Proxy Vote Scandal at Hung Fuk Court Involves Deceased Owner's Authorization
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago6 MIN
Summary
An investigation by HK01 has revealed serious irregularities in proxy vote collection at Hung Fuk Court (宏福苑) in Tai Po, with 131 proxy votes collected under the name of former district councilor Wong Pik-kiu (黃碧嬌) at a special owners' meeting on December 11, 2021—including one authorization from a unit owner who had died 11 months prior to the meeting. The son of the deceased owner, who only inherited the property in June 2023, has confirmed his father passed away in late January 2021, making the proxy authorization invalid. Senior Counsel Kenneth Macr (杜淦堃), representing the Independent Committee, disclosed during a hearing that the management company Ho On (合安) submitted an Excel file documenting these proxy votes, which accounted for approximately 25 percent of all proxy votes at that meeting.
Key Points
- The special owners' meeting on December 11, 2021 was convened after 5 percent of owners petitioned to remove the incumbent owners' corporation committee
- A total of 131 proxy votes were recorded under Wong Pik-kiu's name, though most were not actually authorized to her, with Wong claiming she personally received only 20-plus votes
- A unit in Hung Yan Kok (宏仁閣) was listed as authorizing "Tam Tak-wing" (譚德榮) to attend, but the owner died in January 2021 and his son inherited in June 2023
- The deceased owner's family gave a blank, unsigned proxy form to a neighbor before understanding the legal requirements
- Tai Po District Councilor Yiu Jun-ho (姚鈞豪) confirmed proxy verification occurred on December 9, 2021, two days before the meeting
- Practicing barrister Luk Wai-hung (陸偉雄) stated that forging a deceased person's signature constitutes the offense of "false instruments" under Hong Kong law
Why It Matters
This case exposes systemic vulnerabilities in Hong Kong's building management proxy vote system, where currently no mechanism exists to verify the validity of proxy authorizations. The Government launched a one-month public consultation on August 12 to amend the Building Management Ordinance, with proxy vote regulations being one of five key reform areas—proposing limits on proxy holdings and restrictions on authorized representatives to prevent similar fraud .
This case exposes systemic vulnerabilities in Hong Kong's building management proxy vote system, where currently no mechanism exists to verify the validity of proxy authorizations. The Government launched a one-month public consultation on August 12 to amend the Building Management Ordinance, with proxy vote regulations being one of five key reform areas—proposing limits on proxy holdings and restrictions on authorized representatives to prevent similar fraud .