Cultural Industries Fund’s staff question CCAC ‘simplification’

Eight staff of the city’s Cultural Industries Fund told media yesterday that they had been “pressured” during questioning concerning the investigation by the government into the suspicion that a former executive member of the body broke the law when his relative was granted money by the Fund.
The former executive member of the Fund had instructed staff on how to answer the questioning at the investigation under summary procedure conducted by the cabinet of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng, the eight staff told a press briefing yesterday. The staff also complained that they had been pressured as the former executive of the Fund had asked them about the content of the questioning.
Mr. Alexis Tam removed Chao Son U from the Fund’s controlling body last month on suspicion that Mr. Chao was involved in corruption.
In a statement released on Wednesday, however, the Commission Against Corruption said it has no evidence showing that the former executive member of the Fund broke the law when a relative was granted money by the Fund. The case was hence filed, CCAC noted in its statement.
At the press briefing yesterday, however, the eight Fund staff questioned why the Commission’s investigation into the case was “too simplified” and “too fast”.