🔥 Trending Hong Fu Court Hearing: Key Developments and Revelations

The Hong Fu Court Independent Commission held its final round of hearings on July 17, 2026, to investigate the causes and responsibilities behind a major fire that occurred at the Hong Fu Court in Tai Po ¹²⁴. These hearings involved concluding statements from various parties, including the government, residents, and the commission's legal team ¹²³⁵.

Key Arguments and Criticisms

Government's Stance

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's legal representative, barrister Sun Jingqian, stated that the "direct responsibility" for the fire lay with the contractors ¹. He emphasized that the government acted promptly by forming an inter-departmental investigation team after the fire and that its participation in the hearings demonstrated its commitment to the incident ¹. While acknowledging some supervisory shortcomings, the government maintained that the direct cause of the fire was not its responsibility ³.

Residents' Allegations

Residents of Hong Fu Court presented their concluding remarks on July 16, 2026, accusing multiple contractors of negligence that led to the fire ³. They also detailed at least 14 instances of supervisory negligence by six government departments and statutory bodies ³. Furthermore, residents criticized District Councillor Wong Pik-kiu for alleged questionable practices regarding proxy votes ³.

Independent Commission's Findings

The Independent Commission's legal team, led by Senior Counsel Du Ganxuan, presented a comprehensive 627-page written summation of their findings ⁵⁹. This document, uploaded to the commission's website on July 17, 2026, critically evaluated the fire's causes, the responsibilities of involved parties, and offered recommendations ⁵⁶⁹.

Key points from the Commission's summation include:

• Primary Responsibility: The commission's representative stated that Hung Yee Hong Yip (鴻毅宏業) bears the primary responsibility for the fire ⁵.
• Government's Partial Responsibility: The government is deemed to bear a portion of the responsibility ⁵.
• Widespread Regulatory Failure: The commission's legal team, in their written submission, highlighted "widespread regulatory failure," describing it as unacceptable and negligent ⁹. Specific criticisms included:
• Housing Bureau: Significant deficiencies in monitoring fire safety during construction ⁹.
• Labour Department: Failure to detect that flame-retardant certificates for scaffolding nets were identical for 16 months ⁹.
• Fire Services Department: Insufficient site inspections ⁹.
• "Deliberate Cheating": A lawyer representing the Hong Kong government suggested that "deliberate cheating" by renovation contractors and professionals with oversight authority caused the fire and its rapid spread ¹⁰.
• Lack of Cooperation: The commission noted that a small number of individuals were unwilling to cooperate with the investigation, hindering their work ⁸. The commission stressed that its criticisms were not made lightly and were based on concrete evidence, even if some individuals chose not to respond ²⁶.

Hearing Process and Next Steps

The hearings, which began in March 2026, spanned five rounds and 27 sessions, featuring testimonies from residents, departmental personnel, and experts ⁴. The final round, which concluded on July 17, 2026, marked the end of the public hearing phase ⁴⁸. The commission will now focus on reviewing the extensive written evidence and concluding statements from all parties to compile its final investigation report ⁸.