Suspicious proxy votes went unaddressed, inquiry hears

Complaints about suspicious proxy votes at an owners’ meeting were left unaddressed, the inquiry into the Wang Fuk Court inferno was told on Friday. On the second day of hearings, the independent committee's senior counsel, Victor Dawes, continued his opening remarks by saying that a special owners’ meeting to discuss renovation works was attended by over 200 people, yet 570 votes were cast. Some owners later said they had never authorised anyone to vote on their behalf, but proxy votes bearing their names still appeared. Dawes said some owners had lodged complaints with government departments and agencies, but the Buildings Department and the Urban Renewal Authority both said the matter fell outside their purview. The Home Affairs Department, meanwhile, referred the matter to the Competition Commission and the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation management committee. However, Dawes pointed out that the management committee itself was subject to complaints. The probe also heard that Wang Fuk Court's fire safety system had been out of service for more than half a year prior to the inferno. Edited by Aaron Tam