HONG KONG FIRMS AND INDIVIDUALS CHARGED OVER FIRE THAT KILLED 168

Hong Kong authorities have charged two companies and seven individuals in connection with the fire at the Wang Fuk housing complex, which killed 168 people in November last year. The charges total 25 counts and include manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and tax evasion. The blaze was the deadliest fire in the city for more than 70 years. Authorities have not publicly named the companies or individuals charged.

The charges cover the project consultancy firm and the main contractor involved in the building's renovation, along with directors of both companies and the registered inspector at the consultancy. Hong Kong's anti-graft watchdog had previously arrested two directors of Will Power Architects, the development's structural engineering consultancy, shortly after the fire. By March this year, police had arrested 38 people on allegations of manslaughter and fraud. The anti-graft watchdog had separately arrested a further 23 people, including consultants, contractors, and members of the complex's owners' corporation. Previous reports named Prestige Construction and Engineering Company as the registered contractor for the renovation work.

The scale of the charges reflects the length and breadth of the investigation carried out by both police and the anti-graft authority. Investigators pursued parallel lines of inquiry covering criminal liability for the deaths, financial fraud, and obstruction of justice. The combined total of those arrested across both agencies now stands at more than 60 individuals. No trial dates have been confirmed in the source material.