to preventing corruption in the different sectors, and advises the Commissioner, ICAC on the areas that should be examined and the degree of priority accorded.

The Operations Review Committee of the ICAC
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     The Government has re-appointed Mr Robert George Kotewall, the Hon Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, Prof John Leong Chi-yan and Mr Michael Sze Cho-cheung as members of the Operations Review Committee (ORC). Ms Ann Chiang Lai-wan is appointed as a new member of ORC. The appointment and re-appointments are for a term of two years.

     The ORC monitors the work of the ICAC Operations Department. It reviews corruption complaints received and investigations conducted by the ICAC to ensure that they are handled effectively and efficiently. It also examines circumstances where search warrants are authorised by the Commissioner, ICAC, where persons have been put on bail for more than six months, and where investigations have been lasting for over a year or requiring substantial resources.

The Witness Protection Review Board Panel
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     The Government has re-appointed Mr Robert George Kotewall, the Hon Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, Prof John Leong Chi-yan and Mr Michael Sze Cho-cheung as members of the Witness Protection Review Board Panel. Ms Ann Chiang Lai-wan is appointed as a new member of the Panel. The appointment and re-appointments are for a term of two years.

     The Witness Protection Review Board is responsible for, upon request of an aggrieved person, reviewing the decision by the approving authority of not including that person in a witness protection programme, terminating the person's protection as a participant in the witness protection programme and not establishing a new identity for the person as a witness protection programme participant.

     Full membership lists of the six Committees / Panel are at the Annex.

Ends/Friday, December 30, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:09

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