Anti-corruption commission seeks to overhaul rules on officers' conduct

The graft-buster is set to overhaul its rules for officers' conduct in an effort to "remove the ambiguities" after the scandal over former chief Timothy Tong Hin- ming's spending exposed a string of violations.

Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu announced the review yesterday after attending a Legislative Council hearing at which community relations director Julie Mu Fee-man was heavily criticised for overlooking the rules during Tong's tenure.

"It will be a very radical review to remove the ambiguities and update the whole of the commission standing orders," Peh said.

The standing orders - described as "the bible" by Peh - list the administrative rules, including the handling of expenses, to which the officers must adhere.

Yesterday's hearing marked the first time Mu had responded to the report of an independent panel that studied the ICAC's spending on entertainment, gifts and official visits between 2007 and 2012.

Her department was cited for several breaches and Mu emerged as the main target for members of the Public Accounts Committee who asked her to clarify her role yesterday.

According to the report, the community relations department was the only one in the ICAC that excluded the cost of alcohol from entertainment expenditures and claimed it separately. The graft-buster introduced a form to address the issue in 2008, but the department stopped using it 18 months later. It also failed to follow a revised standing order in 2009 that stated that "food, beverages and tips" should all be included in the expenditure per person.