Seven individuals and two companies are facing a total of 25 charges including manslaughter, fraud, and money laundering following an investigation into the deadly fire
The charges, announced on 10 June by police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), relate to a blaze that broke out on 26 November 2025 at the Tai Po residential estate, killing 168 people and displacing thousands.
Three individuals and the two companies involved in the estate’s renovation project have been jointly charged with five counts of manslaughter, with the defendants including directors and a registered inspector linked to the consultancy firm Will Power Architects Company Limited and the main contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. Limited.
According to investigators, the charges stem from alleged failings in the supervision of building materials and construction practices. Senior Superintendent Basil Tang stated: “The firms and individuals responsible for the Wang Fuk Court renovation project failed in their duty of care and displayed gross negligence in their supervision of construction materials and engineering protocols.”
Investigators identified several critical fire safety issues associated with the refurbishment works, including the use of non-fire-retardant safety nets and canvases, flammable foam boards, and modifications to escape routes. These measures are suspected of “severely compromising the fire safety of the buildings, causing the fire to spread rapidly and obstructing escape routes, resulting in a large number of causalities.”
Alongside the manslaughter charges, the ICAC has brought 20 additional charges against the same individuals, others connected to the project, and both companies. These include conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice and tax evasion.
The investigation uncovered alleged misconduct across multiple stages of the project, including the tender process where the ICAC alleged that parties “conspired together to defraud… by concealing the litigation records of Prestige… and inflating the score given to Prestige in the tender analysis report”, enabling the company to secure a contract valued at over HK$300 million.
Further allegations concern failures in project supervision, with authorities claiming that statutory inspection duties were not fulfilled, and reports signed off despite inspections not being carried out.
ICAC Principal Investigator Hazel Law said: “We suspect that this tragedy was fuelled entirely by individual greed.” She added that those involved “not only failed to carry out their professional responsibilities but resorted to deep-seated corruption and fraud to achieve their objectives, displaying a disregard for the lives and properties of the residents”
Financial misconduct also forms a significant part of the case. Investigators allege that more than HK$40 million in suspected crime proceeds were channelled through company and personal accounts, with “most of the cash deposited… not supported by business records or receipts”. Separate charges relate to alleged tax evasion through false accounting.
Two further charges allege attempts to obstruct the investigation, including concealing HK$600,000 in cash and encouraging false statements to authorities.
The prosecution follows what officials described as the “largest joint investigation task force in recent years”, with 35 individuals arrested during the inquiry.
The case has been adjourned to 2 September 2026 at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts. Authorities confirmed that investigations are still ongoing and “further law enforcement actions would not be ruled out.”