The Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) says in a hard-hitting report yesterday it has discovered possible administrative illegalities, fraud and other possible crimes concerning the inheritance of the ownership of a plot at the bottom of Coloane Hill on which was previously planned a – meanwhile suspended – high-rise residential building project.
The report says that the CCAC does not rule out the possibility that some people illegally obtained the ownership of the plot after fraudulently claiming to be descendants of the initial owner of the plot through judicial procedures.
CCAC investigators discovered, according to the report, that the “inherited” plot is actually not located on Coloane Hill but in the centre of Coloane Village.
The report suspects two government entities of irregularities concerning the plot – the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) and the Mapping and Land Registry Bureau (DSCC).
The plot, on the western part of Coloane, is near Lai Chi Vun Village.
A plan for the plot issued by the DSSOPT in 2011 allowed building projects of up to 100 metres on the plot. The construction of a highrise residential complex on the plot started in 2013 but soon after it was suspended, following complaints by heritage activists and civic leaders.
According to the report, in 2016 the CCAC received a number of complaints from residents about alleged illegalities in the assessment and approval procedures for the construction project on the plot.
After carrying out an investigation, the CCAC said it discovered a number of “doubts” about the legal status of the plot. The CCAC also discovered that the plan issued by the DSSOPT for the plot was not in line with the planning terms laid down in its administrative instructions for the development of plots in Coloane, according to the report.
According to the report, the CCAC also discovered that the plot on which the project was previously planned is actually government
property. The report urges the government to repossess the plot through appropriate procedures.
According to the CCAC report, the DSSOPT administrative instructions, which were drafted in 2009, state that the height limit for buildings on the plot is only 8.9 metres.
In response to the report, the Government Spokesperson’s Office (GPV) said in a statement yesterday that Chief Executive
Fernando Chui Sai On has decided to transfer the case to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further investigations.
Developer Sio Tak Hong is reported to have been involved in the project. There was no immediate reaction from Sio on the
CCAC report.
This photo taken in 2016 shows part of the plot on which a controversial high-rise project was planned to be built, at the bottom of Coloane Hill. Photo: Davis Ip
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