The government said on Wednesday that the law enforcement department continues to conduct criminal investigations into the incidents concerning the construction quality of the MTR Shatin to Central Link project. The government’s statement came one day after construction company Leighton Contractors (Asia) has been fined HK$40,000 for its substandard work while building the city’s most expensive rail link, which partly caused HK$2 billion in extra costs for the project. But neither Leighton nor others involved in the project were charged for other issues revealed during an independent inquiry into the scandal, such as missing paperwork, subsidence, and building works carried out with unapproved designs. Meanwhile, the Buildings Department said in a statement yesterday that contractors who contravene the relevant provisions of the Buildings Ordinance in carrying out building works may be subject to disciplinary action, liable to be fined, reprimanded, or removed from the registered contractors' register. Neither did the Buildings Department nor the MTR indicate they will hold relevant parties accountable for other issues revealed in the independent inquiry.
